“Sparkly.” That was my answer when the spa therapist asked, “How do you want to feel at the end of this treatment?”
I was visiting The Peninsula Spa by ESPA in Chicago for a two-hour indulgence called the Uplifting Mint Experience. I’d spotted the treatment on the spa menu a few days earlier and it stood out among a variety of ceremonies, journeys and rituals, many of which draw on Ayurvedic and holistic traditions.
The menu described the treatment this way: “This uplifting ceremony begins with a refreshing tea and ceremonial foot ritual using mint grown in the Midwest. Mint is prized for its many health benefits as both a tea and when applied to the skin. A skin-softening mint-and-apricot-kernel body scrub prepares the skin. Advanced massage techniques are combined with refreshing oil containing wild mint, believed to improve headaches, enhance mood and provide relief from stress. The experience concludes with a relaxing head massage to dispel any remaining tension, leaving the inner self, mind and body restored.”
When my therapist arrived, her energy was more upbeat and chatty than I expected in such a hushed setting, but she used the pre-treatment tea and foot bath to ask a few questions and get a sense of how I was feeling. ESPA trains therapists to use that time to learn about a guest’s physical and emotional state so they can customize the treatment. Standard conversation can include simple prompts like “Do you like spicy foods?” or asking where you feel emotionally on a scale of one to ten.
ESPA runs more than 100 spas, mostly in five-star hotels and resorts across two dozen countries, and it’s a brand built on combining ancient practices with modern research. Founded in 1993 by Susan Harmsworth, ESPA emphasizes education—hence the “E”—and therapists undergo rigorous training before joining the brand. That training and quality control don’t create a one-size-fits-all experience; instead, ceremonies and rituals are tailored to each location. At The Peninsula Chicago, for example, the spa uses a location-specific line of products featuring therapeutic essential oils and botanical extracts valued in Asia for calming, restorative and energizing effects. The Uplifting Mint Experience is unique to that property.
After the foot bath, the therapist offered a choice of scented oils, with the idea that the scent you gravitate toward will best support your physical and emotional needs that day. The selected oil was incorporated into a treatment that included a mint-and-apricot-kernel body scrub followed by a massage. The scrub left my skin feeling smooth and refreshed. The massage, however, was the highlight: instead of the long strokes of Swedish massage, the intense pressure of deep tissue, or the stretching of Thai techniques, my session focused on elegant pressure-point work. That method pinpointed tension and pain and released it in a way that felt almost otherworldly—an easing of knots and stress that left me feeling light and remarkably relaxed.
Afterward, I moved to the relaxation room and sipped tea while reclining in the privacy of a curtain-draped chaise longue. Normally, I find it hard to stay still after a treatment; my mind usually jumps back to errands and tasks waiting at home or the office. This time was different. I let my gaze drift over the softly lit city skyline on an unusually warm autumn afternoon and simply lingered without urgency. When I finally wandered to the locker room, I took my time getting dressed, not quite ready to return to the pace of daily life.
Eventually the world outside did call me back—appointments and responsibilities awaited—but I left feeling exactly as I’d requested: refreshed, calm, and, yes, sparkly.