San Francisco Wellness Retreat
Welcome to the Optimum Health Institute (OHI), where you can immerse yourself in peace, away from the fast-paced city life. While OHI does not have a wellness retreat in San Francisco, our holistic wellness retreat in San Diego is just a quick escape away - about an 8-hour drive or a 1.5-hour flight from the Bay Area. The San Diego campus offers a transformative experience, inviting you to leave behind the stress of daily life and embrace a serene setting that supports mind, body, and spirit renewal.
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Our San Diego location is nestled in Southern California’s natural beauty, providing a tranquil backdrop for your wellness journey. Here, you’ll join a vibrant community of others who are equally committed to healthy living. OHI San Diego is a place where you can connect deeply with nature, enjoy a sense of calm, and focus entirely on your well-being. Guests often say that the change in setting is an essential part of their experience, allowing them to shed the demands of daily life and fully immerse in self-care.
Visit us and discover how this peaceful retreat center can guide you toward holistic health and inner balance.
About the OHI Retreat
Since its establishment in 1976, the Optimum Health Institute has been a sanctuary for those seeking holistic wellness and healing in a natural setting. Our San Diego campus, located in the quiet neighborhood of Lemon Grove, spans two serene acres with 60 comfortable guest rooms, inviting gardens, and open green spaces. Here, you’ll find an ideal setting for rest, reflection, and reconnection with yourself.
During your stay, enjoy the comfort of our well-kept grounds, relax in shaded areas, and meditate in our peaceful chapel. Connect with nature by visiting our organic garden and greenhouse, where you’ll learn about the benefits of nourishing, living foods. Our on-site store offers wellness essentials, from inspiring books to personal care items, all designed to support your health journey.
Each space within our retreat is thoughtfully designed to promote peace and mindfulness. Whether you’re walking along our carefully maintained pathways or enjoying a quiet moment under the shade of our trees, you’ll find that every detail encourages relaxation. Our retreat is not only a place to unwind but also a unique opportunity to explore new paths to health in a supportive, healing environment.
Our spa area provides an additional level of relaxation, allowing you to unwind and rejuvenate in a quiet, beautiful setting. Every corner of our campus has been created with your relaxation and renewal in mind. You’ll feel at home here, in a place where you can nurture your well-being and rediscover inner harmony.
View a map of the OHI San Diego campus.
Holistic Wellness Programs
The Optimum Health Institute offers a range of classes and activities to foster whole-body wellness. Our program at OHI San Diego includes offerings that promote mental clarity, physical health, and spiritual balance, providing an environment that nurtures mind, body, and soul.
Physical Health
Our physical wellness classes are centered around detoxification, helping cleanse your body and mind. Detoxing at OHI isn’t simply a physical process - it’s a holistic journey that clears emotional and mental clutter as well. You’ll enjoy a carefully planned diet of organic, raw foods that provides essential nutrients and supports natural detoxification.
In addition to nutrition, our program includes yoga, meditation, and gentle exercises that promote circulation and relaxation. Activities such as breathwork and mindfulness practices help calm the mind and lift the spirit, creating a well-rounded detox experience that leaves you feeling refreshed and renewed. Our detox classes aim not only to clear toxins but to leave participants with a long-lasting sense of energy and lightness.
Mental Health
At OHI, we understand the importance of mental well-being in a balanced life. Through guided meditations, mindfulness practices, and workshops on positive thinking, participants develop skills to manage stress, enhance focus, and foster a healthy mindset.
Emotional support is also a central aspect of our mental health program. Group therapy sessions and activities for self-reflection encourage connection and understanding among participants, creating a community where you can share your journey and gain mutual support. We also emphasize nutrition's role in mental health, teaching you how to nourish the brain and improve mood through diet.
The mental health tools gained here offer long-term benefits, with techniques that help you approach daily challenges with resilience. Many guests find that the holistic mental health approach helps them develop sustainable practices they can use long after the retreat.
Spiritual Health
We believe that spiritual wellness is integral to overall health. Our spiritual wellness classes, which include practices like prayer, meditation, and gratitude, are designed to nourish your spirit. OHI San Diego is part of the Free Sacred Trinity Church (FSTC), a non-denominational Christian organization; however, our program welcomes individuals of all faiths, focusing on spirituality over religious affiliation.
