Channing’s Studio & Spa

Wow. Let me start off by saying I have never wrote a review on Unilocal.I guess I am skeptical if people really read the reviews left and if it makes any difference to the business the review is for. Good or Bad. I was so put off by the sheer rudeness of the woman who answers the phone, identified herself as Erica, that I felt compelled to say/​write something. Owning my own company, I know how important someone’s time is and do my very best to always respect that. I made an appointment less than 24 hrs before the actual appointment for my first visit to the spa. I was so excited having read all the wonderful things about the spa and Cheryl herself. Unfortunately I was going to be late for my appointment and I knew it. Out of respect for her time and the clients that were booked after me, I called the spa to notify them and asked what I should do — come late or reschedule. Erica was rude from the beginning. She first lectured me about their 24 HR cancellation policy which I tried to politely explain I made the appointment online just a few hours ago to which her reply was «I don’t know when you made your appointment but that’s our policy». Ok she clearly is not the brightest so I dropped it. I then told her I was going to be 15 mins late and what did she recommend. Again her very snooty response «I don’t know what you want to do I don’t even know when you will be here so I guess reschedule if you want.» Ok next question I had was if Cheryl has anything open for tomorrow — Sunday. And again Erica’s response «Cheryl doesn’t work on Sundays». Ok fair enough I then ask if someone else is available for Sunday for the same service and again the snotty and very unfriendly response from Erica «I told you we are not open on Sundays». Ummm when did she tell me that??? She said Cheryl did not work on Sundays not that the entire spa was closed. Having reached my limit and patience I said I would call back and reschedule, which I most certainly will not!!! I asked who was the manager and her final response was «We don’t have one but I will tell Cheryl of this conversation.» I hope she does and that she tells Cheryl how she obviously feels like answering the phone and answering customers questions is beneath her. What a shame that this woman probably doesn’t know the business she lost and will continue to lose with staff like that.

Since I started shaping my eyebrows years ago, I’ve either had them waxed or threaded and I’ve never been truly happy with them. Usually too much gets taken off and they end up looking too thin. I read a lot of reviews online about the best place in Chicago to get shaped and Channing’s kept coming up. An eyebrow shaping costs $ 50, which is a lot more than the usual $ 10 I use to pay, but I’ve never been happier with how my brows look. Ive gone there twice now and have enjoyed both experiences. Since I started going there, I’ve received multiple complements about how my eyebrows look better shaped and fuller. I’d recommend the place to anyone. The price is a bit steep, but I’d rather pay more than have my brows messed up again for $ 10.

My eye brows were horrendous, badly shaped and no growth. I finally decided to shell out the money to get them fixed. Cheryl is a magician. She talked me through where they weren’t so good and why, explained the shape she was going for that matched my face shape then got to work. Afterwards she showed me how to color them in for a natural look. I did purchase the revitabrow that she recommended for regrowing and after three weeks my brows had grown more than they did in the previous 6 months. I will say that stuff is expensive from the salon so I will probably purchase from amazon from now on. But you can’t buy quality service on amazon. I’ll continue to go to Cheryl for upkeep.

This review is for brows with Cheryl. I started going to her about 4 years ago and she literally changed the shape of my face. She works with you to get your brows perfect over time. I moved to NYC 2 ½ years ago and have been to the top 5 eyebrow stylists there. These are people who charge $ 100+ and are written up in all the magazines. They did such an awful job compared to Cheryl that I make excuses to come back to Chicago as often as I can to have her do my brows, and I just tweeze them myself until I can see her again. She is hands down the best, even compared to the «best» in a city like Manhattan.

Don’t let the other reviews scare you. I had a gift certificate here for a facial, and I read the reviews and was like hmmmm, I don’t know.
But, everyone was SO nice from the moment I walked in. And why are people complaining about the décor? I thought it was unique. But the services — I had a facial with Natalia. She walked me through everything from start to finish. And didn’t try to upsell me on anything, just wanted to help my skin.
And a few days later my grandfather asked my mom what I did to my face because it looked really good. And they didn’t know I had a facial! They recommend going once a month and I actually wish they would recommend going more often. Very happy customer here!

Was really surprised to see the negative comments and almost didn’t go because of them. My first exposure was through the receptionist who was extremely nice and incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. I had a facial and eyebrow shape and tint with Holli. My face feels great and my eyebrows look great. I booked my next appointment before I left.
Ok the bathroom isn’t the most modern but it was clean and perfectly functional so who cares? They are moving in about a month across the street. Hope the prices don’t go up to pay for the new bathroom!

