I went to the kitchen and opened a leftover fortune cookie and this is what it said.

My friends Aileen and Christina brought me tulips for my birthday yesterday. I watered them.

Then I cut up some fruit for juicing. I’ve been juicing a lot lately. Have you seen “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead” yet? You should. It’s good. And I cant get over how much better everyone’s faces look after a few days of juicing. By the way, ginger is awesome.  (Top right.)

I went to make some coffee. There was a note inside my coffee container. It’s like God is psychic or something.

I went downtown to meet a friend for more coffee. On the way to meet him, I stopped to smell the flowers. We ended up not drinking coffee. I had some water while we talked. He told me I need to ask people more questions.

I took a taxi to the Four Seasons. I’ve never been to the Four Seasons Chicago before. It’s much nicer than The Ritz, which is puzzling because The Ritz is always so crowded but it’s like it’s 1983 at The Ritz…all peach and gold. I booked myself in for a massage and a facial at the Four Seasons spa. My 80 minute massage passed amazingly quickly. My facial was good — they rubbed some sort of cream made out of amethysts all over my face and then rubbed it off with an electric current (I can’t make this stuff up, really) — but there was too much downtime. Me, I don’t like the steam.

The almonds and cucumber water in the relaxation room, on the other hand, were DELICIOUS. I ate a lot of almonds today. And I don’t even really like almonds. The dried cranberries were also nice. Oh, and so was the tea. The tea was quite nice. Although the glasses were quite small. They were so small that I thought they were cups for the almonds. You know, like when you ride at the front of the plane. The staff saw me trying to eat almonds out of their teacups. I was embarrassed.

It was 3:45 and I still hadn’t had lunch yet. So I went downstairs to the lobby bar and had some champagne and talked to my dad on the phone. He’s going to use his frequent flier miles to go to China. And he’s going to send me a Nike Fuel Band for my birthday. Or a Fitbit. People on Amazon seem to like the Fitbit better. Hmmm.

I had the best deviled egg I’ve ever had in my entire life at the Four Seasons Chicago. And I don’t even LIKE deviled eggs.

$24 worth of salad. It was a very good salad though.

Best part! Lemon bars. I am not a dessert person, but lemon anything gets me every time. And only $3!!!

My friend Eileen came and we had “New Fashioneds” together at the bar with the businessmen. Eagle Rare Bourbon (I like bourbon), Grand Marnier, Luxardo maraschino cherries, cherry bitter. Nice.

Then we walked around for a bit. It was a little foggy and mysterious downtown. Just like us.

I stared at these shoes for a while. Hermes. Right. Moving on…

And then I found some street art! In the Gold Coast of all places. A good feeling.

And then I took a taxi home, had some leftover Singapore noodles, and listened to Amy Winehouse’s “Lioness” and was in bed by 9:30 pm.

A good day.

The post Happy Birthday to Me first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

Date of Last Visit: Sunday, November  7, 2010

The Victim: Me. And my Visa card.

The Damage: I'm trying not to think about it. $250 plus. Yikes! But I'm worth it. Really. I am.

The Background: I am tired. TIRED. Packing. Unpacking. Packing again. Cold weather. Warm weather. Cold weather. Thank God it's warm again. (But also thank God also that I had the foresight–while it was warm–to purchase a down coat because it's November 9th as I write this and it's not going to be warmer much longer.)

So what does one do when one is tired? When one's skin is not as glow-y as it normally is? 

Well, one books oneself into the Spa at Trump, of course.

(I don't know where that vein on my foot came from. It's not there now, I swear. Likewise, the stripes on my feet? Must be from the socks.)

I arrived 45 minutes prior to my appointment–as directed–and I only wish I had arrived even earlier. The locker room was huge and full of so many nice little touches.

AFTER I used the steam room and sauna, I discovered this little tray of goodies. There's a body scrub and a face mask and all sorts of lovely relaxing oils. I slathered my face with more product and retreated (again) to the eucalyptus-tinged steam room, waiting for the mask (masque?) to work its magic.

The steam room and sauna at the Spa at Trump are utilitarian but perfect. I enjoyed the steam room particularly so. The sauna, on the other hand, was a tad on the cool side, despite registering what I swear was 140 degrees. (I've since researched this and I was not wrong. A typical sauna runs between 150 and 190 degree Fahrenheit.) 

After enjoying all the amenities of the ladies' room (including the slippers–which I swiped), I headed into the spa for my appointment. The relaxation area boasts both a communal area and male/female relaxation rooms. I poured myself some tea and helped myself to some dried fruit and settled in for my appointment. While I was waiting, I had the loveliest time talking to a couple who had just finished up their treatments and had much information to impart. They suggested I try My Spa at The Fairmont and I've thus added it to my list.

My therapist soon arrived to take me in for my treatment, the Ultimate Urban Facial. This is a 90 minute facial that includes a foot massage. (Regular readers will know that I am nothing but a sucker when it comes to anything related to reflexology. London readers, if you haven't already, please visit my friends at Kobkhun Thai on the Essex Road.) She was perhaps the most informative therapist I've ever had, patiently explaining each product she was using and its benefits. (She also asked me beforehand if I wanted to know what she was doing or if I preferred to just relax. I opted for the info.)

The facial itself was a fairly standard one, with the exception, of course, of the gentle reflexology. If I can be honest, I prefer a bit more pressure and I don't feel that the foot massage was really reflexology but rather just a nice foot rub. But I was so dozed by this point that I said nothing and just let myself relax. I'd also note that one of the products–Kate Somerville's Exfolikate–was VERY tingly on my sting. The novelty wore off quickly and I was glad when it was removed.

My favorite product (as always) was the serum, which gave my skin that dewy glow that erases pollution and red wine and too many crisps and all sorts of other bad things.

Afterwards, I retreated to the woman's relaxation area, where I helped myself to more tea, more dried fruit, and the magazines. My only complaint here is that the room could have been a bit darker.

The Verdict: This is a very good spa. A large spa, with many services. Many people would like it here. I could imagine going back with a gaggle of girlfriends. Although whether they'd want to pay the $245 plus *recommended* 20% gratuity is doubtful. (And when you're informed at check-out that they recommend a 20% gratuity, how awkward do you feel saying, "Um, how about 17.5%.) Truth be told, the spa at The Mandarin Oriental in London is still my all-time favorite and worth every penny.

The post The Spa at Trump, Chicago first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.