Photo Courtesy of SENSES by JCB | Julia Jinks
UPDATE: Unfortunately, Senses by JCB is permanently closed
Close your eyes and envision your perfect Napa Valley day. Does it involve fine wine, gourmet food, pampering at the spa, followed by a little boutique shopping? Thanks to SENSES by JCB, all of that is now totally possible within one small block of Yountville.
Equal parts spa, fashion boutique, beauty shop, and fragrance emporium, SENSES is the latest luxury offering from Jean-Charles Boisset (JCB), proprietor of St. Helena’s Raymond Vineyards and also the JCB Tasting Salon, Salon Privé, and Atelier Fine Foods – all located in the JCB Village off Washington Street in Yountville.
“[JCB] wanted to make this a whole day experience for people to go through the entire village and tap into every market they’re looking for,” said Austin Dahn, Assistant Manager for SENSES by JCB. “You’d typically have to go to different places throughout the day to get that full experience.”
Moreover, with the holiday season upon us, SENSES is also a one-stop-shop for luxury brands and gifts for everyone on your list (while you treat yourself, of course). We’ve sprinkled our top suggestions throughout so that you can do Santa’s work in one fell swoop.
On the second floor of SENSES is the medi-spa, a bright, white, and luxurious space that’s perfect for some rest and relaxation, but is not your typical Napa Valley day spa. You won’t find any massage options on the menu, but you will find qualified and intensely-trained aestheticians who offer waxing, eyelash extensions, and lash and brow tinting. At SENSES, facials are the specialty with 12 different types on offer, aimed at reducing signs of aging, sun damage, controlling acne, and more.
The SENSES spa is hyper-focused on quality, utilizing the best, medical-grade products and equipment – from microdermabrasion to microcurrent technology – to perform the most advanced and cutting edge treatments. It’s one of the few places in Wine Country to offer the hydrafacial, which extracts, exfoliates, and rejuvenates with a high-tech wand. All of the spa treatments are designed to produce long-lasting effects and in many cases, instant results.
Downstairs, there’s a beauty room carrying both medical-grade and organic skincare lines. The iS Clinical products, for instance, are especially exclusive; only five percent of their distribution can be to non-medical offices, one of those being SENSES.
What to gift: Book mom an age-defying facial or non-surgical facelift. Treat your husband or dad to the curated Gentleman’s Facial.
SENSES carries a wide array of high-end perfumes, including two made by Jean-Charles himself, but it also offers the opportunity to create your own signature scent. Sit down at the interactive perfume organ, a display of base scents that mimics the workstation of a nose (another word for perfumer). Take a whiff of individual scents to get a feel for how they come together to make a single fragrance. The next step is the blending experience, where you’ll blend base fragrances with essences of your choice and go home with your own custom bottle of perfume.
What to gift: Book the perfume blending experience for you and mom, your sister, or a friend – it’ll make for a perfect girls day activity. Or, create your own unique blend for yourself or gift the bottle to someone special.
Always impeccably dressed, JCB hands down has the best fashion sense in Napa, not to mention the California wine industry, and the retail portion of SENSES reflects his exquisite taste. With the exception of shoes, SENSES has everything you need to style yourself for a fun night out in Napa Valley. Start by shopping for designer threads (for both men and women), which have been hand-selected from luxury fashion brands, mainly based in New York and Paris. If you’ve always wanted a fancy fur coat, this is the place to splurge on your dream one.
Next, accessorize. SENSES has a vintage handbag wall – look for the giant unicorn head – featuring unique, limited-edition pieces from the most in vogue 90s brands (Gucci, Louis Vuitton), all priced below market value. The boutique also carries new luxury handbags and jewelry pieces to complete any outfit.
What to gift: Purchase a gift card and allow the recipient to pick something chic out for themselves, or choose a vintage handbag for them to unwrap. They’ll likely be the only one around town carrying that purse.
Located within the JCB Village, you can spend a full day here indulging in the ultimate Napa Valley experience. Before or after your spa treatment, sit down for a tasting of sparkling and still wines while you shop for luxury goods at the JCB Tasting Salon, a one-of-a-kind tasting room and retail store featuring custom-designed jewelry, candles, and more. Or, for a more private experience, book an appointment at Salon Privé. Nosh throughout the day on epicurean delicacies sourced from all over the world – from caviar to truffles to an impressive international cheese selection – at Atelier Fine Foods. When it’s time to go out for the evening, Yountville’s incredible fine dining establishments and resorts are all within easy walking distance.
What to gift: A bottle of sparkling wine from the JCB Tasting Salon and a tin of caviar from Atelier make for a killer combo. Gift this to the host of your holiday party.
