Chicago Touch

This Wicker Park spot is the JetBlue of bodywork. It’s the same pricing structure used by airlines: Walk-ins willing to pay a premium for convenience subsidize those who plan ahead. Owner Mike Flatley is on a mission to bring massage, essential oil therapy, reiki and acupuncture to the masses by using some good old-fashioned business sense. The basic rate for a walk-in who wants a 50-minute session is a respectable $75; call at least one hour ahead and you’ll pay only $50, or book one or more days in advance and pay just $45. For those looking to upgrade, a tandem massage—four hands working at once for 50 minutes—is a bargain at $85 (about half of what you’d pay elsewhere), while the 50-minute, nine-oil Raindrop Therapy is only $65. (You can add a boost of essential oils to any treatment for an additional $1–$15.) Customers who buy in bulk get the best deal of all: a prepaid ten-pack of 50-minute massages for a very Zen $360.