Local Business

SPONSORED - Osmosis offered it’s first cedar enzyme bath in Sonoma County in May of 1985 in a handcrafted structure made from recycled wood in a friend’s back yard. Founder Michael Stusser had his life changed when he experienced the enzyme bath for the first time while living in Japan. “As the healing warmth of the bath enveloped my being, the whole picture of a healing sanctuary with a magical fermentation bath at the core surrounded by meditative Japanese style gardens, architecture and gracious hospitality flashed before my minds eye. From this remarkable moment I knew it was my calling to come back to Sonoma County and recreate the Japanese enzyme bath in West,” Stusser says.

The welcome mat for Sonoma County’s wine country was rolled up several weeks ago in the midst of the COVID-19 shelter-in-place, and there is no prediction of when it might be rolled out again. Only a little over one quarter (27.8%) of the county’s 7,000 lodging rooms were occupied at the beginning of this month, down from an average occupancy rate of 78% from a year ago.

The two-story Mediterranean-style cottage at 217 Healdsburg Ave., which for years served as the public walk-in presence of the Chamber of Commerce, is for rent. Though small—it’s less than 700 square feet, 347 on the ground floor—its location could not be better for the right customer: Next door to the H2Hotel and a block’s walk from the Plaza...

The owner and operator of Vanity the Salon, a Healdsburg beauty parlor, has moved to a new location, after nearly two years of struggling to keep her business — in an industry particularly hard hit by the pandemic — alive.

It was an unusual sight on Matheson Street at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church one morning last week—Father Rafael Karekatt was dressed in his ceremonial finery, offering prayers and shaking holy water inside and all around a brand new Mercedes Sprinter ambulance, blessing...

The latest round of grants from the Healdsburg Tourism Improvement District (HTID) was announced earlier this month, the most recent installment in a program begun in 2020 and approved to last for 10 years. The latest distribution, of over $100,000, went to 11 organizations for their ability to put “heads in beds,” per the requirements of the HTID. But not everyone was pleased...

On July 1, the Sonoma County Library went “fine-free” and eliminated overdue fines for items returned late. In addition, all past fines were waived. In all, more than 80,000 people — 30 percent of all library borrowers — had their overdue fines waived.

Camila Salazar and Osmel Gonzalez were already a powerful duo before arriving in Healdsburg. But after two and a half years, they have not only found a community within their working family at Single Thread, but have created one of their own.

Now when most winemakers talk about “clones,” they’re talking about varietals selected for specific qualities, such as flavor, color or intensity. The Dijon clones of pinot noir or chardonnay are well known; but the canine clone of a winery dog is a new thing entirely.

Downtown Healdsburg is a hopping place to be on Saturday and Tuesday mornings, all the better for locals and out-of-towners who like farmers’ markets and what they have to offer. Which is a lot. The selection of goods for sale at the many market...