Take a look inside the gorgeous Farmhouse Inn in Sonoma County, California.
Farmhouse Inn is an award-winning boutique hotel in Sonoma County, California owned by sibling team, Joe and Catherine Bartolomei. An elegant property spanning 10 acres of the Russian River Valley’s bohemian enclave of Forestville, the Inn is a luxurious, yet casual escape from the stress of everyday life.
An exquisitely designed guest experience
Featuring 25 farmhouse-chic rooms, Farmhouse Inn’s guest experience is exquisitely designed around thoughtful service and indulgent extras. Guests enjoy intimate, personalized experiences, concierge services to help plan the perfect stay, a Michelin-starred restaurant, VIP experiences at local wineries, and farm-to-table spa experiences. They can also reserve luxury cars for complimentary drives, book a wine country adventure with a driver, or take a sommelier-led wine tour.
Like everyone else, Farmhouse Inn faced challenges in 2020, but it recently celebrated its 20th anniversary on Valentine’s Day, 2021. That same month, Irisha Steele joined the Inn as Spa Director. With more than 10 years of experience in spa management, Steele previously served as Wellness Retreat Director at Ambrosia Retreats and Executive Spa Director at St. Regis Aspen Resort.
The Farmhouse Inn Spa
The Farmhouse Inn Spa is an intimate space where treatments are created in holistic alignment with the rhythms of the seasons, where nature as the most powerful healer is the greatest inspiration. The spa experience at Farmhouse is a journey toward health and happiness, rooted in simplicity. Each session weaves together local remedies and healing modalities designed to align, awaken and restore guests to their own unique place of balance
The spa had been closed during the early stages of the pandemic but was set to reopen in March. At that time, Steele implemented Book4Time software to replace a legacy system that didn’t have the analytics or forecasting capabilities required to run the spa.
Steele said, “For more than a decade, I had used Book4Time. Nearly every corporate spa where I had worked used this software, but I didn’t want that to influence my decision. I set out to find out whether there was something better on the market that would work for a smaller, less corporate facility. I questioned whether Book4Time was too advanced and premium for what we needed. It turns out, Book4Time offered all the features I wanted, even on a small scale.”
The implementation was quick. After getting the green light to go ahead with Book4Time, Steele had just a few short weeks to implement the new platform.
“Everything went smoothly,” she said, “thanks to Book4Time’s support and dedication. Their help was invaluable, and even on short notice, the team jumped right in and moved quickly to get everything done.”
Steele adds that Book4Time “streamlined all of our processes, making interdepartmental coordination easier.” The customer note feature, for example, is particularly useful. Through this feature, teams can see everything from a customer’s shoe and robe size to their preferred tea. “We want to help guests slow down and enjoy more human contact, and that involves feeling cared for. It makes the entire spa experience less transactional, which leads to increased customer retention and revenue.”
What’s on the menu at Farmhouse Inn Spa?
Standout signature spa menu items at Farmhouse Inn Spa include:
THE ANTIDOTE
A massage tailored to guests’ preferences for light, medium or deep tissue pressure. “This signature session blends integrative techniques, customized pressure, and soothing remedies, carefully crafted to meet you where you are today.”
CELEBRATION
A head-to-toe session crafted for the celebration-seeker.
“Whether it is to honor, give thanks or acknowledge a new phase of life, we say cheers to everything. A grounding foot treatment and illuminating face renewal are blended into a tailored session leaving you refreshed and primed for ultimate merriment. Carry on with your festivities with a glass of sparkling wine.”
GEMS + STONES
Warm basalt stones and cool gemstones glide together in a therapeutic tailored massage. “The expansion and contraction from the heat and cold provide unique healing benefits to release tension patterns, reduce inflammation, and balance our happiness hormones.”
Looking for ways to increase hospitality revenue with wellness? Download our guide on how to do that here.