The Oaks at Ojai – Spa Weekend Getaway

**Update: After 40 years, The Oaks at Ojai has closed its doors.**

Ojai is a charming town known for its scenic beauty, great hiking trails & pedestrian-friendly downtown area filled with art galleries, cafes & restaurants. It’s an easy drive, about 90 minutes north of the San Fernando Valley.

With all of the back-to-school craziness behind me, I thought it would be really fun to visit The Oaks at Ojai. The Oaks is an award-winning destination spa that is not only well-known among California locals, but very popular among folks across the United States (often who are repeat visitors). This all-inclusive spa has everything you’ll need at your fingertips – from delicious calorie-conscious meals, healthy snacks & beverages, fitness classes (including aqua classes in their heated pool), beauty salon & 24-hour front desk service.

I was invited for the weekend to check out The Oaks & I couldn’t think of a better person to accompany me on this trip than my mom. We were both in need of a vacation & a mother-daughter trip to Ojai sounded perfect! The Oaks has 46 guest rooms, including private rooms, courtyard suites & double cottage rooms. We were fortunate to be hosted in one of their villas that has a sitting room with fireplace, separate bedroom & a spacious bathroom.

It even has a private courtyard & patio!

After checking in to our accommodations, we explored the tranquil grounds of The Oaks & then headed over to Libbey Lounge for their daily afternoon Veggie Break.

We also explored a little bit of the downtown area before heading back for dinner. It was nice to meet some of the other guests at our table. We chatted with one lady who is from Santa Barbara & has been a repeat guest for several years. The meals at The Oaks are healthy & calorie-conscious yet filling. Lots of fresh vegetables & lean protein.

I arranged for both me & my mom to have facials following our dinner. I thought it would be a great way to unwind from our day of driving & exploring. The Oaks uses Skin Authority for their treatments, which is a premium quality skin care product line.

Both of our facials included a quick arm, hand & foot massage. It was SO relaxing! Our beauty technicians did a wonderful job; our faces felt dewy soft afterwards. We both felt so sleepy afterwards that we headed back to our room & called it a night.

It’s a good thing I went to bed early because Saturday morning I woke up early for a sunrise hike. There were a handful of guests from The Oaks who accompanied our guide up Pratt Trail.

The views are gorgeous atop those mountains, looking out over Ojai & Lake Casitas!

After our 2-hour hike, I joined my mom for breakfast, who had been working out earlier on the elliptical & some of the other workout machines.

Following breakfast, we joined in a fun 45-minute Bootcamp Class. The instructor made sure to give modifications so that attendees at the spa can work out at their own pace, which is perfect for my mom. So rather than doing the light jog around the room, she did a fast-walk (as did I because honestly my legs were tired from the hike). Also when it came time to do a certain shoulder exercise with weights, she followed the same exercise, minus the weights, so as not to aggravate her (sometimes) arthritic shoulder.

After Bootcamp, it was time for our soup broth break. Healthy snacks abound at The Oaks! It’s important to hydrate during AND between fitness classes, so we hung out in the lounge area & talked with some of the other guests while sipping on cucumber water. There were two other mother-daughter couples visiting that weekend besides us. We chatted a lot with a mom from the Bay area who was visiting with her daughter who goes to a local SoCal university.

I also struck up a conversation with a woman from the East Coast who had been to The Oaks several times over the years. In talking to people, my mom & I realized that while some of the guests were there for weekend getaways, there were several others who were there for 5-10 days & even a 28-day stay. It’s the perfect place to push the “reset button” so to speak…maybe break away from certain unhealthy habits or to perhaps do some soul-searching as they transition into the next stage in their life.

After a quick lunch, it was time to head out to the pool for some Aqua Tone & Pool Yoga!

After the class, we decided to get cleaned-up & relax in our room for a bit before heading out to explore some of the stores in downtown Ojai.

Then it was time for dinner – good food & great conversation with our dinner companions, one who was so gracious to take a photo of me & my mom.

While some of our spa friends headed over to the lounge for an evening seminar with a relationship expert, my mom & I opted to go back to our room. We were both tired from our fun-filled day, so I did a bit of reading while my mom watched a little bit of TV.

We had a quiet Sunday morning, light breakfast & then took in a Morning Meditation/Yoga Class. It was just what we needed to ease into the day!

Since we were checking out at noon, we packed up our things & then decided to walk a few blocks to the Ojai Farmers Market, where we found fresh produce, pretty flowers, nuts, olive oils & other food stuff from local farmers & businesses.

After exploring all that the market had to offer, we headed back for lunch at the spa & to say goodbye. I can see why people come back year after year to The Oaks. We bonded with the other guests during our short stay & the employees, from the spa staff to the fitness instructors, are so welcoming & friendly.

The Oaks at Ojai is a great place to visit for a solo trip, weekend getaway with friends or even a mother-daughter weekend! Currently they have an awesome “Bring a Friend” promotion. From November 1 through November 20, bring a friend (or your mom!) & enjoy twice the fun with a 25% discount for both guests who share a room. Workout, explore Ojai, go hiking or relax by the pool – there are endless possibilities!

For more information, visit The Oaks at Ojai website here. Also make sure to check out their Facebook page to get the latest updates!

Disclosure: No monetary compensation was received for this post. The Oaks hosted my complimentary two night stay, including all meals, fitness activities, classes & a spa treatment which helped facilitate this review. All images & opinions are 100% my own.