Got a groupon SPA package for a $ 245 value for $ 99, felt like false advertisement, the receptionist didn’t book the entire package together I had to be the one to remind her that I had other services purchased. Felt like I was being treated like a second class citizen due to groupon, overall not the «relaxing experience» I was looking to have that afternoon. Add the parking and poor customer service and you can surely find a much better deal elsewhere.
Would not recommend.

I went here over the weekend with my future sister-​in-​law and one of my bridesmaids for a bachelorette spa day. Overall we really enjoyed it. Upon finding out that we were a bachelorette party, we were brought a complimentary bottle of champagne which I thought was really sweet. The receptionist was incredibly nice and gave us ideas about what else to do in Chicago this weekend.
The black robes were absurdly big but whatever. The woman who did my massage (Jessica) was all right but for some reason breathed really heavily during both my massage and my future SIL’s. Kind of distracting but maybe she had a cold??? The facial and peel I got were great. Holly was very sweet and my skin felt amazing afterwards.
We had a Living Social deal so I might need another one of those to bring me back, but we generally had a great experience.

I purchased the Groupon for Channing Day Spa which included a body scrub, facial and 50 minute massage. This deal was obviously oversold because I could barely get an appointment. Every time I called to make an appoint the spa had no openings for months. The Hispanic young lady that answers the phone with an attitude had a serious attitude in person. That led to the all 3 other technicians having an attitude and the Manager who was just low down «ignorant.» I don’t want anyone who’s touching my body to be mad so like other Unilocalers I wanted to be out of there as soon as I got there. They had an attitude I had an attitude that made for a bad combination.
The décor was bland. No storage place. Construction was going on in the area. No ambiance. No options for a reschedule because the appointment was already booked and she wouldn’t take the appointment off the schedule since it was made it was forfeited without 24 hours notice. I did not receive a reminder call the day before the appointment it was just a big old bowl of unprofessionalism all across the board.
I also agree with the other responses «Don’t be fooled by the deceptively modern staircase — it only leads to a cramped waiting room filled with cheap, dusty, and sun-​damaged furniture (someone seriously had a field day in the clearance section of Marshalls).»
This spa sucks, don’t waste your time paying your money for such rude, ignorant, non-​spal like atmosphere and unprofessional people!

I have to agree with Mia B’s response. I was given a gift certificate for a spa day session consisting of a body scrub, a facial and a massage. Service was OK at best — they did the job, but it would’ve been nice if they gave me a run down of what they were about to do before each session.
Don’t be fooled by the deceptively modern staircase — it only leads to a cramped waiting room filled with cheap, dusty, and sun-​damaged furniture (someone seriously had a field day in the clearance section of Marshalls). Completely lacked everything I expected out of a GOLD COAST spa — elegance, class, and luxury.
Don’t even get me started on the bathrooms! I had to remind myself that I was in a spa and not someone’s janky house! Ew.
All in all, service was meh — ambiance was garbage. Basically, it just left me wanting to leave as fast as I came in. The receptionist was super nice though. :)

I have been going to Cheryl to get my eyebrows done since 2005… so for 6+ years. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a perfectionist. Cheryl does pretty much a perfect job on my eyebrows. The arches are sophisticated but not too high, and they are shaped perfect for my face shape. She plucks them instead of threading or waxing them (thank goodness because I know quite a few people who have had horrible experiences with those methods). The staff there is nice, and they have recently redecorated so the space is open and inviting. Cheryl is great as well. Since I have been going so long, it’s always nice to catch up with her and I always feel like I’m talking to a friend. Channing’s is definitely the best place in Chicago to get your eyebrows done, hands down.

Don’t be fooled by the Oak Street address. This is not a boutique spa.
I had the $ 50 Spa Week facial and it left a lot to be desired. The esthetician was 10 minutes late to the appointment. Yes, they were busy but other estheticians were able to get to their clients on time. The facial massage basically left me gasping for air because she was pinching on my sinuses so I was left unable to breathe through my nose. She washed my face, with Vanilla Bean cleanser, (vanilla bean? seriously?) then upsold me on a $ 40 «enzyme» mask. I know my fault. So, after she applied the mask, she stuck me under the steamer for probably 25 minutes because by the time she got back the steam machine was about to shut off automatically. Then she washed the mask off with a goddamn rotary brush. No extractions. I mean I can use my own Clarisonic at home for free. She did about 15 minutes of work for $ 90 tab.
I won’t be back for anymore facials, but they always have specials on Pretty City — so what harm can they do with a pedicure, right?

