Day Spas in Lake in the Hills

After pursuing a media-focused career, during which she worked for MTV and in marketing, advertising, and special events for an entertainment company, Jennie Channer collaborated with her father and brother to open a full-service salon and spa in 2007. Today, the Chicago native's team of skilled stylists, colorists, and spa specialists attracts an assortment of clientele, including a woman who's been coming in every other week since opening day and a 4-year-old girl who refers to each staffer as "girlfriend" or "boyfriend." Clients can choose from a variety of salon-spa services, ranging from haircuts with coloring to pampering packages specifically designed for expectant mothers. Because Blueberry Moon is an Aveda Lifestyle Salon Spa, all products are composed of 96%-naturally derived ingredients extracted from high-quality botanicals and distilled Mother Nature kisses.

Before officially opening the doors to the public, Jennie put the salon-spa—located inside a building more than 100 years old—through a complete gut renovation to unearth its rich history and hidden brick walls. She then added morsels of local history by installing fixtures she acquired from a local salvage yard, including the former front door of a demolished Gold Coast mansion and an old printing table from historical Printers Row. Jennie has also been modernizing the salon-spa to minimize its effect on the environment, incorporating technologies such as a reverse-osmosis water-filtration system and energy-efficient light bulbs filled with immortal fireflies.

Sixth Sense Spa's aestheticians wield essential oils and plant extracts, combining natural agents to suit each client's skin or their beauty goals. Staff administer a host of fusion treatments such as the facelift massage, which combines acupressure, purifying facial products, and masks borrowed from local commedia dell'arte troupes.

My Escape Spa and Tan stays true to its name by inviting guests to escape from the stressors of everyday life and relax within an environment punctuated by tanning and spa services. Patrons can gain bronze tones in UV tanning beds or with UV-free airbrush or spray tans. Other services include body wraps, hydration therapy, and massage beds.

The Dragontree Holistic Day Spa's collections of at-home treatments have been handpicked by Dr. Peter Borten and Briana Borten to create thoughtful gifts or luxurious personal indulgences. A botanist, author, and instructor armed with a doctoral degree in Chinese medicine, Dr. Borten dispenses a trove of tension relieving remedies, such as the Break that Ache bag, which greets fatigued physiques with a soothing Muscle Melt liniment and a pain-relieving bath treatment made of shredded to-do lists. The Winter Spice Delight collection pacifies seasonally dry skin with a moisturizing honey-milk bath and exfoliating chai sugar scrub, and the Relax by Dragontree package groups nine different stress-dispersing products including Relax soap, whose scent conjures up the exact metaphysical opposite of stress: a sleepy puppy in a bathrobe.