Winery Event and Girls' Spa Day

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It was a weekend for the books, you guys. We started out by driving up to my parents' house on Friday night for a Bon Voyage dinner for my sister, who left for Spain the next day. She will be gone all semester, home for a few weeks, and then gone again for the next semester. I set up a blog for her, so feel free to check it out: Ailie Abroad.

When we arrived, the steaks were seasoned and just aching to be put on the grill. My husband is the official grillmaster, and the steaks were perfect.

We toasted my sister's impending adventure and spent some time helping her pack. Okay, I mostly just watched her pack instead of helping, but at least I was there for moral support.

The next morning, we came back to Chicago. After a full afternoon, we started getting ready for the night's event. Our landlord is a co-owner of Grand Avenue Winery, a small winery in Chicago, and he invited us to their annual event. 

It was a truly impressive affair! It was wonderful to taste so many of their wines. They had a white sangria that people seemed to be loving, but we stuck with reds and tried to go from light to heavy as the night progressed.

There was also no shortage of food. With most (if not all) of the winery owners being Italian, there was a plethora of delicious pizzas, and plenty of italian sausages, cheeses, and breads.

We had a great time and ended up buying a few bottles to take home or give as gifts. The proceeds went to charity, so we were more than happy to make a few purchases!

The next morning, my husband and I took a Bodypump class at the gym and then spent a few hours relaxing and cleaning. In the early afternoon, my mom arrived for our date! I wanted to do something special to thank her for all the time and effort she contributed to my wedding, so I decided to take her to Red Square, a Russian/Turkish bathhouse and spa in Wicker Park, for the afternoon.

It's kind of hard to explain how this place is set up. Basically, below ground they have a whole area of saunas, steam rooms, hot tubs, etc, where you can spend the day relaxing and detoxing (also known as SWEATING). Upstairs, they have a whole spa, as well as a restaurant and bar.

The best thing about this place? You can order anything from the restaurant or bar from anywhere. There are black phones placed throughout the wood paneled relaxation rooms (where you relax in between using the saunas, steam rooms, and tubs). 

All you had to do was pick up the phone... and order champagne. Unfortunately, there is no glass allowed, so we couldn't be as glamorous as we might have liked. That said, having champagne while getting pampered is pretty much ideal. I'll take it.

After enjoying the saunas for a while, we went upstairs because we had spa appointments. We both had a 75 minute Swedish Massage and Foot Reflexology.

It was pretty wonderful. My mom said she had such a great experience with her masseuse, Gie, that it even worked out some injuries she had in her back. Way to go, Gie!

After our pampering, we went back downstairs for some more relaxation. We spent about 30 minutes in the Turkish Wet Sauna, and it was so hot that we sat in there with our feet in buckets full of cold water. We eventually got out, ordered some Moscow Mules (when in Rome... I mean Russia), and drank them in one of the hot tubs.

When 6pm rolled around, we finally showered all of the oil and sweat off of our bodies and got ready for dinner. They do have a full restaurant at Red Square, but we had our eyes set on a vegan restaurant down the street called Mana Food Bar.

We started with cucumber and lime cocktails with sake. It was so light and refreshing, and we couldn't believe that there was no alcohol flavor at all. Pure deliciousness!

I truly cannot even describe how amazing this meal was. We were both feeling a bit tired from the heat at the bathhouse and we weren't particularly hungry, so we wanted something light, and this meal hit the spot big time.

We started with a sampler platter of three dishes: A Pear and Spinach Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette (top), a toasted Quinoa salad (middle), and an Avocado, Arugula, and Tomato Salad (bottom). All three dishes were phenomenal, but the Mustard Vinaigrette Dressing was by far the star of the show.

Next, we had creamy, cheesy polenta (top right and bottom), as well as a Sweet Pea filled Ravioli with almond-mint pesto. Both were, as you might expect based on their descriptions, pretty much to die for. We left completely satisfied - feeling full, but not stuffed!

What About You?

• Any fun plans over this past weekend?
• Have you tried any vegan restaurants? Do you like them?
• Have you ever been to a bath house?

Licensed To Wed

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Hi all! I'm back in the Windy City and slowly but surely getting back in the swing of things. I'll tell you about my wedding and honeymoon, but still wanted to keep you in the loop on the whole story!

Since my wedding was on a Friday, and my rehearsal and rehearsal dinner was on a Thursday, I decided to make Tuesday my last day at work. For some reason, I thought that having Wednesday off was enough time to get done everything I wanted to do. The workouts, the pampering, the relaxing... well, some of it happened.

I let myself "sleep in" and then went to an 8am workout at The Mercury Method. I walked out of there thoroughly drenched and, dare I say it, mighty satisfied with my workout.

Schweatay

Afterward, I ran home and had a nice shower. I had a pretty busy afternoon planned, so I put together the things I knew I needed to bring the following day to the hotel before our rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. Shoved it in a corner by the front door of my super messy apartment. Called it a wrap.

Bridesmaids gifts!

