Self-Care in Santa Barbara and Ojai | Luxury Realtor Cristal Clarke

IT’S MORE THAN A TREND HERE. IT’S A LIFESTYLE.

Group of women doing Yoga on the beach as part of their self care routine

Self-care means looking after your health and wellness in a holistic and preventive way — whether that’s here in Santa Barbara, Ojai, or just about anywhere in the world these days.

Self-care in Santa Barbara and Ojai began around the turn of the 20^th century with the well-known and well-heeled from the East Coast and Midwest discovering the bounty of beauty and nature’s abundant healthful amenities here, and Mediterranean climate, which encourage year-round indoor/outdoor living, making this the perfect place to not only call home, but to exceed your self-care goals.

READ: Fiscal Fitness: The Advantages of Investing in Your Health

Included in that bounty is the Santa Ynez Mountains offering amazing scenic vistas to drink in on any of the endless hiking and biking trails. You can ride the Cabrillo Bike Path, which runs from Leadbetter Beach to Butterfly Beach, or cruise along the glittering coastline of Santa Barbara through the rolling hills of Ojai following the Rail Trail. Our golden ridgelines cascade into the Pacific where locals enjoy a plethora of water activities, including kayaking, surfing, SUP and more. On any given day, you’ll find pick-up beach volleyball games, people sea kayaking from Stearns Wharf to the Harbor, boats setting sail for a whale watching adventure, and Yogi’s practicing on the beach or outside in the shade of tall trees in Ojai.

Today, self-care in the Santa Barbara area means not only taking advantage of the abundance nature has bestowed, but also immersing oneself in physical, spiritual and sensuous traditions such as yoga, Reiki, meditation and breathwork.

READ: How Santa Barbara Homeowners Can Create a “Smart” Healthy Home

Places to Practice Self-Care in Santa Barbra and Ojai

While living in this part of the world automatically ticks off one of the key elements when it comes to practicing self-care, we also have many places that specialize in activities meant to transform your mind and body. Here are four of my personal favorites:

Sol Seek Yoga
This newly renovated yoga studio in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara offers in-studio, outdoor and virtual classes daily. You can also opt to participate in a yoga retreat experience for yogis that love to travel and build new connections. The mission of this unique yoga studio is to create an inclusive space for seekers of joy, growth, and connection. The studio hopes that through yoga, you will discover and love yourself to the fullest so when you’re off your mat and in the world, you’re prepared to take on the peaks and valleys of life.

READ: Wellness Living and Wellness Real Estate: The Next Trillion-Dollar Trend?

Mindful Barbell
Check out this video from Mindful Barbell and you will learn what this fitness studio is all about. Located in downtown Santa Barbara, this space promotes physical fitness as an important first step to total wellness and long-lasting happiness. It’s the perfect space to jump-start your journey to total wellness by allowing the gym’s experts to craft the perfect workout especially for you. Here, fitness is only one part of the solution. Controlling our thoughts and creating a sense of connection also play pivotal roles in how healthy and happy we are as we get older.

READ: Ocean View Homes are Good for Our Health

Soul Body Ojai
This Wellness Center & Kundalini Yoga Studio offers world-class holistic healing in the Ojai Valley. Choose from online, in-person or private yoga classes, reiki, acupuncture, meditative or sound healing, massage, cleansings, Ayurveda, Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), pain management and more. There are also several unique events you can attend to practice self-care: from energy work to chanting at sunrise. You can even travel with like-minded individuals to exotic locations around the globe in your quest for personal wellbeing. All practices are designed to help you keep your New Year’s resolution of self-care.

Beautiful blue lap pool in front of blue and cream colored spa.

Image courtesy of Float Luxury Spa

Float Luxury Spa
This local day spa has a mission of becoming the space locals turn to when they need to get away, de-stress, find balance and feel light. This lovely space, located on East Canon Perdido in Santa Barbara, is dedicated to your health and wellbeing by providing the very best services in the most beautiful environment. Choose from a menu filled with relaxing spa treatments from massages to facials. That means all you have to do is rest, relax and rejuvenate. I personally love their specialty, the Luxe Facial, hint, hint!

Don't Stop!

Don’t stop when you reach your self-care goal. Instead, be sure to celebrate yourself. Use your sense of accomplishment to further fuel your healthy habits so that you can keep feeling good, and proud of how you’ve bettered yourself, for years to come.

