If You Go -- Hot Springs And Zen: N. California Retreats

Don't expect Orr Hot Springs to be a spa resort in the up-market sense of the word. But its 27-acre forest and garden setting on Orr Creek, its comfortable but not fancy 1930s-era redwood lodge and cabins, its blend of day-use and overnight guests (singles, couples and families of all ages) and its laid-back, do-it-yourself atmosphere combine to make it an ideal spot for a casual retreat.

It was a retreat spot for the region's native peoples as well: The springs were on the Pomo Indians' trading route, and even warring tribes agreed to suspend all hostilities when they met at the site. In the 1800s, it was a popular stop on the stagecoach run between Ukiah and Mendocino on the coast.

Its location 14 miles west of Ukiah in Mendocino County makes it a good spot to overnight and take the waters on a trip to wine or redwood country. (Vichy Hot Springs on the eastern edge of Ukiah has a vastly different style and atmosphere. Please see the story, above.)

Two miles west is Montgomery Woods State Park, with a majestic and seldom-crowded grove of ancient coastal redwoods, a prehistoric lake and good walking trails.

Orr's natural sulfur-mineral springs are its primary draw, of course. The water flows from the ground and into the main communal pool at about body temperature. The hot tub is about 10 degrees warmer. Also available are a lap pool that's shallow enough for small children, a steam room and a sauna. Those who want privacy can choose porcelain tubs inside the bathhouse.

The clothing-optional policy applies to all the public areas inside the main gated compound, except at the lodge (including the dining room and kitchen), where clothing is the rule. When I was there, however, most people were clothed except while bathing.

Guests are expected to bring and prepare their own food - no menu or cooking service is available - and are provided storage space in the kitchen's refrigerators, freezer and pantry. The spacious, industrial-design kitchen could serve a medium-size restaurant, so even at times when guests tend to converge on it, there's enough room to work. Cookware, dinnerware and utensils are provided, but guests are expected to clean up after themselves. (Few venture out to the nearest restaurants are in Ukiah, a 20- to 30-minute drive.)

Massage appointments are available in a range of different body-work styles. A full 75-minute session costs $65, a 35-minute session $35. During the busier summer season, it's a good idea to schedule a session when you make your lodging reservation.

Accommodations are simple but clean and comfortable, with down blankets and woven rugs and queen or twin beds. Rates (including access to the bathing areas) range from $34 a person a day midweek for camping or the dorm, $70 for a room with private sink and toilet (shower at the bathhouse) and $125 for a cottage with private kitchen and woodstove. Weekend rates are higher. Rates for children are $19-$27 per night. Day-use rates are $34 per adult, $19 per child midweek.

Phone 707-462-6277 for information and reservations. Write 13201, Orr Springs Road, Ukiah, CA 95482.

(Ufsub10)Green Gulch Farm Zen Center and Green Dragon Temple

Guests can choose a variety of retreat experiences at Green Gulch Farm, depending on their interest in participating in Zen meditation practice and classes, and their willingness to work a portion of a day, in exchange for lower lodging rates.

The setting itself, about 120 acres off Route 1 near Mill Valley north of Sausalito, in a valley between forested hills leading to a half-mile of beachfront, would recommend it as a destination. The 15 acres of organic farm and gardens under the care of horticulturalist Wendy Johnson are great places to explore and work in. There are trails throughout the property and links to the Coastal Trail and paths to Muir Woods and Mount Tamalpais.

The community's daily schedule, if a guest chooses to participate, begins at 5 a.m. with two 40-minute zazen (sitting meditation) sessions, followed by a chanting service, breakfast, four hours of work and lunch, followed by other work and meditation periods and dinner. Lectures, tea services and other programs are often available, especially on weekends. On Sunday mornings, the meditation training, formal sitting and lecture on Zen and Buddhism draw quite a crowd from around the Bay Area.

There's no need to feel uncomfortable or out of place if you have no previous background in Zen or meditation practice. Anyone among the 55 residents of the community can fill you on the basics. But the Sunday-morning program is especially helpful as an introduction.

Meals are communal and vegetarian, and of exceptional quality. Many of the recipes are shared with The Greens restaurant in San Francisco and Tassajara Zen Mountain Center east of Carmel, both of which, like Green Gulch, are part of the overall San Francisco Zen Center community.

Lodging is in a Japanese-style 12-room guesthouse of elegant simplicity. It was built of hand-planed cedar and oak, using traditional joinery methods without nails. A 30-foot atrium provides a community area at its center, and a small snack kitchen is always stocked with tea, fruit and fresh, homemade bread. Each two rooms share a bathroom, though there's only one shower in the guesthouse proper (additional showers are available elsewhere in the complex).

Rates range from $70 per night for one person, $110 for two, Sunday-Thursday ($85-$125 Friday-Saturday). Larger rooms cost $15 more. Rates include three meals a day, plus snacks.

Those who sign up for guest-practice retreats, available Sundays through Thursdays, pay $35 a night single, $55 double, and are expected to participate in morning zazen sessions and four-hour morning work periods. Assignments can range from garden or kitchen work to general clean-up, to helping Rain (see main story) chop down the eucalyptus trees that grow throughout the valley with the quixotic goal of eventually eliminating non-native species of trees from the valley.

Guest students pay $15 a day but are expected to work in the afternoon as well.

For information and reservations, phone 415-383-3134 or fax 415-383-3128.