Spa treatments at the 10 best spas in Chicago

A good spa is all about relaxation, and this spot in River North sets the tone as soon as you show up for your appointment. Instead of sitting in a typical waiting area, kick up your feet in a calming, dimly lit, semiprivate tented chamber. The treatments here take things to the next level. Think facials featuring botanical and vitamin-rich ingredients, hot-stone massages, chakra balancing and more. On a budget but still need to relax? Allyu offers a free lunchtime meditation session the second Wednesday of each month.

Soar to this eighth floor spa in a cloud-lined elevator and melt into 9,000 square feet of premium pampering space. This New York import features 16 treatment rooms, four movie-while-you-manicure stations and a full slate of massage, nail and body treatments. The services (such as the luxurious triple layer oxygen facial) are always top-notch here. And make sure you save time to hang out in the relaxation lounge, where the legendary brownie bites are worth the extra calories.

Our favorite part of spa-ing at the Peninsula Hotel Spa is the time we spend chilling in the lounge area. Single-person beds with fluffy comforters nestle in private, draped enclaves. You can spend hours reading or napping, completely undisturbed—except for someone refilling your tall glass of fruit-infused water or mug of tea. Nearby, there's a flickering fireplace. The spa menu is pricey (the Deeply Nourishing Manicure is $65), but the top-notch products make a body treatment worth the splurge.

Housed within the Waldorf Astoria hotel in the Gold Coast, this spa and health club offers a variety of high-end services. We’re talking a 90-minute facial for $230 and hour-long massages that start at $165. But the splurge is worth it. Every treatment at this posh spa is top-notch, and the amenities are some of the best in the city. Guests sip on vanilla bean–infused water and snack on dried fruit while waiting for their services. Plus, you can take advantage of the fitness area and the mosaic-tile pool.

This posh spa within the Langham Hotel features a luxury 67-foot-long swimming pool, saunas (one lined with Himalayan salt stone, another infused with herbs) and high-end "experience" showers. Weary travelers will want to book the Chuan Jet Lag Revival ($325-$355), a two-hour treatment that features a salt scrub, the Chuan Harmony Massage and a foot massage. Other services include typical spa fare (facials, body wraps, acupuncture and more), all with a luxurious twist, of course.

When you hear the word Kohler, you’re more apt to think of ritzy bathroom fixtures than decadent spa treatments. But the same 140-year-old company that makes toilets and bathtubs beautiful brought a similar gusto to the spa world with this Burr Ridge destination. (There’s one Wisconsin, too.) Even if you’re nowhere near Burr Ridge, the trip (the spa is located 20 miles from downtown Chicago) is worth it. Try the popular Great Lakes stone massage ($153), in which hot stones coated in aromatic massage oil melt away muscle tension and knots. Or book the Vichy shower–equipped wet room for a relaxing Acoustic Bath ($100, 50 minutes), a full-body exfoliation and bathing ritual with sound and music vibrations.

It’s a healing sanctuary, a spa, an elixir bar, a yoga studio, a crystal bar, a hair salon, a meditation studio, an educational laboratory, an apothecary and a makeup-to-lifestyle-products retail area all rolled into one 10,000-square-foot space. Ruby Room, located in Wicker Park, is easily recognizable by its red double doors. Besides its size, the biggest difference between Ruby Room and most other spas is that its treatments skew more to your energetic system with such offerings as intuitive-energy healing, chakra cleansing, crystal-energy healing and astrology.

This Andersonville spa serves the city’s dandies and dudes with the bodywork, skin care and grooming services they and their admirers increasingly demand. The interior is handsome—the locker and shower room is done with subway tiles and neutral tones are all around—soothing, well appointed and notably clean. We don’t need ESPN Classic 24/7—but there is a 50-inch screen in the grooming clubroom just in case. It offers everything the most metrosexual man could ever want: pedis, facials and various types of massage (our favorite is the Ashiatsu Deep Tissue massage—the therapist literally steps on top of you for this one).

Many Chicago socialites visit this high-end facial spa for the Biologique Recherche Remodeling Face machine. The machine uses small electrical currents and products from French skincare company Biologique Recherche to stimulate the outer layer of skin cells. Promised results include brighter eyes, more prominent cheekbones and softer wrinkles. And the machine is pretty exclusive: You’ll find it only at spas in New York, Paris, Moscow and Chicago. Other services include chemical peels, waxing treatments and standard facials.

This multilevel spa is more than just hot-stone massages and facials—although those are certainly on the menu. In addition to services offering rest and relaxation, you’ll also find treatments more on the medical side of things. Think services from a nutritionist, plastic surgeon and even a sleep specialist. The gift shop, located on the spa’s lower level, rounds out the offerings.