Bliss Spa

Great service, treatments are so relaxing it’s best to stay at the hotel. Evening appointments are the best time to get a spectacular view of Navy Pier from the ladies lounge.

Kylie does an amazing bikini wax! I will never go anywhere else. She is fast and friendly and makes you feel comfortable the entire time.

Purchased a groupon for my partner who is in grad school and needed a massage. Her massage was short by 15 mins. When asked if he could use deeper pressure he said it would be $ 20 more! The massage was mediocre at best and to make it worse the coupon had a mandatory gratuity (oxymoron) of %20. What a joke so my gift to do a good thing to reduce stress cost her $ 50 and she left feeling taken advantage of.

I have had the triple oxygen facial several times and Fred Goudy is the best. He does an amazing job with my skin and always tailors the facial to whatever concern I have. I always leave there with glowing amazing skin and can’t wait to come back for my next one! Definitely book with Fred you won’t be disappointed

Great massage but the relaxation room was full of chatty women. I thought you weren’t supposed to talk in relaxation rooms. Also, the hallways are loud when you’re in your massage room. I like the trump spa better. They enforce quiet and it’s extremely relaxing.

I’m not sure I can use the proper words to describe how I feel right now. I did not think it was possible to feel this relaxed. Especially with the wedding coming up this weekend! I was able to escape and drift away to the most amazing experience I ever had at a spa!!! I highly recommend Kathleen for all your services!!! I got the carrot & sesame body buff followed by a 49 minute massage!

This is the place! We have been coming here for mani and pedi services for a year. We see Sunny. She is excellent. She doesn’t just do the regular routine. She has great knowledge of the products and the benefits of each of the services and recommends what we need each visit. We travel and our feet and hands get a work out traversing airport terminals and lifting and moving luggage. Her massage is just what we need and her polish holds up until we want a change. There are many places to go in Chicago but we come here because the quality is perfect and the service is excellent.

I went here last weekend for a massage (along w/​my wife) and had a great experience. We had a GroupOn and they were kind enough to let us use it on President’s Day (a holiday), even though we weren’t technically allowed to do it (we called in advance and they told us before we arrived that it’d be okay).
We both did the 75 minute massage, which included the paraffin wax treatment for our feet. The masseuse I had (Dara) was great — she was very helpful and inquisitive about what type of pressure I wanted, etc. during the treatment. Afterwards she gave me a few tips about stretching my legs a little bit better, as she could tell that my hamstrings are a bit tight.
We will definitely return here at some point. Had a great experience and look forward to returning one day!

After getting a gift card for the holidays, I booked a pedi and eyebrow wax.
The eyebrow wax was ok, not bad but def not the best for $ 30 ish dollars.
This bad rating is for the pedi. I have had countless pedicures all around the city some cheap and some not cheap at all but this is the worst. I have never had problems with my toes ever before but today (day after) my toe is red swollen and cut! I experienced some pain but thought i was being a baby… turns out my toe was sliced and not a word was said! (see photo!) it’s now swollen red and throbbing around the cut. If I hadn’t had a gift card, id be on the phone no asking for my money back. For 70 bucks stay away!

I had a 75 minute massage today at Bliss Chicago.
Twice during my massage, my masseuse’s iPhone vibrated loudly for a text notification and it was obvious that he was checking texts and playing with his phone on and off throughout my massage. It was really distracting and frankly, disrespectful. The massage work was sporadically good and then became unfocused as he was only using one hand and was zoning out while checking his phone.
When I addressed it afterwards, he stated that he was «checking the time» on his phone. While I can appreciate needing to check the time to stay on task in a timed massage, I have no doubt that he was sending and receiving text messages. I have owned an iPhone for years, and I’m familiar with the notifications and sounds it makes. Even the sound of a phone on vibrate is distracting when you are trying to relax and unwind.
When I mentioned it to the front desk after my massage, I was quickly dismissed and told by the woman at the front desk that the masseuse has vision issues and needs his phone to see the time. This could have easily been mentioned to me beforehand so that I wouldn’t have been so distracted. But to be clear, there was more going on than him touching the home key a few times to light the face of the phone to see the time. Also, in all seriousness, aren’t there more professional and less distracting ways for a masseuse to keep track of time?
I chose Bliss because I have always had top notch service for massages in the past. There are plenty of places in Chicago for massage services, but Bliss has always been my favorite despite the higher price tag than most, due to the high caliber staff, their awesome products, and eucalyptus steam showers.
Today was just super disappointing and frustrating.
Also, the follow up/​review email Bliss sent me has a broken link in it, so here I am on Unilocal.
***Update courtesy of this review and sending in an email via a generic ‘Contact Us’ link on the main Bliss website, the spa director for Chicago did contact me in an effort to clarify that they have a strict cell phone policy and that this is not behavior that they tolerate from their staff. Much appreciated.***

Pricey — but massage was excellent!
I LOVE the steam showers here — they had a few of the products that they sell already in the showers for you to enjoy! The locker room was a tad bit chilly but I overlooked that small detail. In the lounge, there are some small refreshments you can enjoy.
The spa seems a bit downsized — there wasn’t as many staff present and seemed to be only one lady recovering the locker room area.
Be on the lookout — bliss has some awesome discount promotions !