I came to Channing’s after purchasing the M’Lis Body Slimming Body Wrap from You Swoop. I walked in and the salon was completely empty for the most part which was a little different for me. The receptionist was very nice though and walked me to the waiting area and showed me the tea/​water. She also told me about the Feb $ 39 Pretty City specials they were going to be running. Some might find this pushy but I was okay with it because I always like participating in those deals so it got me thinking. I had Ursula for the body wrap and she was a really nice lady. I felt very comfortable with her since I had stand practically naked in front of her and she was very informative about what was going to take place.
The actual body wrap? Meh. Mostly I just felt like I was in a sauna for an hour. I tried to fall asleep and did for a tiny bit but I was counting down the minutes for the hour to be over. I already knew going into this that I wouldn’t have some miraculous weight loss and things like this require multiple visits but I still wanted to give it a try. I felt no different after the wrap but I didn’t day full price so I’m okay with it. As far as not being able to sleep because the caffeine lotion, I didn’t have a problem with it. In fact I was falling asleep two hours later and slept the whole night thru. So maybe the wrap did help in relaxing and helping me sleep. Hehe.
As I mentioned before, the salon being basically empty was a little strange but I still scheduled $ 39 massages and facials for me and my Mom in Feb.

Did the sugar scrub on a groupon or similar deal. Thought the actual process and person was ok. Thought the staff helpfullness and friendliness was ok. The decorations and atmosphere, again ok. Overall, worth the money if you get one of the their deals, but otherwise no way.
There bathrooms are regular household bathrooms (it is a converted home after all). They have changing rooms, but nowhere to store you stuff after you change. Also, after the staff take you upstairs they don’t tell you what to do. My person finally came by and showed me the dressing room, but didn’t explain about robes or the under garments or sandals or where to put my stuff once I changed. Some basic info would have been nice since they were aware I had never been there before.

I picked up a livingsocial to get a scrub here. Then I saw them on a bazillion other groupons for this place; that’s when I knew to lower my expectations.
This place needs some serious feng shui up in here. It’s all dark and maroon w/​silk lamps. I’m sure it was once sexy and stylish — maybe in the 80s but now it looks seriously outdated. I felt like I was in an old brothel.
Jennifer did my scrub and it was nice to have someone rub sugar all over me (without licking it off) but it’s a total ripoff. (Ladies — do it at home — sugar + lemon + evoo.)
I imagined the saving grace would be a expansive rain shower at the end of the tunnel but was really disappointed when I was shoved into a cramped bathroom with a regular shower in a regular bath tub. Ick. What a waste of time and money.

I came to Channings hoping torecover from a brow nightmare.
My brows were over threaded and super skinny, and from they’re website they do ‘corrective shaping’.
Maybe I set my standards too high when I shelled out the $ 50, because the whole thing was pretty quick and she seemed to only care about what she wanted to dow ith my brows and never asked me how i liked them or anything to that regard.
I give her a plus for only plucking because I know waxing can be bad for your skin, she also did a pretty good job coloring them in but unfortuately once i stepped outside it melted off in about a hlaf an hour leaving me pretty bummed.
Overall if you have the money to blow go for it, other than that you can get the same thing done for $ 20 at other salons and it’ll be just as good if not better.

The staff is what makes Channing’s Day Spa a good experience.
I was a first-​time customer with a $ 50 off coupon, and yet I was a little late. We all know there are spas who would not have been that welcoming to me, but the receptionist and nail tech at Channing’s were both great — flexible and friendly.
The tech, Anna, did a good job. My pedi looks great. But it wasn’t as SPECIAL an experience as I was expecting. The lotion and exfoliator she used weren’t unique. The chair wasn’t adjustable and (since at 5’2 I’m obviously shorter than the last client) I wasn’t comfortable. Anna brought me a pillow for my back and a glass of ice water with a slight touch of cucumber (refreshing on a hot day), so the issue isn’t her. It’s just that for the neighborhood and the non-​promotion price, I was expecting a more luxe experience.
Still, they are pleasant and my nails are gorgeous. So if I need a pedi during the week, I wouldn’t hesitate to go back.

