SpellBound Bodywork Studio

I started laser hair removal services here a little over a year ago with a Groupon. After seeing fantastic results on a small area, I purchased packages for additional larger body areas. Juanita, front desk receptionist, always calls the day before to remind you of your appointments. She’s always very welcoming and sets a peaceful and meditative mood (as I’d hope my spa would be!).
Susan, my technician, has always helped me feel at ease and does a QUALITY job. She has listened to my concerns and provided useful tips on how to care for my area now and in the future. Most important, the results are visible. She’s gone out of her way to make sure some areas were touched up.
The team work is evident. They really want the best for their clients, and I plan to come back for future services and touch ups. I am truly impressed with the time they take to make sure the patient has a good experience.

Terrible.
This place also advertises like a massage-​parlor/​brothel on Craigslist and Backpage:

I went here in Feb 2011 with a groupon. Well, I got a massage. Not the one I actually wanted or asked for or discussed with the masseuse, but I did get a massage. (I also got a facial. THAT was awesome. My face felt like a baby’s butt.) But let me tell you a little bit about my massage.
First, it took me a week of calling, leaving voicemail, and emailing before someone actually called me back to schedule an appointment for me. Strike one.
Second, most places have a small stereo with simple pan flutes or classical music playing, to keep the room serene. This place did not. There was music during my facial, but it obviously belonged to the girl who did my facial, because she took her iPad and speakers with her. The masseuse walks in, and it’s SILENT in the room. Well, silent may be the wrong word, because this is Chicago, and the «spa» is located in an office building just off Michigan Avenue. For those of you who are unaware, the parking garages in Chicago tend to have loud buzzers to warn you when a car is exiting the garage. This buzzer could be heard 7 floors up, through the closed windows, along with honking, homeless yelling, and other various street sounds that you get in the city. This «street symphony,» as I will call it, was also punctuated by the sounds of my breathing as well as the masseuse’s breathing. That’s awkward, and not at all relaxing. Strike two.
Third, when I arrived, I filled out the standard forms, stating name, date of birth, health issues, and what part of my body I would like the masseuse to focus on, as well as the type of pressure I prefer. Not a problem. I circled «medium-​firm» for pressure, and stated that I would like her to focus on my upper back and shoulders. When she came into the room we discussed this. I was told that she COULDN’T do medium-​firm pressure, because that would be an extra $ 20 for a «deep tissue» massage. So I said, that’s ok, medium is fine. She then tells me she can do «medium-​ish» but that’s as hard as she can do without charging me extra. Ok. Whatever, I’m not throwing more money at you, I’ll take «medium-​ish.» She then asks about my upper back and shoulders. I tell her yes, this is where I’d like you to focus. It’s where I carry all my tension and this is why I wanted a massage in the first place. She says ok, lets get started.
This was supposed to be a 90 minute massage. I asked to focus on my upper back and shoulders. So in a 90 minute massage, I would expect more than 20 minutes to be spent on my entire back. Oh yes, she only spent 20 minutes on ALL of my back, not just the parts I asked her to focus on. She then proceeded to spent 45 minutes on my legs. FOURTY FIVE MINUTES on my legs. Which didn’t really need it. My legs weren’t in pain. I would have taken 10 minutes on my legs. She also was using her knuckles so hard on my legs, I could feel them tensing up MORE, because it was painful. And then she scolded me for my legs tensing. Thank god she didn’t try to charge me extra since this was more than «medium-​ish» pressure… So after 45 minutes of torture on my poor legs, she spends 10 minutes on my stomach, and then 5 on my neck.
All of this adds up to only 80 minutes, when I paid for 90, and she didn’t even focus on the area I asked her to! So when she’s walking me back to the desk to pay, she asked if I walked a lot, or ran a lot. I tell her yes, I walk a lot, but I also just worked out with a trainer that morning, so my legs were tighter than normal. To which she responds «That’s why I focused on them. It felt like you needed it more.» So you just admitted that you IGNORED what I asked for, because YOU decided what I wanted. NOT OKAY. Strike Three. You’re out!
Fourth, I go to pay, and I get asked if I want to pre-​purchase more massages. I say no. I then get asked if I’m a Unilocal-​er. I say occasionally. I then get told to «make sure» to go on Unilocal and give a review, and that it better be a good one, because they’ll know who wrote it. Also, I’ll get an extra discount next time for giving a Unilocal review. They’ll put that in my «account» notes. She also handed me a sheet with discounted rates for next time, because I came in on a promotion and they want to keep me. That went in my «account» notes as well. Whoa Lady. Calm down. You just basically threatened me to have me give you a good review, even after I wasn’t fully satisfied with my massage? I don’t actually care about my «account» notes, but you have my phone number and I don’t want you bugging me if I do give you a terrible review. STRIKE FOUR. You’re REALLY out.
So to sum up, if you go to Spellbound Bodyworks it will take you at least a week to even book an appointment, you will have the street symphony playing during a massage that is not what you asked for, you’ll be bugged to upgrade everything, and you’ll be threatened to write a good review online, and you’ll leave with your muscles still hurting.