I frequently visit Bliss in New York, so I was thrilled to come here with my husband for a day of massages and facials. Both my facial and my husband’s massages were fine, but my husband’s manicure was disastrous. He was nicked badly (which judging from other Unilocal reviews is a common occurrence) and started bleeding, to which they just applied some powder to stop the bleeding and called it a day.
When I called the next day, since his finger looks pretty bad 24 hours later, I was placed on hold for 5 minutes, and spoke to someone who could have honestly cared less about what had happened, and even stated that this is a normal thing that happens. No, it shouldn’t. Despite me calling from the hotel, she didn’t ask to speak in person, attempt to make it right, and just suggested some A&D ointment and then filled the phone with silence. She said she «would make a note of it» but what that note is who even knows. For a $ 25 manicure, you think they would take cleanliness and customer satisfaction into account, but definitely not.

My friend and I booked a spa day months in advance to celebrate our birthdays. We purchased Living Social vouchers for $ 100, which was supposed to give us $ 200 worth of services. When I called to book my prenatal massage, I knew I would have $ 30 remaining to spend (priciest massage I will ever have). I was told on the phone I could upgrade while there to make up the monetary difference.
Needless to say, I was not offered any upgrades and was told after the fact that they would have been limited anyway because I am pregnant. So, I was forced to forfeit the remainder of my voucher and could not use it toward product. When I asked if I could have a discount on product at least, I was told to choose a body butter by the manager.
My friend, who drove from out of state, only got to use $ 125 worth of her voucher and was expecting a mani/​pedi she was never scheduled for. She could have booked a longer massage had she known. She was told they were booked solid and there was nothing they could do. However, she was offered a body butter and 20% off her product. Consistency?
The spa was not the cleanest and there were signs everywhere fearing people would steal their robes and «slippers» (cheap flip flops). There were mini brownies in the lounge with some cheese cubes on the platter. Someone who worked there came and took it away while we were sitting in there.
Gratuity is built-​in, and it was obvious the lady doing my treatment knew that. She practically insulted me right off the bat because I wasn’t familiar with their specific product line. My massage was okay, but it would have been 100% better if the masseuse wasn’t giving me nonstop, unsolicited pregnancy and mother advice the entire time! She was very opinionated and had a dirty mouth as well. Extremely unprofessional and I did not get to relax, which is all I looked forward to all summer. I mentioned this to the manager when she asked how everything was and there was no reaction.
I guess if you aren’t paying $ 170 for your massage, expect to be treated like a second-​class citizen. Oh, and they don’t let you put cash in their tip envelopes for gratuity. The girl at the counter actually pretended to not know what the envelopes that said «to and from» on them were when I pointed them out! Gratuity must be charged on a credit card because apparently us cheap voucher people can’t be trusted (even though the fine print of the voucher said to bring $ 40 cash for tip).
Happy 30^th birthday to moi. Total disappointment.

LOVED my experience here. Had the $ 200 Living Social certificate — did eyebrows (fab) with Nikita and a massage and treatment with Joey. I love most types spas but really appreciated that this Bliss was fresh and bright — not hippy dippy trippy or overly feminine (both of which I like) but it’s good to switch things up. I’ll be back. (The staff and the therapists were all incredibly nice and service was prompt.)

I purchased the Rubber Neck massage which specifically says on the website that this is not an entire body massage. I was excited about this because I was having shoulder and neck pain and did not want a full body massage. Out of the 60 minutes of my massage, I would say she MAYBE spent 15 minutes of it on my neck and shoulders. After a long time of her massaging everything except for my neck and shoulders, I specifically told her and pointed to the areas I wanted massaged (neck and shoulders)– and then she massaged my arms. I also had specifically written down shoulders and neck on the paper work I handed directly to her.
There were many other issues I had with my massage today:
–The facilities are run down and looked like the surgical wing of a hospital.
–The face rest on the massage table did not have proper support and I had a metal bar hitting my cheek the entire time and had to keep adjusting the cushioning.
–The heated blanket and they air temperature were too warm and I was sweating.
Not only was the massage not what I paid for or asked for repeatedly, but it also was not well done. There was no pressure and I left feeling more stressed than when I walked in. I would never come back here and would not recommend spending ridiculous amounts of money for a poor massage.