I googled «Chicago Spa Bargains» and managed to find a 50% off coupon to Channings for any first time service. I didn’t want to experiment with a new spa for anything big, so all I scheduled was an underarm wax, which the website said was $ 30. With the discount, it was only three dollars cheaper than my regular salon (considering the fact that you have to tip on the full amount) but I figured that the reason they put out the coupon is that they want to attract new customers, and I wanted to see what it was about. I saw that it was on Oak Street, so I figured it must be nice.
Wow. So their interior designer is T.J. Max’s biggest fan. I walked in with several shopping bags and a coat. The receptionist took me up to the top floor to wait; when I asked her if I could leave my bags and coat anywhere (the place was completely empty, from what I saw) she told me I could just hang on to them. Thanks.
I waited in a cheap, stiff, uncomfortable chair and ogled all the weird furnishings around me. It wouldn’t have looked half as bad if they just had *less stuff*, but whoever set this up definitely had no restraint.
The wax was bad. She didn’t bother taking a light and tweezing all the tiny hairs afterward, though she didn’t miss too much anyway. But four days later there was a stubble like I had shaved. What a waste of time and money. She didn’t get anything by the root. And then I got some discoloration (I have dark skin) because the wax was too hot. The only time that’s happened to me was when I was 17 and decided to get waxed at the mall.
When I got to the front, I was told the wax was $ 45, but with the discount it would be $ 22.50. Seriously? You usually charge more than the Peninsula? For a ten minute basic wax with no essential oils, ambiance, or even a bottle of water to drink? For a wax that was not even a good wax? When I had to carry my new sneakers and clothes into the wax room with me?
I pointed out that the website said it was $ 30 — she told me «Well, I was told that it’s $ 45, but if you heard somewhere that it’s $ 30 we can certainly honor that.» So I got my discount, paid and left.
On the way out I grabbed their menu and looked up the prices — they didn’t have their waxing prices listed. So I suppose if I hadn’t mentioned the website they would have just charged me more, because I’d have no way to argue it. Really unprofessional. They were taking advantage of the fact that I didn’t ask the price over the phone when I scheduled.
Disappointing — I was sort of hoping to learn a little about the spa and consider coming again if my experience was good. I can honestly say that they made zero effort and were entirely uninterested in gaining me as a future customer.

Had my first hot stone massage in this bi-​level narrow salon, decorated with dark red walls, animal print accessories, and Victorian style paintings of cherubs. Wasn’t sure what to expect, but for you hot-​stone virgins, it is basically a regular massage but with hot stones instead of the masseuse’s hands. My friend swears by them only, but I don’t think I prefer them over regular massages. There are just more things you can do with your hands than rocks can; the use of fingers was obviously lacking, and I realized how much I do like the preciseness of kneading and pinching with fingers. And I didn’t feel completely relaxed because the initial temperature of the hot stones were pretty jolting on my skin, and the continuous rotation of having new hot stones was every few minutes of shock. I was paranoid my skin would start sizzling, but then I figured if my masseuse could handle it on the palms of her hands, so can my body. Maybe I’m just a ninny.
But Janelle was very professional and applied great pressure, and my muscles feel looser, but for the price of $ 95 for 50-​mins, I just wasn’t very impressed. In addition, it wasn’t very quiet, as I could hear people walking in the hallway on the hardwood floors, the phone ringing, and some chatter. They offer ice water and teabags (although I didn’t see any hot water) that you can help yourself to while you wait. There are also only two changing rooms barely larger than closets where you (and others) change into robes & flip-​flops and leave your clothes & shoes, so just pray no one takes them and leaves you naked on the way out.
FYI — do check out
for coupons, though.

There have been a lot of mixed reviews about this place, so I didn’t know what to expect. I decided to come here with 2 other friends and take advantage of the «31 dollars for 31 days — Pretty in Pink» spa services. I got a pedi, one friend got a massage, and the other got a facial. I suspect one reason Channing’s gets really bad reviews is because of the actual layout and feel of the place: it’s not a very inviting environment. The space is small, their waiting areas are not comfortable, the staff are friendly but not very accomodating, etc. In other words, there is nothing «spa» like about this place, except for the fact that they offer spa services.
I enjoyed my pedicure, although like most people, wasn’t really sure where the «pumpkin» part came in. Both of my friends really enjoyed their treatments as well. We went in on a Sunday afternoon, and were the only ones in there, which may have contributed to anti-​spa atmosphere.
You must be wondering: why is he giving this place 4 stars? Well, let me first start by saying that I would really give Channing’s 3 stars, but here’s why I gave 4: They still gave me and my friends the 31 dollar special even though it was Nov 2^nd! They didn’t have any open appointments on the weekends for the special deals until the 1^st weekend on Nov, so the woman I spoke with on the phone (who was very nice!) suggested that we come in then and she would still give us the discount. That alone merits them 5 stars, but I knocked it down to 4 avg out the two. And I’ll end this note on a positive: I LOVED the fact that they had tea and ice water there, and made sure that there was boiling water for tea, and that the ice water was fresh. I probably won’t go back, but it was a decent experience. Basically, I got what I paid ($ 31) for.