SPA EMILIA Places Your Hands in The Lap of Luxury

by April Lawson

If you are accustomed to the factory assembly line get ‘em in and crank ‘em out philosophy of the average manicure joint then you are in for a treat at Spa Emilia on 21 West Elm. After 21 years they have developed a reputation for the best manicures and pedicures in Chicago bar-none. On any given day you may find yourself seated next to some of the city’s most successful and savvy businesswomen. Anyone from Christy Hefner to our nations current Social Secretary, Desiree Rogers to the founder of the original White party. Even HARPO Studio’s books a weekly spa day with them.

Partners Grace Sniezynski and Elizabeth Gilewicz are endearing and committed to providing unparalled customer service. You will be greeted at the door with a cup of organic herbal tea whose bright fresh green color is surreal.  (Even the premium tea leaves are a customized mix by wellness gurus DWD and cannot be store bought.)  “We want customers to have a lovely, pampering experience … an escape from their stressful lives. So every manicure and pedicure includes a fabulous massage to relax them and improve blood circulation,” says Grace. “Our staff is mostly European. The difference is more extensive training than the usual one year in the U.S. To protect our business, we are very selective about who we hire. They must take pride in what they do.” Spa Emilia is a Gold coast neighborhood jewel that no woman should miss.

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A Revolutionary Way To Think About Health & Fitness

Cara “Cara’s Basement” Carriveau

Okay, there are a gazillion gyms in Chicago. I’ve had memberships over the years to 5 different area health clubs. I have to admit I only hired a personal trainer once and when I did it was the owner of the Powerhouse Gym in Crystal Lake (it’s no longer there). He did it as a favor to me, charging me half price, but his attention to me was also only half there. When we worked out he often stepped away to greet members and answer the phone. When I asked for help with my diet he went to his computer and printed off a list of foods to eat. I thought to myself, “Where’s the PERSONAL part of this training?”.

Now that I’m married to a health & fitness expert with over two decades of experience including personal training, I understand that all personal trainers are not equal. Just yesterday my husband was blindly contacted by a company looking for a personal trainer. He’s not even interested in doing that anymore but looked at the job qualifications out of curiosity and it indicated that applicants could be “working towards their certification” – in other words, an uncertified personal trainer could be hired by this gym to train people. Huh?

 

My husband Bill Busch does something that most personal trainers cannot do. It’s called Muscle Activation Techniques. It’s a very effective way ofdealing with weaknesses and in my case eliminated my back pain which is totally awesome! He’ll tell you he’s treating the weakness and the fact that the pain goes away is simply a side effect – but I’ll take the pain-free result any way I can get it. He still trains people, but don’t call him a personal trainer. He’s more like a personal fitness mechanic. His actual title is MAT Specialist.

Check out his Fitness From The Inside Out podcast. It will make you think twice before hiring a personal trainer, that’s for sure:

You can meet Bill Busch and many other health industry experts at the 2008 Avenue Health Fair at the Oak Park Library, 834 Lake Street, Oak Park, this Saturday 10am-2pm. It’s free with complimentary health screenings and hands-on mini workshops. Kids are welcome. Bill Busch will be part of a panel of experts adressing obesity and stress. Be sure to look for us at the Fitness From The Inside Out table.

Type my name in the search bar or click HERE to see/hear more of my posts including interviews with The Bravery, Lovehammers, Triumph’s Rik Emmett, Shooting Star, Mike Tafoya comedian Lee Camp & more.

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