Through these sessions, you’ll find a space to connect with your inner self, renew your spiritual energy, and gain insight into practices that uplift your spirit. Whether you are looking to deepen your existing spiritual practice or explore new approaches to spirituality, OHI provides a space to explore, connect, and grow.
Take a Wellness Trip From San Francisco to OHI San Diego
Although Optimum Health Institute does not have a campus in San Francisco, our San Diego location offers a peaceful and restorative experience just a short trip away. Whether you choose to drive or fly, you’ll find that visiting OHI San Diego is a meaningful investment in your health and well-being.
Immerse yourself in natural beauty, join a supportive community, and gain powerful tools for lifelong wellness. Our program combines a relaxing environment with a structured path toward holistic health, designed to support you on your journey to a balanced, healthy life.
Ready to begin? Reach out to learn more about our programs, pricing, and how you can start your path to optimal health. Call us at (800) 588-0809 to secure your spot today. We look forward to welcoming you to our tranquil San Diego retreat.
Program Tuition & Fees
For new community members, please refer to our tuition and room rates below. Returning community members can contact us at (800) 588-0809 for special pricing.
Tuition is structured weekly and covers all meals, materials, and classes in our program, from Sunday to Sunday. We offer a range of room options, each at a low weekly rate, exclusively for our program guests.
For those living near San Diego, we also offer a commuter option, so you can participate fully in our classes and meals without staying overnight. View our latest special offers and room rates.
Our Policies
Room fees are subject to change without notice.
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Amenities
OHI promises a rare opportunity to escape from the hectic pace of our lives at our wellness retreat center. Consistent with this promise, OHI does not provide any alarm clocks, televisions, or radios.
- Telephones, with programmable wake-up calls, are available in all guest rooms.
- WiFi internet access is available in all guest rooms.
- Some mobile phone services may be accessible in this rural setting.
- OHI for Life® skin care products are provided in each room to enhance your holistic healing retreat experience.
- Hair dryers and toiletries are not provided. However, natural hygiene products are available for purchase at the Optimum Health Store on campus.
- Laundry facilities with coin-operated machines are located on the grounds.
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Reservations
Full payment is required for the first week at the time of your reservation. Subsequent weeks must be paid upon arrival. OHI accepts MasterCard, Visa, Discover, and American Express. If someone else is paying for your stay, you will be required to provide 3rd party, credit-card authorization by the account holder at the time of reservation. Personal checks must be drawn from U.S. banks and must be received 14 days prior to your stay.
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Cancellation policy
- A fee of $400 is charged for cancellations made 14 or more days in advance.
- No refund is eligible for cancellations less than 14 days in advance.
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Rescheduling a visit
- One rescheduled visit is allowed. A rescheduled visit must begin within four months of the originally scheduled visit.
- There is no fee for rescheduling a visit if made 14 days or more in advance.
- A fee of $400 is charged for rescheduling a visit with less than 14 days notice.
- After a guest has checked in for the original visit, no refund is allowed.
- Guests must sign an acknowledgement of cancellation within 2 weeks of requesting a rescheduled visit. Once signed, no additional reschedules are allowed.
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Campus policies
- Pets are not permitted. For more information, read our FAQ.
- Cigarettes, alcohol, and recreational drugs are not allowed on campus.
- Rooms are only available to guests participating in our program.
- Use of computers and mobile phones in public areas is prohibited.
- Guests are required to be self-reliant in order to participate in the program. For more information, read our FAQ.
- Promotional literature should not be passed out to other guests. This includes brochures, business cards, or other forms of written literature for outside programs, products, or services – whether they are yours or someone else’s. Anyone who violates the above or performs or offers to perform a service (massage, counseling, proselytizing etc.) for other guests will be asked to leave the premises without a refund.
What Guests Are Saying
I have been coming to OHI regularly for over 35 years, and highly recommend the program here. I credit the diet and classes with helping me maintain good health and proper weight all that time. I just feel so much younger than my actual age of 77.
