Rubbed the right way: Day spas for couples
This isn't for most beginners.
Getting your feet beautified in front of your guy requires a certain level of comfort.
And for guy, submitting to any spa treatment can feel like a betrayal against the entire male species.
Still, suburban spas are seeing their couples packages rise in popularity. And managers say the reason for all the pampering is simple: bonding.
"I feel that it's just a reconnection," says Kelly Salatino, spa manager at Eaglewood Resort Spa in Itasca.
Each weekend, about 65 percent of the massages booked at Eaglewood are for couples, where the man and woman are treated in the same room with separate massage therapists.
Couples also schedule body wraps and side-by-side pedicures, too, which are part of various packages at the resort.
And at Spa Martinique in Schaumburg, manager Natalie Bonnan says their "Just for Us" package is a best-seller.
Salatino said many customers are men looking to score points with their girlfriends or wives but, eventually, they catch the spa bug.
"You can open up a whole new door for yourselves" she says. "It's a unique experience together and, if you like the massage, you can start to make this a monthly thing. We have plenty of couples who do that."
Although some newly dating duos book packages, spa staff members say most pairs tend to be in a long-term relationship or married.
Bonnan says money may be the culprit behind this.
"It is a little bit pricey and you are probably not going to spend that much money on someone you've just met," she says.
But the couples that are brave enough to book run the gamut. Salatino says she sees people from ages 18 to 60, newlyweds, longtime partners and even couples on church retreats at the resort.
Their common thread, however, is their goal to keep the relationship interesting.
"You get to that point where it's like: Now what do you do?," she says. "You've done all the movies and been everywhere you think you can go, so this is something new."
Just for Us package
Where: Spa Martinique, 530 E. Golf Road, Schaumburg
What: One-hour couples massage, facials, side-by-side manicure and pedicure, shampoo and style
Cost: $595
Web site: spamartinique.net
Phone: (847) 282-4039
Couples Massage
Where: Eaglewood Resort Spa, 1401 Nordic Road, Itasca
What: Choose from a side-by-side Swedish, aromatherapy or deep tissue massage
Cost: $110, $115, $130, respectively, for 60 minutes
Web site: www.eaglewoodresort.com
Phone: (630) 694-5903