California's Barkingham Hotel for Dogs Offers Plush Beds, Gourmet Food, and Pet Pilates

The next time you take a vacation, why not give your dog one, too? As Travel+Leisure reports, the Barkingham Pet Hotel in Palm Desert, California, is just as luxurious as any Four Seasons or Park Hyatt resort—at least by canine standards.

As a high-end alternative to traditional boarding kennels, Barkingham gives furry guests the chance to stay in their own private suite replete with double beds and live webcams, should customers want to check in and see how their pet is doing. However, more modest arrangements, like “mini” and “junior” suites with a traditional dog bed on the floor, are also available.

"We believe your pets deserve as great a vacation as you do," owner Lori Weiner tells Mental Floss. "We pamper them the same as would a human hotel."

Beyond the plush sleeping arrangements, pampered pets will also eat like royalty, with menu items including Greek yogurt parfait for breakfast and turkey “muttloaf” for dinner. A range of desserts, such as “corgi cannolis” and “pumpkin and cranberry delight”—all free of wheat, soy, and corn, naturally—are also on offer.

After eating to their heart’s content, dogs can hit the gym and shed some calories on the treadmill or in the pool. There’s also a “pawlates” class, which is described as “a core strengthening and muscle conditioning program” for active and arthritic dogs alike.

Traditional grooming services can all be booked at Barkingham, as well as more unconventional pampering packages like mud baths, skin treatments, and even massages. For $70, dogs can receive a “raindrop technique” massage, which uses essential oils to achieve "energy alignment" and stress relief.

Luxurious pet hotels are a growing trend, not just in California but nationwide. Florida’s Chateau Poochie offers movie nights and blueberry facials, and the New York City branch of the D Pet Hotel chain sends a chauffeur to pick up your pooch in a Ferrari, Porsche, or other luxury car of your choice. After all, you wouldn't want your Princess seen in a Prius, would you? 

[h/t Travel+Leisure]