Spa Magazine

For years I had been hearing that The Oaks at Ojai-a family-owned destination spa in Ojai, California-was a great place to kick-start a health and fitness regimen or just relax and rejuvenate without having to spend a fortune. (So great, in fact, that about two-thirds of the spa's guests are repeat visitors.) 

I finally got the chance to spend a weekend there, and the timing couldn't have been better: It was the first day of spring, and my body was sorely in need of a tuneup. Committed in the past to regular exercise and eating well, I had let those good habits slip over the course of several years and put on 15 pounds. I needed a jump-start, a reminder of all the things I had known at one time but had managed to forget. I needed to get back to basics.

My drive to the Oaks from the Santa Barbara airport took me on a delightful, winding 45-minute journey that began along the Pacific coast and then continued inland. I drove past lavender, orchid, and fruit farms; chaparral-covered mountains; and a pristine lake. Expansive, inspiring vistas bursting with purple and yellow wildflowers took my breath away-an amazing start to a rejuvenating weekend. (Another guest at the spa later told me she had driven the same route on a prior visit, and its beauty had inspired her to pull over and say a prayer.) 

But while the scenery was soothing my soul a slight anxiety began creeping in as I got closer to The Oaks. Would I be constantly hungry on the spa's meal plan of 1,000-1,200 calories a day? Who would I talk to during my stay? As I found out just a couple of hours later, I had nothing to worry about on either count. 

I arrived in time to check in, unpack, and then make my way to the dining room for dinner before it closed at 7. I spotted a woman who had just started her meal, and I asked if I could join her. She was a very sweet mother of twin boys, here from Los Angeles on her annual getaway. This was her fourth visit to The Oaks; it's a trip she makes regularly to decompress and boost her health.

The dinner that evening consisted of a salad, a green chili enchilada, black beans, Mexican rice, and flan for dessert. It was good. Really, really good-and I felt full. I couldn't believe it: All that great food and only 350 calories? The answer to how they manage to make low-calorie cuisine taste so delicious-without using salt, grain sugar, or artificial sugar substitutes-lies in the kitchen's use of herbs and spices (they sell their own blend that you can take home with you) plus fresh, local ingredients. Meals are also carefully planned to contain no more than 20 percent fat. To curb hunger throughout the day, fruit, tea, coffee, and water are always available.

While most of us can handle eating right when someone else is cooking and controlling portions, it's a different story to keep up the good work at home. The Oaks helps support permanent changes to diet and exercise habits by focusing on a simple equation of calories in versus calories out and listing the caloric value of each item on the menu. The goal is for spa-goers to experience new dishes and then duplicate the recipes at home. According to the staff's calculations, the average five-night stay at The Oaks results in about three pounds of weight loss. "That's what we think is healthy," says Cathy Cluff, managing director at the destination spa. "But they'll see lots of inch loss, too. More importantly, it gets people into the right patterns."

After only an hour, my brain was spinning with possibility: Maybe I really could take home the lessons I was learning here. Maybe this trip would deliver exactly the sort of transformation I was looking for. The spa was definitely inspiring me, thanks in no small part to the work of its legendary founder, Sheila Cluff-a walking (and aerobics-class teaching, professional figure skating, skiing, and push-up doing) 73-year-old example of what eating healthfully and staying active can be like. For Cluff, fitness is the vehicle, food is the fuel, and well-being is the ongoing journey-and her healthy glow and seemingly endless supply of energy and enthusiasm are an obvious testament to the fact that her philosophy works. (I was put to shame when, to illustrate a story she was telling me, she started doing push-ups and kept on going well past 50; I can barely do five.)

Sheila is not only still teaching at the spa (when it opened in 1977 she taught just about every fitness class) but also actively competing as an ice skater. I can understand why repeat guests, in need of a reminder of what's possible, often request that Sheila teach a class while they're there. An ice skater since childhood, Sheila's time on the rink combined with her later experience as a gym teacher was the foundation that eventually led to her opening The Oaks. Tired of her female students making excuses to get out of exercising, she decided to make class fun and brought in a piano, got the wood shop department to build stepping platforms, and choreo-graphed ice-skating moves into dance routines. It was a unique take on fitness for the early 1970s.

Soon the girls' mothers were interested, so Sheila developed an adult class and eventually an entire program. She called it Cardiovascular Dance, and it was the birth of aerobics. After hosting a TV show called Shape Up With Sheila and putting together health-minded group travel tours, Sheila opened The Oaks. And she's not done innovating. Most recently, she developed a group of exercises called Sit, Stretch & Strengthen-nine moves perfect for office workers, those who need to exercise in a chair, or, as she noted to me, multitaskers who want to squeeze in a few exercises while watching TV. 

Sheila continues to inspire women to get fit while having fun (belly dancing, hula hooping, and in-line skating are on the spa's lineup of fitness classes), and she's careful to keep her spa accessible to everyone. Reasonable rates and regular deals-such as a mother/daughter special in September where daughters get a 40 percent discount, and a friend package in October that gives each guest 25 percent off-make The Oaks affordable. Local visitors aren't forgotten, either: Day guests can show up at 6 a.m. for breakfast, go on the morning group hike, take all classes, and stay through dinner for only $115; add a massage and facial, and the cost goes up to only $170-the price of a treatment alone at some spas. The spa even takes its show on the road four times a year with affordable cruises. In addition to meals and classes on board, Sheila plans shore excursions, including the very popular Aerobic Shopping With Sheila outings, and gives each guest a free two-night stay at the spa.

But you don't need to head for the high seas to experience the sense of freedom that goes along with being at The Oaks. By lunch on my second day, I was beginning to feel a sense of luxurious ease from not having to worry about keeping track of calories. It was liberating. A tangible spaciousness, a sense of relief opened up for me. Cathy summed it up well one afternoon: "You get to feel what it's like to not make bad choices." It was a profound experience-no guilt for three straight days. On top of that, I was exercising, meeting new friends, and having fun.

When it came time to leave on Sunday afternoon, I felt as if I had been there a week, and I left empowered with lessons to bring home. The beautiful surroundings soothed my spirit; the food, exercise, and body treatments rejuvenated my body; and the wellness tips I learned were etched into my mind. A weight had been lifted in more ways than one.