The most important thing to remember when it comes to self-care is to love yourself. Knowing that you’re capable of making your desired change, and believing it wholeheartedly is more than half the battle.

If your self care includes making a move in Santa Barbara or Ojai this year, just give me a call at (805) 886-9378 or email me at Cristal@montecito-estate.com. I will happily add your listing to my portfolio of amazing estates for sale and find you a new home at the same time. Let’s all make self-care a goal for 2022!

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Client Reviews

“Cristal Clarke has conducted numerous real estate transactions for me beginning 13 years ago with the purchase of a Lemon Ranch. She has handled both large and small purchases and sales with equal dedication. As a negotiator, you can’t find anyone better. Her transactions are always conducted in the most appropriate and professional manner. Cristal has considerable knowledge of the Santa Barbara market.”

- S.N. Decker Ph.D.

“Living in Europe, we were to say the least, unaccustomed to the nuances of Real Estate acquisition in California and Cristal steered us through the process with absolute professionalism and personal attention to detail at every turn. Her in-depth knowledge of the market place combined with enthusiasm and drive was the only reason we secured the property of our dreams and will be forever grateful. If you are looking for personal discrete and private representation of the highest quality we suggest you look no further than Cristal Clarke.”

- Johan and Paula van den Berg

“Cristal is very straightforward, cheerful, helpful, professional and trustworthy….we felt very lucky to work with her.”

- John and Lacey Williams

“After considering our many choices, we are grateful it was Cristal Clarke of Sotheby’s International who represented the sale of our Montecito cottage. We are familiar with Cristal’s reputation of hard work and dedication to clients, but it was her attention to detail that made our experience so positive. She offered suggestions for staging the property, worked in harmony with potential buyers and was even able to secure back up offers. The sale of our cottage was completed much sooner than we expected, due in great part to Cristal’s professional skills and support. We highly recommend Cristal as a first choice for anyone needing representation with real estate.”

- Michael & Nancy Lee

“Our experience in working with Cristal Clarke resulted in the successful and discrete acquisition of a property which was not yet on the open market. Her knowledge of the Montecito/Santa Barbara area and vast expertise blended with her passion for real estate and architecture, provided us with the very highest level of professionalism and personalized services. Cristal exhibited a rare combination of excellent communications, attention to detail, creativity and patience.”

- Richard and Catherine Frinier

“Cristal really breaks the mold. She knows every nook and cranny of this real estate market, understands value, and follows up on everything, all the time. She was incredibly patient with our two year quest to find the perfect house. Every house hunting trip from across the country was well planned, and our time was never wasted. On top of her professionalism and expertise, she is delightful to spend time with. We are thrilled with the home we purchased, and grateful to Cristal for so wisely advising us through this process, right through to the close and beyond.”

- Laurie Siegel

“We met Cristal first in the course of renting a winter home (for three years), then buying a house using her as our agent. She was amazingly good at listening to our wants and showing us homes that fit our needs. Her mastery of the paperwork was perfect. Most importantly, there was never a situation where we doubted her straightforwardness or integrity. If we do another real estate transaction in Montecito (which I doubt, we’re happy with what we purchased), without question we’d use Cristal again.”

- Ken Saffir

“Susan and I just want to thank you for your efforts in the sale of our home. You are really quite amazing. Your competence, persistence, optimism and humor made the entire process effortless. Every problem that arose, you somehow fixed; any obstacle, you overcame. We have bought and sold many homes. It has never been such a painless and enjoyable process!”

- Michael & Susan Marquart

“A little something about “our” realtor, Cristal Clarke. My wife and I came to Santa Barbara about fifteen years ago looking for a seasonal home from which to enjoy the weather and amenities of the central coast. Being in the real estate business myself I was familiar with agents and brokers so entered the market with open eyes. We “flipped” a few houses in the early years, dealing with various agents and finally ended up in Montecito. That’s when good fortune put us together with Cristal. To say we were impressed is to put it mildly. Cristal really knows the market. She is familiar with the area, its history and trends. When we have questions about a particular property she either has the answers immediately or gets back to us by phone or email. There is no waiting or wondering with Cristal. She is an agent who is “on top of it.” Her recommendations as to price points, contractors, inspectors and title agents have proven to be exceptional, showing great insight and the highest professional standards. We consider ourselves exceedingly fortunate to say that Cristal Clarke is our realtor and would recommend her services to any serious buyer or seller.”

- Rob & Judi Kelch