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SEARCHThe Chicago neighborhood of Wicker Park has it all—artsy coffee shops, trendy eateries and funky boutiques.
A hip city spa helps soothe and protect skin irritated by overexposure and daily stress.
Hair and make-up: Rachel Reiman
Photography: Brian Warling
Photography: Brian Warling
Hair and make-up: Rachel Reiman
The Chicago neighborhood of Wicker Park has it all—artsy coffee shops, trendy eateries and funky boutiques. As of last fall, it also has a spa that encompasses all of the style the area has to offer: Call it skin care with flair. Spa Soak, co-owned by estheticians Jennifer Olson and Emily Eisenberg, fits right into the mostly-independent retailers that line the streets, and caters to a 30-something crowd with bread-and-butter basics like facials and massage. Housed in a brick building that was originally a leather factory, the wide-plank hardwood floors, huge windows and high ceilings create an authentic ambience that appeals to both men and women.
“Couples treatments are also very big for us,” says Olson. The spa is open seven days a week to accommodate their clients, but is still booked full on the weekends.
Perhaps its newfound popularity has to do with the targeted treatments they offer, which bring about real results. One new service at the spa is the Bioelements Calming Facial for Rosacea and Sensitive Skin, designed to address irritation, dehydration and blotchiness due to a variety of conditions, including skin stressed from environmental pollution or daily city living. That means Wicker Park residents really can have it all—an urban attitude and fresh, glowing skin.
Therapist: Jennifer Olson
Salon: Spa Soak, Chicago, Illinois
Products: Bioelements
Snapshot: To deep-pore/deep-tissue cleanse, soothe and calm skin.
Contraindications: none
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $140
Recommended Home Care:
Daily: Bioelements Sensitive Skin Cleanser, Bioelements Stress Solution to protect and soothe
1-3 times a week: Bioelements Gel Therapy 10-minute hydrating mask
While there is no known cure for rosacea, symptoms including redness, visible blood vessels and bumps or pimples on the face can be controlled through treatment.
14 million Americans have rosacea
70 percent of rosacea patients say the condition has affected their confidence and self-esteem
41 percent report missing public or social events because of rosacea
30 percent have missed work courtesy of the National Rosacea Society
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