I really wanted to like Bliss Spa since I love their products but I really couldn’t after my experience here. I bought LivingSocial Deals ($ 100 for $ 200 worth of spa services) for my sister and I so we could have a spa day. What ultimately was supposed to be a relaxing day turned into a «could you please hurry up I want to get out of here». I wouldn’t recommend buying the deal unless you use it for waxing or facials (I’m not sure how their massages are). There were many things that I disliked about the facility and the treatment from the staff as well.
Pros
*The wax I received was great, fairly painless, and the girl doing the waxing was very friendly and knew exactly what she was doing.
*Their «lounge» had unlimited brownie bites, apples, tea, and cold lemon water
*My sister got «the fully loaded» facial and was very happy with it. They gave her a little massage as well which was nice.
Cons
*My «upper hand» manicure/“hot milk and almond” pedicure took over 2 FREAKING HOURS! I understand it’s a spa and you’re meant to relax but that’s beside the point. My nail technician was not very friendly, said literally like 5 words to me the whole time, and disappeared here and there throughout my mani/​pedi to god knows where.
*The mani/​pedi itself wasn’t impressive. I don’t recommend it at all and I have had better manicures for much less, my nails are pretty sloppily painted which is a shame.
*The facility is pretty rundown with low lighting and looks more like a hospital or surgical center than a spa
*Parking around the area is a pain and their street parking rates are outrageous ($ 4/​hour)
*The deal I bought added an automatic 20% gratuity to whatever services you picked. I normally wouldn’t have an issue with that since I typically tip 20% but I felt like it was undeserved at least for the nail technician.
All in all I wasn’t impressed with Bliss Spa and I don’t plan on coming back. If you’re looking for a good spa I recommend Exhale Chicago which is very clean and everyone there is very friendly.

I attended the Bliss Spa this week to redeem my Living Social voucher. I had a 75 minute Bliss massage which was pretty good, and then I had a «sole man» pedicure. At the time I thought that the pedicure tech was being a little heavy handed with her intensity, but I powered through. When I looked at my feet a couple of hours later after I got back home, I noticed they were very red and inflamed.
I have been tending to my wounds (4 toes on my left foot) for two days now, and the healing is slow going. I had purchased 4 vouchers (two for myself and two for gifts). After this horrible service, I called Living Social to see about a refund on the unused vouchers. They were horrified to hear about what had happened and graciously issued me a refund for the unused vouchers. 5* for Living Social!
I contacted the manager of the W Hotel who forwarded my email to Mimi, the manager of the spa. I included a picture of my foot in the email. Mimi called me back shortly after and offered a free pedicure to me if I would come back.
Ummmm I don’t think so! Then she offered me a $ 40 credit ($ 29 from the voucher and $ 11 for the mandatory 20% tip they throw on there). Very gracious to take away the tip from the girl who messed up my foot! I asked her if she had seen the picture of my foot, and she had. «And you think that is worth a big $ 40???» She was unwilling to do better, so I contacted Bliss Spa corporate headquarters.
Well THAT is a total joke. A call center answers the phone, and I was told that they cannot forward calls to their corporate office! I explained that I had a complaint about my service. She said the best she could do was take down my information, and «someone» would call me back. I’m sure it went into the trash, and I will not hear back from them.
I again called Living Social to update them on my interaction with Mimi, and they offered to refund my voucher for the service I had used as well. THAT is what customer service is all about. 10*** for Living Social!!!
I would stay clear of this place. They are extremely unprofessional, and if my story doesn’t scare you away, I don’t know what will.

This Bliss was fantastic. I had a Blissage 75 with Zoey — she knows what she’s doing. If you go, book her. Period.
People will complain and be divas, but for what you get for the price and how well their staff serves, I can live with the minor cosmetic imperfections as read in other reviews. Clearly it’s a great spa and is getting lots of use because of their great staff and service.

