Weekend Escape: Ojai : Exercising moderation and talking about food at a spa that doesn’t make a fuss about either

An especially murky week was winding down as I drove over the horizon and entered Ventura County. As if on command, the sun broke through the darkened sky, welcoming me not only into the county but into a weekend of relaxation and rejuvenation.

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With that midday embrace of sunshine, the freeway aggravation of a holiday weekend was quickly forgotten. Exiting the 101 about two hours north of my home in Orange County, I found the winding California 33 to be all charm. Suddenly, driving on a highway at a speed less than my age seemed downright reasonable. Conveniently, the easygoing journey was part of an evolution toward the right frame of mind for a stay at The Oaks, Ojai’s venerable health and fitness retreat.

I drove up alone because my husband couldn’t get off work that day. He was to take Amtrak that evening, and I would make the 20-minute drive to the Ventura train station to pick him up. (The plan worked just fine, though it would surprise no one who rides Amtrak regularly that his train arrived an hour late.)

This was to be a return trip for both of us. I had fond memories of a solo trip seven years ago. But since so much time had passed, I pulled into the parking lot with curious anticipation. Surely The Oaks, like more than a few of its guests, would have undergone some sort of face lift.

Wrong. The Oaks was clearly a product of another era. No glitz, no glamour.

I was initially somewhat disappointed. But, as it turned out, the dark building and simple furnishings didn’t much matter. The Oaks proved to be pleasantly satisfying. And it’s obvious that were The Oaks to offer the amenities of celebrity-studded spots such as Tucson’s Canyon Ranch or Vista’s Cal-a-Vie, it would be just as pricey.

Instead, The Oaks (as well as its sister resort The Palms in Palms Springs) has pretty much laid claim to being the mid-price spa of Southern California. While The Oaks is no bargain (and at the beginning of this year, rates went up a few dollars a night), it’s within reach of many pocketbooks. During our stay we met a school counselor and teacher, surely not overpaid by the L.A. Unified School District, who come up every three months.

The per-person weekend rates range from $139 (for a small double) to $205 (for a large single). We went for one of the double cottages by the pool ($175 per person). When the credit card bill came with the first night’s deposit I realized that the service charge and taxes brought the nightly tariff to about $200. The prospect of $400 a night for the two of us seemed high. But when you consider that staying home would have been another step toward buying new clothes in bigger sizes, then the price seemed downright reasonable.

The room rate includes meals and snacks and all of the fitness classes. The only extra costs come for those who indulge in a massage, facial or other such pampering, which we passed on.

We had wanted a two-night stay, but because it was a holiday weekend, The Oaks required three nights’ minimum (we later met a few women who managed to finagle shorter visits). As it turned out, we felt two nights wouldn’t have been enough anyway. Three nights gives you two full days, plus as much as you can manage of the two partial days--if you check in early, they’ll let you start aerobicizing right away, and you can keep on exercising into the afternoon that you check out.

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It’s a tossup what people do most at The Oaks: exercise or talk about food. I think the latter wins. A rundown:

I had walked in with a slight limp, nursing a pulled muscle in my inner thigh, so I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to participate in many classes. But a quick scan of the schedule reminded me that The Oaks offers exercise for all levels of fitness. This isn’t just brochure talk--you truly see people of all ages and shapes running around in leotards or T-shirts and shorts.

Because I had arrived close to 1 p.m. I headed to the dining room, a simple space with tables for four overlooking the town’s main road. Lunch began with a bowl of black bean soup, a single tortilla chip floating on top next to a tiny dollop of what must have been imitation sour cream or yogurt. By the time I realized I was even eating it, it was gone. But the soup was both tasty and filling, with no feeling of it being “diet” food.

The next course was one of the more popular lunch entrees, The Oaks’ tostada. Although there was plenty of a tasty ground turkey and spice mixture on top of a blue corn tortilla shell, the key was lots and lots of shredded lettuce. Another favorite is the salsa, which guests tend to put on many unlikely dishes. For dessert we were served a fruit cup. Even though it was small, it was extremely satisfying. That’s because one of the treats about eating at The Oaks is they generally serve the freshest produce, much of it locally grown.

Because my leg was sore, I opted for the 2 p.m. aerobic pool class my first afternoon. Called aquaerobics, the class attracted some young people, but mostly older and heavier women, with a few older men sprinkled (or should I say wrinkled?) in. It’s held outside in the heated pool, where an outdoor Jacuzzi (there’s one inside too) really helps an aching muscle.

As the weekend continued I made that class every day as well as the morning conditioning pool classes. Both on my last trip and this one, I found the quality of the water classes to be erratic. Some of the instructors really worked you. With others I felt as if I might as well have been sitting poolside next to my husband, with my nose in a novel.

After my pool class that first day came the popular 4 p.m. yoga, stretch and relaxation class. It’s held in the Coral Spa, a fancy name for the plain, carpeted all-purpose room that’s used for the aerobic classes. The Oaks doesn’t have many perks, but they do supply towels all over, including in the Coral Spa.

My husband easily achieved his goal for the weekend: to stay clear of all aerobics, yoga and stretch classes. That really leaves just one fitness offering: the morning walks. But they are a centerpiece--and one reason why Ojai is such an ideal locale.

Three walks are offered. The first actually is a 6 a.m. mountain hike--a vigorous trip through a firebreak trail in the Los Padres Mountains to the north of town. Twice a week the hike is 6 1/2 miles and follows the wide Gridley Trail; another two days a week it’s eight miles and follows the narrow Picnic Route, which has tougher terrain. For the least-fit guests there is a 1 1/2-mile stroll at 7:30 a.m. We opted for the very popular three-mile brisk walk, which starts with stretching and warming up at 7 a.m. When they say brisk, they mean it. An added bonus is seeing the back roads of Ojai, where beautiful homes and properties blend in with the rural setting.

Breakfast every day consists of fresh fruit, a small muffin (the flavors are rotated) and a packet of vitamins. The diet is low fat and high fiber, about 1,000 calories a day (up from the near starvation level of 800 on my last trip).

Unless you luck out and visit The Oaks during the Ojai Music Festival in early June, don’t expect a busy social life. The spa itself offers an activity each evening. Sometimes it’s a guest speaker; sometimes you play Bingo (I won a dozen muffins, frozen to take home) and sometimes it’s a movie on the VCR, which seemed like a much bigger deal seven years ago before we all had Blockbusters around the corner.

We had come prepared with a bagful of books to sell to Bart’s, the town’s used-book mecca. Bart’s wasn’t buying that day, but we were able to trade, so we went home with about two bags of books.

Happy to report that was the only gain during the weekend.

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Budget for Two

The Oaks, two people, three nights,

bungalow room (including meals,

exercise facilities, service charge

and tax): $1,242.32

Gas: $15.00

FINAL TAB: $1,257.32 The Oaks, 122 E. Ojai Ave., Ojai, Calif. 93023; tel. (805) 646-5573 .

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