Conscious Choice: Total Transformation?

December 2006

Total Transformation?

West Coast-inspired luxury spas that cater to whole “Body-Mind-Spirit” evolution are popping up all over Chicago

By Taylor Swanson

For the mind, body and spirit,” is the new motto spas are using to rake in high-end clientele.

These spas are the newest trend in healthy living, assimilating the growing influence of Eastern consciousness into the organic lifestyle. A basic 60-minute massage is hard to come by as spas add aromatherapy, ayurvedic technique and chakra-alignment to the menu.

But why stop at just a massage? Stay for yoga, a belly dancing class, perhaps a little lunch and buy an organic-cotton t-shirt, too.

Spas are becoming health centers, all-in-one smorgasbords of feel-goodness. But how much is about the money and how much is about the spirit? When “enlightenment” goes mainstream, does it just become a new retail therapy to feed our need to spend, or can it lead to a genuine shift in our lifestyle?

“Exhale is about life transformation,” said Deja Goldstein, spa director at Exhale Mind Body Spa, 945 N. State St., a 9,400 square foot space that includes the temple-like exercise studio and Eastern-inspired spa. All services are “results-oriented,” explains an Exhale pamphlet.

A day at Exhale starts with Core-fusion—the signature ass-kicking exercise class, followed by Body Enlightening—an assisted-stretching massage. End the day with ten-minutes basking in the steam room and a dimly lit shower or perhaps a quiet mani-pedi before entering the bustling world. The total cost for three hours is $243, not including gratuity.

But the experience need not end there. The Total Body Transformation is six-weeks of daily visits and ultimately thinner thighs. The program includes a minimum of three Core Fusion and two yoga classes per week, meetings with a nutritionists and acupuncture—all under one roof. The program’s cost begins at $2,000, but a similar seven-day cleanse starts at $600.

Results begin with the employees at Exhale. The receptionists wear big smiles—a soothing and welcome change to the rushing of receptionists at Asha Salon and the snootiness of greeters at Nordstrom Spa. Feel free to ask questions at Exhale—the staff won’t suddenly appear constipated.

Caroline Jung, Exhale’s acupuncturist, prefers natural approaches to medicine and believes like-minded peers surround her at Exhale.

“Anyone in these fields [of healing therapies] is holistically and spiritually aware,” Jung said of her fellow staff.

But Exhale isn’t the first lifestyle spa to hit Chicago. The Ruby Room, 1743-45 W. Division, is a four-year old establishment in Wicker Park. The retail space is an overwhelming three floors of retail space, healing sanctuary and yoga boutique. The lobby houses floor-to-ceiling shelves of natural hair products that play background to cases of jewelry, cosmetics and Eastern statues. On the second-floor, the healing sanctuary hosts an expansive collection of crystals and endless rows of Chinese elixirs. The yoga space occupies the building next door, offering its own array of clothing and accessories.

Astrology workshops and energy readings are not “New Age” to Ruby Room. The spa was founded on the principle of being a center for healing in the Midwest.

“What you are paying for at Ruby Room is quality in both the products we use and sell and the services we provide,” says owner Kate Leydon. “What it comes down to is preserving and maintaining your health, and that is simply priceless.”

Ruby Room features a spa, hair salon and eight overnight guest suites. It also features luxury intangibles meant to soothe both body and soul.

“We’re in the energy business and Ruby Room does not make excuses for that,” said Portia Pettitt, acupuncturist at Ruby Room. “On the West Coast it is accepted more openly, but it is seen as airy-fairy in the Midwest. We put energy healers on a higher platform.”

Her clients come seeking treatment for anything from stress to depression, but she insists the practice of healing at Ruby Room is leaps-and-bounds away from a retail fix.

“It’s like an onion—you pull off layers. First, maybe it’s muscle pain, then you address stress, maybe some stomach issues. Then, all of a sudden, a new person walks through the door,” Pettitt said.

She attributes the growing trend of spiritual spas to an increase in people seeking non-invasive treatment. But some in this whole health business disagree with the practice of charging. The Brahma Kumaris, an international group helping people rediscover spirituality, feels that charging a fee conflicts with the gift of spiritual growth. The Chicago chapter at 20 S. State St. offers free yoga classes and meditation sessions. The group is supported exclusively by donations.

“The value of spiritual accessibility is held high,” says Cathy Weiner, a Brahma Kumaris teacher. “Charging for services takes away from the purity of healing and creates a suspicion of intentions. Spiritual knowledge and healing belong to all human beings.”

For other free and low-cost services, check out the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine and Midwest Institute of Massage Therapy. Additionally, Exhale and Ruby Room also offer several services per year free to clients who may not have the resources to pay.

But for those who have the budget, stop in Healing Quest, where the motto, “healers who truly care,” is no joke. This hidden sanctuary at 920 N. Franklin specializes in colonics, massage, acupuncture and nutrition that incorporate the Indian art of healing, known as Ayurveda.

Although Chicago is a long way from the West Coast, the recent increase in spas assures that Chicagoans won’t have to travel too far to slow down, take a breath and heal.

Taylor Swanson is an intern with Conscious Choice . This is her first feature article.

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