Had an amazing massage, I feel like a new person. The masseuse and staff were professional and friendly but not overly friendly or pushy. The facilities were clean and fresh looking. Would definitely recommend for a relaxing day

I am a fan of the hot cream manicure. My hands get gnarly from forced air heat and the weather hasn’t been conducive to keeping a window open since I’ve arrived in Illinois, so I decided to treat myself to a mani at Bliss. The spa was easier to get an appointment than I am used to in NYC or Hoboken on a Saturday, but perhaps that was due to the holiday weekend.
Joanna was my nail tech and she took care of my rough cuticles with ease and even warmed up the hot cream extra for me. There is something to be said about special treatment on your first visit to the spa. It definitely makes me want to return for a future visit and continue to use her as my tech in the future. My polish is perfect. My hands are soft. The chairs are super comfortable and they have tvs lined up to watch so you don’t get bored.
The best part: I was in and out in 17 minutes flat! I typically hate waiting for paint to dry, and the spray they use expedites the drying process.
Onto ambiance: The view of lake Michigan is absolutely spectacular on a clear day. I am still amazed at how blue it is. We don’t have that on the east coast at all. The front desk guys were very friendly and chatty while I waited for my paint to dry which helped pass the time. Overall it was a good experience.
I was kind of disappointed I was not taken to the lounge for the manicure to wait, like I would have been in NYC. But it wasn’t a big deal. I was the first appointment of the day. I was, however, offered water or tea.
Where Bliss loses a star is that it is in the W and the people who worked downstairs were mildly rude because I did not know where to go as it was my first time. Surprise! I am not psychic and cannot read minds! Nor do I carry a map of Bliss locations.
I will definitely return for more services and additional hot cream manicures when my hands get cracked and dry from the summer months. 4 stars for sure!

I went for a massage today with Nick. He was pleasant and communicated well about massage preferences (which is nice when you’re with a new therapist). Deducted a few stars because I felt the music was a little loud in the treatment room and the temperature was a little cold which made it hard to relax.
The waiting area is great! Flavored water, teas and snacks. And you can hang out before/​after your service which is nice. The locker room has great showers with a steam option and is well stocked with Bliss products.

Bliss. Doesn’t it say it all? There is not one alphabet from that word that I would contest when it comes to Bliss Spa.
I have been to several of their locations in NYC and in Scottsdale, AZ but I visited this one in Chicago most frequently. For awhile they ran a Travelzoo special $ 99 for $ 200 worth of services. I bought that every time they ran it. It’s such a good deal as spa services in a top notch spa like this do get spendy. I would take anything I could get for a saving and get even more services than what I would normally would spend.
Located at W Hotel Lakeshore, once you arrived at the lobby of the spa, you would be able to see the pristine blue water of Lake Michigan. It immediately transports you to another place somewhere sunny and relaxing, away from your mundane stressful every day life. That blue water through the window also ties in so well with Bliss’ theme color of light blue. It’s just so calming while it is still playful. The smell of this spa is also so calming. It’s the whole scent thing with SPG hotels… I so love how they take the time to make everything smells just better. Scent machine is the best invention ever.
I have had many services here from their signature massage/​blissage, facial, reflexology, as well as some of the body treatments like the deep sea detox and the head over peels scrub and rub. Anything that involves a vichy shower, try it. I also loved the way they massage you too. You can tell the huge difference between here and Massage Envy. There’s so much attention to details and they use tons of warm lotion and their hands just glide all over your body and where are you? You are in pure bliss!
I never tried their nail or hair care. I just focused my spending on services of the body and face treatments. Their waiting room is equipped with everlasting tray of Fairytale Brownie bites. If you like brownies, these babies are for real. It’s amazing. I could just sit there forever eating those brownies. I even wanted to bring a tupperware and pack some for the road! However, I have never done that. Tempted, but it seemed like too much effort while my arms and legs would be so relaxed they felt like butter after the message. I could barely sustain myself up, let alone steal some brownies.
I also love staying at W Hotels or aloft because they use Bliss products as their toiletries. I also buy many of their products and Nordstrom Rack actually has good deal on them like lotions and some of their body contouring products. Shh. Don’t tell them I buy those somewhere else cheaper. Well, do you blame me?! Bliss Spa is blissful in so many different ways and even owning a pet dik dik wouldn’t feel this blissful. Nope. Maybe a pet dik dik that can give me a massage. Maybe that would be better.

Got a quick hot cream manicure here yesterday. It was standard, no big frills, except for the fact that it’s on the 8^th floor of the W Hotel.
I booked my appt through Whittl. An app that allows you to book and pay for salon services, super convenient.
The hot cream mani was 30 minutes and $ 25. My manicurist did a good job on my nails. They look nice.
Their chairs are comfy and their employees are nice. And everything looked very clean. The other manicurists asked their clients if hey wanted some water, mine did not.
They don’t have a huge color selection, but they have OPI and Essie.
Would I come back here? I live right next door to the W… It’s a possibility because of it’s proximity. Otherwise, probably not.