John Worcester
Optimum Health San Diego was an amazing experience, you have to go to yourself to truly appreciate. A perfect environment to relax and allow your body to heal -mind, body, and soul. I would recommend this program to everyone in my life. You owe it to your body to go through a program like this at least once a year. Thank You OHI for an amazing experience, can't wait to come back.
Carlos Gonzalez
I came to reset my health and body. NOT disappointed!!! What a beautiful experience of community supporting each other through the incredible learning process of maintaining a healthy body. I came for one week and my goal is to finish week 2 & 3 in 2024. Greatest gift you can give yourself.
Raylene Brundage
Meet the Staff
Danielle Demko
Program Director
OHI community member since 2018
“I’m passionate about people—and inspiring them to live life at the highest level. That’s why it’s such an honor to encourage and cheer our community members on as they navigate their healing journeys. I’ve also pursued my own healing journey through the years—and joining OHI finally sync’d what I knew instinctively and had learned over the years about the connection between body, mind and spirit. Its simple truths are profound!”
Alaina Gallegos
Facilitator
OHI community member since 2015
"I found a true calling working at OHI after an unfulfilling career in International Development and Public Health. When you change your diet, your mind, and align with spirit, transformation truly takes place. It is an honor to hold space for our guests who are courageous enough to do the work it takes to heal and become whole again. This is so much more than just a job; it is a life purpose."
Jennifer Inman
Facilitator
OHI community member since 2019
"Life is happening in and around us and god is in everything, therefore healing potential is everywhere. Our awareness of this gets so obscured through our routines, distractions and stresses resulting in imbalance and dis-ease. But our bodies are marvelous machines that are constantly repairing themselves; and given an optimal environment, they do this with ease. OHI is a sacred place for people to reconnect to their awareness of the miracle of life through powerful food and faith; and healing is rapid. Working here and witnessing miraculous transformations day after day is medicine for me as well as for all the friends who come here and power up."
Carla Blea
Facilitator
OHI community member since 2015
“Working at OHI has opened my eyes more to the wholeness of healing beyond just a clean diet. I have met some incredible people since working here and love knowing that all of our team’s efforts help heal our guests. Even after receiving my bachelor’s degree in Food and Nutrition, I’ve gained so much knowledge here at OHI about how a raw diet heals the mind, body and spirit.”
Grace Wong
Facilitator
OHI community member since 2013
"I feel honored to be a part of the OHI community…extending support and encouragement to our guests who begin to transform their health and well-being the moment they arrive here. So much of it has to do with the power of community. It’s true that we can do more than we think we can by doing it together. Fellow guests seem to bond quickly…encouraging and inspiring each other. This truly is a blessed place to work!"
Guillermo
Director of Guest Services
OHI community member since 2013
"When I first started working at OHI, I didn't realize what I truly signed up for. It didn't take long for me to see the significant difference that OHI makes in peoples' lives. I see that now and want to be a part of it. The connection between the guests and the staff is like a family. I'm so blessed to be part of this wonderful atmosphere. To work here is very fulfilling and rewarding."
OHI San Diego Campus
6970 Central Avenue
Lemon Grove, CA 91945
(800) 588-0809
Our 6 acre campus is nestled in a residential neighborhood in Lemon Grove, CA – a nearby suburb of San Diego. Free parking is available in our securely gated community.
For transportation from San Diego International Airport to OHI San Diego, we recommend using Orange Cab and request the special flat rate of $38.00. Orange Cab phone number: (619) 223-5555 or (619) 291-3333.
Disclaimer
NOTE: Optimum Health Institute-San Diego is not a hotel, spa, healthcare facility, business establishment, or public accommodation. Optimum Health Institute-San Diego is a healing mission of the Free Sacred Trinity Church and is tax-exempt, non-profit California religious corporation organized pursuant to California's Nonprofit Religious Corporation Law. Optimum Health Institute-San Diego is organized exclusively for religious purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. The Americans with Disabilities Act provides an exemption for religious organizations. 42 U.S.C. § 12187. Pursuant to this exemption, the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act that address public accommodations and services operated by private entities do not apply to religious organizations or entities controlled by religious organizations, including places of worship.