Spa Review: We Tried the Calm Mind Massage at NoMI Spa at Park Hyatt Chicago
NoMI Spa at Park Hyatt Chicago is a luxurious retreat in the heart of downtown Chicago.
Park Hyatt excels at indulging its guests, and the NoMI spa seamlessly integrates into the luxury experience they provide.
A luxurious retreat offering rejuvenating treatments and wellness experiences in the heart of downtown Chicago, the spa sits on the seventh floor of the prestigious hotel. Amid a bustling city, the spa offers a serene oasis for guests in search of relaxation and pampering.
Spa Profile: NoMI Spa at Park Hyatt Chicago
The spa combines contemporary elegance with a soothing ambiance, creating a space dedicated to wellness and rejuvenation. While the spa is on the pathway to the pool, hot tub and fitness facilities, it offers private treatment rooms where guests can access massages, facials and body treatments. The spa’s highly skilled therapists and estheticians provide personalized experiences tailored to each guest’s specific needs and preferences.
The locker rooms offer shower facilities with rain shower heads and their trademark bergamot products and a steam room.
Here’s what you’ll love about NoMI Spa at Park Hyatt Chicago:
Lavender and marigold scents infuse the massage oil therapists use, enveloping you in a blissful experience in which these botanicals' soothing scents and nourishing properties promote relaxation and alleviate tension.
The spa creates experiences in which they pay attention to the small details, providing each guest with luxurious pampering that goes beyond the individual services.
Their skin-are journeys use emerginC products and they offer customizable HydraFacial treatments.
The spa is on the same floor as the NoMI restaurant. Plan to catch brunch or dinner to complement your spa visit and make it a full day of pampering and luxury.
The spa included a refreshment station for guests.
I arrived at the spa after spending a night in Park Hyatt’s mindfulness suite and I’ll confess I wondered how the spa would be able to live up to the luxuriousness and comfort of the guestroom—the sort of room you don’t want to leave, even for a massage.
I shouldn’t have worried.
NoMI is a space where they are rethinking the ways to deliver spa services. The focus isn’t on the techniques or the product, but on the outcome a guest seeks. The therapists craft individualized experiences to help you reach such goals as a calm mind, balance, grounding or revival.
But first—the locker room. Each locker provides robes, slippers, and shower caps. I later saw people leaving the spa in their robes, taking them up to their hotel rooms.
I live in a large-size body and usually try to remember to bring my own robe, but I forgot it on this trip. The one downside to this spa is that they provide only one-size-fits-all robes and, as those of us who live in larger bodies know, one size does NOT fit all. However, the spa does provide oversized towels and I was able to wrap my torso in the towel and then put the robe on. The robe didn’t close in front, but the towel provided me with the modesty I needed.
I enjoyed lounging poolside in my comfortable robe and slippers.
The steam room serves as a rejuvenating prelude to the massage, relaxing the muscles, opening pores and promoting circulation, an ideal foundation for a massage that can then deeply penetrate and release any remaining tension. While showers and hot tubs can also do the trick, a steam room promotes a sense of tranquility and doesn’t take as much time to prepare your body for what is to come.
I grabbed a cup of their cold, infused water and a washcloth soaked with cool water and spent several minutes in the steam room before heading to the muted relaxation room where you fill out the paperwork informing your therapists of anything they need to know.
The spa’s amenities include a locker room and steam room.
In what was a pleasant surprise, my massage therapist, Kate, remembered me as she had given me a massage in 2021 on one of my prior visits to Chicago. We chatted for a bit about the changes my body has undergone since then, in particular a recent diagnosis of arthritis in my neck and my physical therapist’s observation that my back was out of balance.
Kate took all these factors into account as she worked on me, finding just the right amount of pressure and spending extra time on those spots that tried (unsuccessfully) to resist responding to her magic touch.
The treatment room featured a relaxing ambiance and a comfortable massage bed.
The massage bed was extremely comfortable. I always ask for the heat to be turned off because I’m sensitive to warmth, but that is an option for those who like it. The therapist adjusts it to your body and provides for maximum comfort when lying on both sides.
One lovely thing that Kate did was that when she would reach with one hand to get cream, oil or massage tools, she would keep her other hand on me, ensuring that I felt no break in the experience.
Highlights of the Calm Mind Massage included the use of warm stones, a special tool for my feet and gentle, percussive treatment on my face toward the end of the massage. I also loved the aroma of the massage oil used.
My service a special tool for my feet and gentle, percussive treatment on my face.
After the massage, Kate escorted me poolside and gave me a bottle of delicious green vegetable juice and a bottle of water. Within moments, a staff member brought me a tray of fresh fruit, macaron cookies and small chocolate beads. I was offered a cup of champagne. Glass wasn’t allowed poolside, but they offered to transfer the champagne to a glass flute when I left. It proved unnecessary, as the champagne was gone by the time I headed back to the locker room.
The loungers poolside are an excellent place to dwell post-services as they have a breathtaking view of Lake Michigan and the Magnificent Mile out their floor-to-ceiling windows. You can continue to unwind, letting the benefits of the massage sink in while enjoying the beauty of the cityscape and reading a magazine or even dozing off.
NoMI Spa embodies Park Hyatt Chicago’s commitment to exceptional service and attention to detail. Go for the service, and stay for the pampering and relaxation, knowing you will have a truly indulgent and revitalizing experience.
After my treatment I was served various snacks and beverages.
Cost: Calm Mind Massage ($195 for 50 min; $275 for 80 min); facials cost between $200 and $375.
Insider Tip: Bring a bathing suit so you can enjoy the swimming pool and hot tub.
Hours: Open 24 hours, services by appointment.
Address: Park Hyatt Hotel, 7th Floor, 800 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: 312-239-4200
Email: chiph-spa.static@hyatt.com
For more information and to book a service, visit the website. Follow on Instagram: @parkhyattchicago
[Images by Bridgette Redman]
Bridgette Redman, who is a second-generation journalist, fell in love with spas and travel while working as a writer and editor for 16 years at the Educational Institute of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. As a freelancer for the International SPA Association, she co-wrote two textbooks, nine workbooks and numerous case studies on spas. Her freelance career began in the 80s and she has written for publications in Michigan, Arizona, California, and Texas along with several regional and national publications. She is a committed storyteller who loves sharing narratives which improve people's quality of life and build community. Born and raised in Michigan, she currently lives in Lansing with her husband and son. See more of her writing at www.bridgetteredman.com