5 for my facial, 3 for the amenities.
So let’s start with the bad — the physical spa. The place needs MAJOR upgrades. Everything in the spa looks kind of tacky and incredibly run down. Numerous of the lockers were missing numbers on the door, the curtains in the locker room looked like they were made of tissue paper, and it looked like the place hadn’t been dusted in years. I also overheard someone say that her steam shower wasn’t working. On the plus side, the spa had a ton of bliss products out in the locker room for use and the waiting area had a ton of magazines and a selection of tea, crackers, cheese, and brownie bites.
As for my facial, it was amazing!!! Now my experience didn’t start out so great because upon my arrival I was told that my technician, Aretha, was running late. But I was happy to have been warned up front, so I settled into the waiting room with a magazine and a cup of tea. Thankfully, it was worth the wait! Aretha was great. She took the time to talk to me about what I was looking to get out of my facial. And once we got started, it was sooooo relaxing. I normally opt for massages over facials because when I go to the spa I just want to relax, not have my face picked. But she somehow managed to make my facial both beautifying and relaxing. She gave me a heavenly scalp and shoulder massage. She also gave me an awesome face massage while putting on the products. I almost fell asleep during the facial, which has never happened to me before. And the best part is that after relaxing for an hour, when I got up my face looked great. I will definitely be back (but will try to spend as little time in the locker room as possible).

The only reason I gave one star is because I had to. Zero stars apparently isn’t an option. I have never had a worse experience at a spa.
1. It was FILTHY! Mildew all over the ceiling, exposed screws on the fixtures, dirty and cracked grout in the showers.
2.The locker room was the size of a closet in a small apartment.
3. The sauna only reached slightly above room temperature.
4. My massage therapist was texting during my massage and asked me about my home state even though I NEVER told him where I was from. Creepy!
5. The massage was awful.
Bottom line, don’t waste your money.

I absolutely hate to give this spa 2.5−3 stars as I really loved the staff, but the overall venue was not impressive at all. Bliss has spun off of the «W» chain according to the workers. They also said we’d get samples at the end of our treatment, but that didn’t happen.
I hosted 2 others with me — got the 50 minute massage for my colleague and I, and got a facial for the other. Total cost $ 450 with gratuity.
The main reason I have to rate the venue lower was because their flip flops were very gross when I got them. They were tight, uncomfortable, and felt very used/​unwashed. Also, the relaxation room prior to the spa treatment was very small and not unisex (men go to their own, women go to their own). I was unable to connect with my colleagues prior to getting treatment.
The treatment overall was good. There was one instance where they raise the massage bed and you’re sitting at an angle, which was weird. Never had that at a spa before. I did feel rather rejuvenated at the end, but quickly wanted to get out of there.
I’m going to give this spa another shot since I’m always at the W Lakeshore.

I will start this review by saying this: if a rating of zero stars was an option, it would have been my first choice.
I made an apt for myself and two friends for 1pm. We arrived on time, and were seated immediately. For some reason, unbeknown to me, my nail tech disappeared until 1:20, only to return with an ‘apology for her mouth being full of crackers.’ Since I was getting a shellac, and was in need of my previous shellac to be removed, she put foils on my fingers only to disappear again for 15 minutes until I finally asked one of the other nail technicians if they could find where she went (?!). It now being 1:45, my friends were finishing their manicures while I had not even truly started mine.
It wasn’t until 1:50 (now FIFTY minutes into my slotted 45 minute appointment) that she began to remove my old shellac… complaining the entire time about how my previous nail salon (that is cheaper and FAR superior to this place) used the wrong type of shellac that is too difficult to remove blah blah blah. Oh-​and that this was cutting into her lunch break time.
By 2:15 (1hr 15min into my apt), my nails were ready to be painted, at which point I said ‘forget the color, I will get it done at my usual nail salon.’ She responded ‘it will only take 15 more minutes.’ Thirty minutes later… my nails were ‘done’ but looked like crap. She didn’t cover the entire nail bed, ignored my hang nails completely, and didn’t bother removing the polish that had made it’s way onto my cuticle and skin. I was charged $ 50 for the worst manicure of my life (while my friends sat patiently and waited over an hour). I never received an apology.
I WILL NEVER NEVER EVER give bliss spa my business again, nor will I recommend them to friends/​family/​co-​workers/​patients. I wish I could remember my nail technician’s name, because the rest of the women were nice. But she was rude, disrespectful, and beyond unprofessional. Disappointed to say the least; she has forever given bliss spa a bad rep

The staff here at bliss is so nice and sweet and like your bff. They’re awesome!
They’re currently renovating (mainly the W hotel) so things are kinda discombobulated but will be better than before.