By Sheila Yasmin Marikar

From the moment I first stepped foot in Ojai, the quaint town 80 miles north of Los Angeles, I knew it was special. The Topatopa Mountains rose, craggy and majestic, above fragrant orange groves and verdant knolls. How is it possible for a place to be this charming, I wondered, as I sauntered into the high-ceilinged, Hacienda-style lobby of the Ojai Valley Inn, where I would be meeting my best friend from college for a weekend of wining, dining, spa treatments, and exercise that would help us earn extra helpings of the first two.

That was five years ago.

Since then, I’ve returned to Ojai six times, and it’s made more of an impact on my life and work than I ever could have predicted: It’s where the protagonist of my debut novel, The Goddess Effect, finds her balance as the tension between her and the wellness guru she once idolized comes to a head. It’s also the setting of my ending, which readers have called outrageous, surprising, and deeply satisfying. 

When I first encountered Ojai, The Goddess Effect was not going well. I was at an impasse with my first draft. I shared that with Nicola Fiona Behrman, the Ojai Valley Inn’s then “resident energy alchemist,” who led me through a 50-minute “illumination session” meant to infuse my “body and soul with nourishing light.” (Yes, the skeptic in me rolled her eyes. But the eternal optimist in me thought maybe there was something to this woo-woo stuff.) 

When Nicola inquired about my anxieties, I told her about the novel I was failing to write.

“Not only will you finish this novel,” she said, as she reached for a bottle of “inspiration mist,” and hovered it over my face, “it will also be a raging success.” Spritz. “It will be the first of a trilogy.” Spritz. “It will change your life.”

With face damp and my skepticism peaking, I thanked Nicola and, post-treatment, dove into my preferred form of spiritual rejuvenation: numerous glasses of wine with a girlfriend who’s known me most of my adult life.

Ultimately, readers will determine if The Goddess Effect meets the high bar Nicola set. (And, for the record, it is not the start of a trilogy—my next novel is set in wine country, with a different cast of characters.) But Nicola was spot on about one thing: The Goddess Effect made me an author and forever linked me to Ojai, which remains a font of inspiration and one of my favorite getaways within driving distance of Los Angeles, where I’m based.

This time of year, as the holiday pressure rises and temperatures across the country descend, you’ll find Ojai to be crisp (but not east-coast cold!), delightful, and rejuvenating. When you visit this divine mountain town (the Ojai valley’s atypical orientation, east-west rather than north-south, purportedly makes it an electromagnetic vortex of good energy) be sure to make time for the following:

An out-of-the-box spa treatment at the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa

Save the Swedish massage for another time. From mud baths to spiritual counseling to a CBD scrub, the world-class spa at Ojai's signature luxury resort specializes in cutting-edge methods of body-and-mind rejuvenation. (That said, their more traditional therapies, like the Swedish massage, are hard to beat.)

Wine tasting at The Ojai Vineyard

Wine tasting rooms pepper the charming downtown streets of Ojai, and you can’t miss this sun-drenched, indoor/outdoor haven. The Ojai Vineyard offers several wine flights, a wine club, and has a well-stocked bottle shop. Don’t miss their pinot noir or their barbera, expertly paired with a wood-fired pizza.

Dinner at The Dutchess

One of Ojai’s newest (and most delicious) additions is this sprawling restaurant that, by night, specializes in Californian interpretations of Burmese and Indian cuisine. By day, their homemade pastries are a local favorite. 

The Shelf Road trail hike

This out-and-back trail, also known as the Fox Canyon Trail, registers 3.5 miles total, making it the ideal, low-impact way to get some movement in while enjoying panoramic views of the Ojai valley. 

Window shopping (or the real kind) on Ojai Avenue

Clothing and home goods shops abound on Ojai’s main drag. Standouts include Danski Ojai for eclectic dresses, Fig Curated Living for funky kitchen essentials, Ali Golden for of-the-moment womenswear, and Tala Design for modern home accents. A few blocks away, the Crystal Corner is like a late-summer farmer’s market for a crystal enthusiast.

Lunch at Ojai Rotie

The French-Lebanese patio restaurant is the ideal spot for an al fresco lunch, giving you a chance to refuel after a shopping jaunt (with or without a bottle of wine from their on-site wine bar).

Wine and cheese at Tipple & Ramble

Operating as a bar, cafe, and home goods shop, Tipple & Ramble charms both locals and visitors with prettily plated snacks and generous pours of wine. The ample outdoor space includes a hammock for those who want to hang (perhaps with a good book).

Browsing Bart's Books

Speaking of books: Ojai is home to the world's largest outdoor bookstore, which boasts more than 130,000 used and new books. With ample reading tables and a wide range of titles, this is a must-stop for book fanatics and causal readers.

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Sheila Yasmin Marikar’s debut novel, The Goddess Effect, published with Amazon's Little A, is now available. Her work has been published in the New Yorker, the New York Times, the Economist, Fortune, Bloomberg Businessweek, Vogue, and many other publications. Her New York Times Magazine profile of the chef Gaggan Anand was selected for the 2021 edition of Best American Food Writing. Sheila began her career at ABC News. A native of New Jersey, she is a graduate of Cornell University, where she studied history. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband.