Oak Lawn, IL Spa and Massage

At Halsted Tan and Spa, Smart Tan–certified staff members help each client navigate high-powered tanning equipment and choose the option that best suits their golden goal. They steer traditional tanners towards lie-down or standup high-pressure beds, such as the SolarForce 648, where side tanners and shoulder tanners help bronze every curve, and built-in stereos flood ears with relaxing music or recordings of George Hamilton reading Goodnight Moon¬. For a sunless glow, airbrush artists tint skin with a custom paraben-free spray tan, while the VersaSpa booth gilds bodies in a four-pass process that includes a blow-dry and the option to add a pretreatment prep spray and tan-extending moisturizer.

To further beautify bodies, technicians dress up fingertips with artificial nails or long-lasting no-chip polish. They also offer teeth whitening, custom facials, and full-body-waxing services, and loosen tight muscles using massage therapeutic-kneading techniques borrowed from the best bread bakers in Thailand, China, and Japan.

Monika Porter, owner of Wax On Wax Off, taps into an arsenal of cosmetic products sourced from the ocean to enlist Mother Nature in fights for personal beauty. She keeps an ear to the stylish ground to stay up-to-date on treatments such as Japanese and Brazilian straightening. Products such as honey-sugar wax, which lifts unwanted hair, beautify with natural ingredients instead of chemical products or weekends spent helping a sorcerer move furniture.

Body Rituals Boutique Spa infuses its menu of soothing facials, massages, mani-pedis, waxing, and body treatments with plant essences to rejuvenate skin and energize chakras. Naturopathica products approach the skin with a holistic spirit, and manicurists prevent jealous mouths from gnawing on pampered nails by employing peace-loving SpaRituals nail products, which are eco-friendly and vegan. Located inside The Westin on Michigan Avenue, the spa provides a tranquil escape for both hotel guests and pedestrians seeking respite from the swinging bags and incessant limericks of frantic power-shoppers.

Valeo’s personal-care consultants take an intuitive approach to spa treatments, loosely organizing their customized, pay-by-the-minute services into different wellness pathways. Within six clarity chambers modeled after Turkish and Moroccan hammams, or bathhouses, heated stone benches warm bodies in repose as skilled staffers apply aromatherapy wraps, detoxifying clay compounds, and other skin-pampering treatments. The Couples Connection suite hosts side-by-side spa experiences for duos, with optional romantic accouterments such as champagne, strawberries, and visits from the ghost of Barry White. The 20,000-square-foot facility also nestles eight individual experience rooms, a yoga room, a fitness club, and a pool, all within the JW Marriott hotel, located steps from sightseeing, shopping, and skyscraper-scaling opportunities in the Loop.

A prominent Victorian townhome wrapped in brick and stone greets guests as they arrive at Channing's Day Spa’s elegant beauty oasis nestled into Oak Street. Owner Cheryl Renella attracts loyal customers to the spa with her distinctive method of corrective eyebrow shaping, which was named 2011’s Best of the Best in Chicago for Brows by Allure Magazine and has spruced up the eye arches of such celebrities as Angelina Jolie, Julia Roberts, and Groucho Marx. Amid stained-glass windows and spiraling staircases, Cheryl also oversees a highly trained staff of aestheticians as they rejuvenate visages with medical-grade treatments, such as relaxing massage therapy, skin-smoothing microdermabrasion, and body-slenderizing packages that include detoxifying wraps, airbrush tanning, and FDA-approved Endermologie treatments.