No A-lister worth her Manolo Blahniks would dream of walking down the red carpet without first booking in for some pre-Oscar pampering, and this year’s Academy Award nominees were no exception — Hollywood was abuzz with spa therapies, from hydro-massage mud treatments to detox clay wraps to lose those vital movie-star inches. When it comes to health and beauty, where California leads, the rest of us must surely follow.

California has countless natural wonders and man-made marvels, including mineral springs and mud-bath spas. In Sonoma County, on the northwest coast, a sign above the door of Osmosis Enzyme Bath spa reads “E Kimochi,” which translates as “a very nice feeling” in Japanese. From the sun-drenched desert to the snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevada, deep in the countryside or beside a mountain river, California’s spas are overflowing with that aforementioned “very nice feeling” and are guaranteed to soothe your mind and body, whether you join a yoga class or relax in a mineral springs pool.

Other highlights include the Golden Door at Naples Grande Beach Resort, which opened 50 years ago in the hilly avocado groves above Escondido, north of San Diego. World-class facilities at Golden Door include nine treatment rooms, a herbal wrap area, hydrotherapy tub, sauna, steam room and hot tubs.

Although more commonly associated with vineyards than pampering, California’s Napa Valley is the perfect destination for spa lovers. It’s an area with a rich tradition of mud baths and geothermal water therapies, and guests at the Spa Solage are invited to step out of their comfort zone and indulge in the spa’s signature and soaks in spring-fed pools.

For those who want to pamper the mind as well as the body there’s the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, which opened in 1962 as a retreat for exploring what Aldous Huxley — a regular visitor, along with Jack Kerouac, Joan Baez and Bob Dylan — called the “human potential”. With hundreds of workshops on offer visitors can learn everything from psychology to art, before heading down to the Institute’s famous hot springs complex with its hot tubs, massage rooms and sun decks jutting out over the ocean.

With so much to choose from, you’re bound to find a spa to suit you. So stop California dreaming — and make it a reality today.For your chance to win a trip, visit timesonline.co.uk/California