The best spa hotels in Chicago

The Langham is part of the very fabric of downtown Chicago. Designed by acclaimed architect Mies van der Rohe, the hotel is home to the Chuan Spa. Taking its lead from traditional Chinese practices, they specialise in holistic treatments relating to the five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Book in here and your experience will start with the Chuang bathing ritual before moving on to a treatment (or treatment package) of your choosing. There’s also a steam room and a healing liquid pool, plus a variety of traditional Chinese medicinal remedies on offer to help you feel like the best version of you.

With a location just off the Magnificent Mile, the Four Seasons is a great place to stay if you’re into retail therapy. But after a long day of shopping—or working, or sightseeing—it’s also nice to relax in a slightly more traditional sense. That's where the hotel's unique spa treatments come into play. Brown-spirit aficionados will love the vintage bourbon massage, which uses a scrub crafted with brown sugar and Kentucky bourbon. After your massage, head to the hotel bar to grab a pour of Knob Creek Barrel Select bourbon on the house.

From body polishes and massages to chromotherapy (a kind of therapy that uses colour to help you relax) and ancient rituals, this boutique hotel is all about the spiritual details of rest and relaxation. The sauna at Eurostars Magnificent Mile even has walls made of Himalayan salt, designed to make you feel as Zen as poss. It’s also in a terrific location and within walking distance of much of Chicago city center.

Sat in Chicago’s historic Gold Coast district, the Waldorf Astoria is, put simply, just really, really swanky. From hydrating seaweed body wraps and pre-natal massages to couples massage packages, there’s a huge range of deluxe experiences on offer. Plus, considering just how magnificent the Waldorf Astoria building itself is – featuring 215 rooms and suites over 19 floors – it’s actually rather affordable.

A chance to take in Chicago's sprawling skyline is a must for visitors and residents alike, and the floor-to-ceiling windows that surround the Peninsula Spa’s half-Olympic–length pool offer just that. Toss in a fully equipped fitness center, a 19th-floor sun terrace and a yoga room, and you've got everything you need to fully relax. Of course, if you want to up the ante, book one of 11 spa retreats, with options like the Peninsula Radiance package, which includes 3.5 hours of age-defying treatments.

If you’re looking to relax in a hurry, then the spa at Loews Chicago Downtown is the place to be. In addition to a full suite of standard spa services—massages, facials and mani-pedis—Loews offers a series of on-the-go services that each take only 25 minutes. And since the hotel is located in Streeterville—with easy access to the Magnificent Mile, the Loop and Millennium Park—the odds that you’ll be short on down time are high. 

Downtown Chicago might seem like an odd place to go for rest and relaxation, but that’s exactly what you’ll find in the Park Hyatt’s NoMI Spa, where you can choose from a lineup of services including massages, facials, mani-pedis, waxing and full body treatments. House specialties include the Hydrafacial, which promises medical-grade results minus the downtime, and a customized massage service that the NoMI staff can adjust to meet your personal needs.

When you visit the Spa at Trump International, you can choose from numerous individual services, like their signature gemstone massages and full body therapies. There are a handful of couples packages, too, as well as a full-service fitness center that offers private training and group classes. But to really get the full experience, you should stay at one the hotel’s special Spa guest rooms, which are secluded on two floors, provide direct access to spa and come with extra amenities to help you relax. If you’re looking for the most comprehensive spa experience in the city, this is it.