I got ready and put on as little clothing as I thought I could get away with. It was hot outside and I was planning on a fairly long walk.

White iPhone case for the soon-to-be bride!

Before I left, Justin and I walked over to our printer's office. I designed all of the paper for our wedding myself, so we wanted to proof them and ensure they were to our liking before having them mass print.

Thank God we went over there, because there was a little issue. The formatting had gotten messed up and the arrow at the top of our menu ended up having a weird misalignment. It looks minute, but to a trained eye, this is kind of a big faux pas.

I ran home and fixed the file, then sent it back before heading out the door. I had a long walk to go meet my friend Kelsey for a drink before a spa appointment.

"Look, a bus!"

Guess what? I got lost. First, let me say that it should have been really freaking easy. But, I saw a bus coming and decided it could be a good idea to hop on for a stop or two and save myself some time (I was running late). WRONG. I ended up going farther than I needed and then, on top of that, I walked the wrong way after I got off. Lame.

Good thing my purse is filled with goodies, so I could stay hydrated and even drink a protein shake as I navigated myself back to the right spot.

I finally met my friend Kelsey. We were headed for a specific bar near the spa, but we ended up deciding to go into Greek Islands because it's huge, has a bar, and most importantly, has free valet (she drove). I had two glasses of chard before we headed over to the spa.

We got there and checked in, and I discovered this beautiful little gem:

That's right, folks. I'm the Dutchess of ellehomme Holistic Med Spa on Yelp. This is obviously a big deal and warranted some excessive celebration.

I waited a bit longer in the waiting room for my girlfriend, while reading a book on metabolisms. Let me tell you, there's nothing better than a book that practically tells you to eat eggs and avocados and bacon.

Once my girlfriend was out of her treatment, she dropped me off downtown where I met my then fiance so we could wait in line for our marriage license! Leave it to us to get it only two days before the wedding!

Please pardon my makeup-less face and serious lazy eye. I have no idea what was wrong with me. Maybe it has something to do with getting lost, walking around in the heat, and drinking two glasses of wine.

To celebrate, we hit up Paramount Room for some greasy fries and garlic aioli. I was pretty starved, so despite the wedding dress looming only 2 days ahead, I dug in and stuffed my face.

Back soon with the details on the day of our rehearsal and rehearsal dinner! :)

The Gentle Bath Company Giveaway!

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There's something about pampering yourself that makes the world feel like a softer, gentler place. Whether you're treating yourself or a loved one, the gift of care and pampering says, I love you. I appreciate you. You matter to me, and I wish for you to feel comfort and joy.

The weekend before I got engaged, I planned a special date weekend of pampering and fun for my soon-to-be-fiance. It even culminated in me fake-proposing at Cite, on the 70th floor of Lake Point Tower (Little did I know that he would be proposing to me not even a full week later. We were just on the same page, I guess!). Anyway, part of my gift to him was to set him up for his first massage at Lillie Ann's in West Loop. He absolutely loved it, and I think it made him feel surprisingly relaxed and special.

Sounds like the perfect gift, doesn't it? :)

Well, go figure... I have a wonderful giveaway for you today! Brenda from The Gentle Bath Company contacted me to set up a Valentine's Day Giveaway. That's right. She doesn't even know you, yet she wants to give you free stuff! What on earth could be better?

We're giving one awesome reader a One Hundred Roses Soak & Scrub Basket, designed to help you pamper yourself or a loved one this Valentine's Day. It retails at $60.00, but you're getting it for a whopping 0. That's right, people. ONE HUNDRED PERCENT OFF.

You will win:
One Belaire Hand Towel in White (Valued at $14.95), a One-hundred Roses Exfoliating Sugar Scrub (Valued at $14.95), Self Magazine's Award Winning Bubble Bath (Valued at $9.95), a Natural Sea Wool Sponge (Valued at $6.95), a Bath Pillow in your chosen color (Valued at $8.95), and a Square Corn Husk Basket with Suede Handles also included (Valued at $9.95).

There are four ways to enter this giveaway.  
You can enter once, twice, three times, or four times. Whatever suits your fancy. To make my life a little easier, please leave a separate comment for each thing you do, because I use a random number generator to choose one of the comments as the winner.

1. Leave a comment telling us someone who YOU think deserves to be pampered this Valentine's Day! It could be your husband, your wife, your mother, or even yourself! Anything goes!

2. Like The Gentle Bath Company on Facebook, then leave a comment on this post saying, "I liked The Gentle Bath Company on Facebook!" I'm going to make this one verrryy easy for you by embedding the Facebook Like button below:

3. Like Createlive on Facebook, then leave a comment on this post saying, "I liked Createlive on Facebook!" If you've already liked Createlive on Facebook, that's fine - just leave a comment letting us know!

4. Send the URL to this giveaway to a friend or loved one, telling them to get in on the action! Then, leave a comment on this post saying, "I forwarded to a friend!"

Note: This giveaway will close at 12:00CST on Sunday, February 10th, so that the winner can hopefully have their box by February 14th!