What We Provide
Highlands in Bloom provides everything needed to make your stay comfortable, functional, and focused on recovery rather than logistics. Every client receives private or semi-private accommodations, ensuring a personal space that is genuinely your own throughout the residential stay.
Daily essentials are provided so that your packing list stays short. These include a blow dryer, bathrobes, towels, hairbrush, toothbrush, toothpaste, and feminine products. A writing journal is provided for each client, reflecting the program’s commitment to reflective practice as a component of the therapeutic process. Every client also receives a branded eco-friendly KINTO water bottle upon arrival, consistent with the facility’s sustainability commitment and its intention to eliminate single-use plastic across the program.
A laundry facility is available on the property, allowing for a lighter packing list and comfortable rotation of clothing throughout longer stays. The team handles the practical infrastructure of the residential experience so that your energy and attention remain where they belong: on the clinical work.
What to Bring
Required Items
The packing list at Highlands in Bloom is intentionally simple. The focus is on comfortable, functional clothing and any personal medical items you currently use. Bringing only what you need reduces the noise of arrival and supports the transition into the program’s rhythm.
Comfortable and weather-appropriate clothing forms the core of your packing. Old Agoura Hills sits within the Santa Monica Mountains and experiences warm days and cooler evenings, particularly in the fall and winter months. Layers are recommended for year-round stays. Because the daily program includes movement, outdoor time on the grounds, and sauna sessions, breathable fabrics and casual athletic wear serve most clients well.
A dedicated change of clothes for after sauna sessions is required. The facility includes a sauna as part of the therapeutic wellness environment, and having breathable, comfortable clothing for post-sauna use ensures that this experience is integrated comfortably into the daily routine.
Sturdy footwear is important for outdoor movement on the grounds and surrounding property. Comfortable walking or hiking shoes that you are happy to wear daily are ideal. Swimwear should also be included to ensure you are prepared for any aquatic or hydrotherapy components of the program.
Any prescribed medical devices and current prescriptions must be brought with you. Upon arrival, the clinical and medical team reviews all current medications and devices with each client as part of the intake process. Bringing a full list of your current medications, including dosages, supports a smooth and safe clinical intake.
Optional Items
Southern California’s climate means sun protection is worth packing regardless of the time of year. Sunglasses, a hat, and sunscreen are all recommended for clients who spend time outdoors on the grounds and during movement sessions. The property’s naturalistic outdoor setting is a meaningful part of the therapeutic environment, and being comfortable outdoors makes engaging with it easier.
Grippy socks and slippers are a practical comfort item for indoor movement and for navigating the facility’s living spaces. Many clients find them useful for yoga, somatic movement sessions, and relaxed indoor time. They are not required but consistently appreciated by clients once they arrive.
Beyond the items listed, we encourage clients to bring whatever personal comfort items make the space feel like their ow, a meaningful book, a photograph, a small personal object. The intention is not to strip away the familiar but to create enough spaciousness from the demands of daily life that something new becomes possible.
What to Leave at Home
Part of what makes the residential experience at Highlands in Bloom effective is the intentional separation from the environments and stimuli that sustain chronic stress. With that in mind, there are a few categories of items that are either not permitted or not recommended for the residential stay.
Work devices and professional demands. While clients at Highlands in Bloom can remain reachable with protected boundaries, the goal of the residential stay is to create genuine separation from the demand environment that produced the stress. Bringing work computers, extensive work materials, or an intention to continue full professional engagement during the stay undermines the clinical conditions the program is designed to provide. The admissions team discusses appropriate boundaries around professional connectivity during the pre-admission consultation.
Non-prescribed substances. All substances brought to the facility are reviewed by the clinical and medical team at intake. Non-prescribed medications, supplements, or substances are not permitted without clinical approval. Clients with questions about specific items should discuss them with the admissions team prior to arrival.
Excessive electronics. A phone for personal communication is appropriate. An extensive array of personal devices, gaming equipment, or entertainment technology is not recommended, as these tend to recreate the overstimulation and distraction that the residential environment is specifically designed to reduce.
Arriving at Highlands in Bloom
Arrival at Highlands in Bloom is handled with care and intention. The admissions team coordinates timing and logistics with each client in advance, ensuring that arrival feels organized and supported rather than clinical or institutional. A member of the team meets every client upon arrival, introduces them to the space, and begins the intake process in a way that is warm, unhurried, and focused on helping the client settle in.
The facility is located in Old Agoura Hills, California, approximately 35 miles northwest of Los Angeles and accessible from both LAX and Burbank Airport. Travel coordination assistance is available for clients coming from out of state. If you have questions about arrival logistics, directions, or transportation, the admissions team handles all of it as part of the pre-admission process.
FAQs
What should I pack for a residential stay at Highlands in Bloom?
The packing list at Highlands in Bloom is intentionally simple. Required items include comfortable, weather-appropriate clothing including breathable options for after sauna sessions, sturdy footwear suitable for outdoor movement on the grounds, swimwear, and any prescribed medical devices and current medications. Optional additions include sun protection such as sunglasses, a hat, and sunscreen, as well as grippy socks or slippers for indoor movement sessions.
