Driven to distraction
CHILL OUT | Grab your gal pals and head for one of these Midwest spa escapes
One of the best tonics for a hectic, stressed-out life is spending some quality time unwinding with your girlfriends, preferably at a place just about every woman loves: a spa.
Day spas are great for a quickie massage or facial. But for true relaxation, you need to get away.
(Sun-Times New Group file)
Here are three places to do just that -- all within driving distance of Chicago. They offer different spa experiences at different prices, but with the same result: complete and utter relaxation.
Arriving at West Baden Springs Hotel is an experience in itself.
Driving a winding, two-lane highway through rural Indiana's lush countryside, you suddenly see the stately yellow building that dominates the hilly landscape. To reach the lobby entrance, visitors pass under a pair of arches and drive over a cobblestone road, past formal gardens and an elegant wraparound porch lined with rocking chairs.
There's much here to catch the eye, but nothing matches the grandeur of the magnificent atrium that is literally and figuratively at the center of this luxury hotel. It's impossible not to stop and look up the first time you enter the space.
This is a posh destination -- listed on Conde Nast Traveler magazine's Gold List -- and it comes with a price tag you don't usually find in southern Indiana. But it also comes with luxury, history and that opulent atrium. These are the overarching themes at this 246-room National Historic Landmark hotel, located about 275 miles southeast of Chicago.
Originally built in 1902, the hotel reopened in 2007 following a massive renovation. The individual rooms, starting at $199 a night, are spacious, elegant and comfortable. There's plenty of attention to detail, from the intricate carpets and furniture designed to reflect the original decor to the sophisticated spa where guests can soak in mineral-infused waters.
The hotel has several restaurants, a bar, a fitness center, a library, two pools and a shuttle bus to take you to the nearby casino at French Lick Springs Hotel, which, like West Baden Springs Hotel, is a part of French Lick Resort, and offers its amenities to guests at both hotels. The property includes several golf courses, including the new Pete Dye course, stables, bicycle rental and performances at French Lick by the likes of Clint Black (May 30) and LeAnn Rimes (June 19).
The spa offers massages, facials, mineral-water baths, manicures and pedicures, body wraps and waxing -- even a hydrotherapy capsule. Prices are steep, starting at $120 for a 50-minute massage and $180 for the spa's signature facial. But the services are top notch and the surroundings luxurious.
And that's the draw of West Baden. It's luxurious and elegant, a real self-indulgence.
(888) 936-9360, frenchlick.com
One of the first things you notice as you enter the grounds of the Heartland Spa in central Illinois is a sign that says "NO JUNK FOOD." The sign may be kind of a joke, but they're not really kidding.
The one-time dairy farm 90 miles south of Chicago is a destination spa with a focus on health and fitness. It's an ideal getaway for girlfriends wanting to get a jump start on plans to make healthy changes in their lives.
All meals, providing a diet of about 1,500 calories a day, are part of the package. And while there are tasty desserts at dinner (I had an apple-yogurt crunch) there is definitely no junk food. And no alcohol.
A two-night, midweek package for two costs $920. In addition to lodging, meals and all activities, that includes one 40-minute massage for each person. A five-night package includes four massages and a facial.
From early morning through the evening you'll find exercise classes and fitness activities, including a morning walk, strength training, water aerobics and yoga. There was even a "Motown Moves" dance session on the schedule during my visit last month.
Guests can do as much or as little as they like. Adjacent to the pool are a steam room, sauna and whirlpool, as well as a salon.
"Quiet please, relaxation in progress," is another sign posted at the spa. It seems apt. The place is very tranquil and unpretentious.
Individual rooms are simple and comfortable, with a bit of a country style. The common rooms in the facility are more elegant and perfect for lounging on a couch and reading or chatting over a cup of tea with a friend.
A small lake outside the main building is surrounded by a pathway with meditation gardens along the way. The wind garden, with chimes scattered throughout the trees, is magical.
Don't worry about packing a big suitcase. Guests are given spa clothes when they arrive: T-shirts, sweats, shorts and a robe. Everyone wore the Heartland clothes when I was there. You could get away with packing just pajamas, underwear, socks and a bathing suit.
Prepare to unplug, because the rooms don't have an Internet connection or phone. That's by design, keeping the focus on relaxation and tranquility.
But, of course, important calls can get through. Oprah Winfrey was at the spa when a call came in to the office for the talk-show host. It was Steven Spielberg, phoning to tell her she had a part in a little movie called "The Color Purple."
(800) 545-4853, heartlandspa.com
One of Wisconsin's oldest resorts has undergone a $40 million face-lift, and although it's long been known as a family-friendly destination, its new look definitely makes it a budget-friendly spa getaway.
Less than 100 miles from Chicago in Delavan, Wis., Lake Lawn Resort has nearly 300 rooms in two-story connected buildings on more than 250 acres.
The centerpiece is Delavan Lake; the resort boasts two miles of accessible shoreline with a beach and marina. Most rooms have lake views. Bicycling, fishing, golf (group lessons could be arranged for a girlfriends' getaway), boating and swimming (indoor and outdoor pools) are among the many ways to spend your time. Lake Geneva's quaint shops are just five miles away.
What makes the resort so budget-friendly for a gal pal spa getaway are the spacious loft suites, some with kitchenettes, that sleep four to six people and can be had midweek in May for less than $200 a night.
The resort also has a special running for a two-night weekend getaway for two. In addition to the lodging, each guest gets a 30-minute Swedish massage and an herbal body wrap for a total of $549.
Lake Lawn's Timber Spa offers most of the usual spa treatments -- massages, facials, body wraps -- but no manicures or pedicures. It also offers something much more unusual: a Vichy shower massage ($80). It's a 30-minute full-body massage done while you lie on a padded table underneath a movable six-nozzle shower.
It sounds kind of crazy, but it's fabulous. You lie on the table, which has drain holes at the sides, with a towel covering your torso and top of your legs. The therapist starts the warm shower and aims its nozzles at the parts of the body she isn't working. It's incredibly relaxing.
The spa itself, accessed through the indoor pool area, is casual and nicely decorated in warm tones with soft lighting and the resort's rustic touches. The women's locker room seemed a bit dated but served its purpose.
I tried four treatments: the Vichy shower massage, a body wrap, facial and hot stone massage. Each was excellent, some more expensive than others. The spa has some inexpensive packages if you're trying to cut costs. The least expensive is the $129 De-Stress Spa Day, which includes a 60-minute Swedish massage and a 30-minute herbal wrap or bath treatment.
(800) 338-5253, lakelawnresort.com
Terri Colby is a locally based free-lance writer.