Highlands in Bloom provides daily essentials including a blow dryer, bathrobes, towels, hairbrush, toothbrush, toothpaste, and feminine products. A laundry facility is available on the property, so a lighter packing approach works well. Every client also receives a branded eco-friendly KINTO water bottle upon arrival. The goal is for packing to be simple enough that arrival can be focused on what actually matters: beginning the work of recovery.
What does Highlands in Bloom provide during the stay?
Highlands in Bloom provides private or semi-private accommodations for each client, a laundry facility, a writing journal, a branded eco-friendly KINTO water bottle, and daily essentials including a blow dryer, bathrobes, towels, hairbrush, toothbrush, toothpaste, and feminine products. Fresh meals prepared by our dedicated chef are served daily as part of the culinary program, which is developed in direct collaboration with the clinical team.
The facility also provides access to the sauna, outdoor grounds, orchard, vegetable garden, and all therapeutic spaces that form part of the daily residential program. Clients arrive to a fully equipped, thoughtfully maintained environment designed to support recovery from the first day of their stay.
Can I bring my current medications to Highlands in Bloom?
Yes. All current prescribed medications and medical devices should be brought with you upon arrival. The clinical and medical team, including our Medical Director and Psychiatrist, reviews all current medications with each client as part of the comprehensive intake assessment on the first day. Bringing a complete and current medication list including dosages supports a safe and smooth clinical intake process.
Non-prescribed medications and supplements require prior approval from the clinical team. If you take supplements, vitamins, or over-the-counter medications and want to continue them during your stay, discuss them with the admissions team before arrival so the clinical team can review them in advance. The goal is to ensure that everything you bring supports rather than complicates your clinical care during the residential stay.
Does Highlands in Bloom have a sauna?
Yes. Highlands in Bloom includes a sauna as part of the therapeutic wellness environment available to clients during their residential stay. Sauna use forms part of the daily rhythm for many clients and is integrated into the broader somatic and physical wellness approach of the program. Clients are asked to bring a dedicated change of breathable clothing for after sauna sessions, which is included on the required packing list.
The health benefits of regular sauna use are well documented, including cardiovascular benefits, support for stress hormone regulation, improved sleep quality, and reduction in muscle tension. Within the context of a residential mental health program, sauna access represents one component of the whole-body, physically engaged approach to recovery that distinguishes Highlands in Bloom from programs that address mental health through talk therapy alone.
Can I bring my phone to Highlands in Bloom?
Yes. Clients at Highlands in Bloom can bring a personal phone and remain reachable with protected boundaries throughout their stay. The clinical team works with each client to establish appropriate guidelines around phone use that support the therapeutic goals of the residential program while respecting the real-world professional and personal responsibilities that many clients maintain.
The intention is not to create an environment of total disconnection but to create enough separation from the constant demand and stimulation of digital professional life that the nervous system can genuinely regulate and the deeper clinical work can proceed. The admissions team discusses connectivity expectations and boundaries during the pre-admission consultation so that clients arrive with clarity about what to expect.
Can I continue working during my stay at Highlands in Bloom?
Highlands in Bloom is designed for clients who need genuine separation from the professional demand environment that has contributed to their stress, burnout, or health breakdown. Continuing full professional engagement during the residential stay undermines the clinical conditions the program is designed to provide and reduces the effectiveness of the treatment experience.
That said, the clinical team understands the real-world constraints that many professional clients navigate and works collaboratively with each person to establish boundaries around professional connectivity that are realistic and clinically appropriate. Remaining reachable for urgent matters with clearly defined limits is different from maintaining a full professional workload. FMLA job-protected leave, which explicitly covers residential mental health treatment, is available to most eligible employees and allows clients to step away with their employment protected. The admissions team assists with FMLA documentation and discusses professional boundary planning as part of the pre-admission process.
How do I prepare emotionally for arriving at Highlands in Bloom?
The most important emotional preparation for arrival at Highlands in Bloom is permission, permission to actually be here, to prioritize yourself without guilt or qualification, and to arrive without having to perform capability or composure for the first time in a long time. Many of our clients spend the days before arrival managing the logistics of stepping away, reassuring colleagues, preparing handoffs, and managing the emotional weight of what it means to finally put themselves first. By the time they get here, they are already tired.
The team at Highlands in Bloom meets clients where they are on arrival, not where they think they should be. The first week is designed specifically for settling, stabilizing, and beginning to orient to safety rather than demand. You do not need to arrive ready to do the hardest work. You need to arrive. The rest follows from there. If you have specific concerns about what to expect during the first days, the admissions team addresses them directly and honestly in the pre-admission consultation.
How do I get to Highlands in Bloom and is transportation assistance available?
Highlands in Bloom is located in Old Agoura Hills, California, approximately 35 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. The facility is accessible from the Conejo Valley, Malibu, Thousand Oaks, and Westlake Village, as well as from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Bob Hope Airport in Burbank for clients traveling from outside Southern California.
Travel coordination assistance is available for clients arriving from out of state. The admissions team assists with arrival logistics, provides directions, and coordinates timing in advance so that the practical experience of getting to Highlands in Bloom is as straightforward and low-stress as possible. Contact the admissions team with any travel questions as part of the pre-admission process.