Went there to get a massage, got a discount via Groupon.
It was a subpar experience, I noted that my shoulders, uppper back and neck needed special attention to which I was countered with «we can upgrade you to a Deep Tissue for $ 20 — so I figured Okay deep tissued whole body ok I’ll do it.
What I got… a deep tissue on my upper back only and what I would call a rub down on my legs and arms. The massuse did not even massage my hands, feet or scalp. There was no pressure anywhere else but my upper back.
Don’t be fooled into the aromatherapy because that is only a thirty second breathe in right in the beginning… it was just weird.
All in all a waste of my hard earned money and I will never go back there!
Oh yeah they did not hesitate to mention twice about tipping my massuse and trying to get me to become a «member» and pay more fees for a small discount on services as well as the $ 15 parking fee. At the end of the day this was the worst massage I have ever had!

My boyfriend bought us a couples massage for my birthday here. I was very excited to get a massage because it had been a while. However, when we fist found the address we were confused because it was a high rise building downtown. We figured the spa must have it’s own floor as we proceeded to our appointment. However, when we walked in, we were really surprised by how tiny the reception area was. I don’t think it can accommodate more than 3 people at a time. Once we filled out our client questionnaire, we were told that we would have to pay extra to be in the same room together. Now, I was confused because we had already booked and prepaid for a couples massage in the first place. Not to be difficult, we decided to just go ahead with individual massages.
Before my massage began, I specified that I would like a lot of pressure and was told that it would be extra for that as well. So, I said to my masseur to give me the most pressure for what I had already paid for. The experience was ok for the first half of the massage. That’s when it went downhill. My masseur would not stop talking. It ruined the feeling of relaxation and peace which I greatly needed. She wanted to talk to me about my job as a teacher and her own experiences with the teachers and schools her children attended. I had no idea how to make her stop talking short of being rude. As a result, I feel like I missed half of my massage.
So, when they presented us with the typical sales pitch for buying additional massages for a discounted price, I did not hesitate to quickly say no thanks and get out of there.
I will definitely not go back.

I bought a Groupon for a massage last year at Spellbound. I used it last Summer and purchased a second massage (that I could use within the year) on the spot.
I had my second massage yesterday with Reuben, who I highly, highly recommend. He was gentle yet firm and very soft-​spoken. I was in heaven!
The overall aesthetic of Spellbound is fine, nothing fancy. But do not let that fool you, their services were just as wonderful as the more expensive or well-​known spas in the city.
My second experience was relaxing and wonderful. I purchased a third massage on the spot.
I’ve recommended Spellbound to many friends and wanted to share the love with all of you. Enjoy!

As many others — I came to Spellbound through a Groupon. I’ve never been to a ‘real spa’ or day spa for a massage, mostly just chain massage places are in my past experiences. So the ambiance of the ‘office’ itself was nice. Apparently they recently expanded to the 4^th floor, but still operate some of their massage suites on the 7^th floor. My therapist, Joey, walked me up to our room. The room was nice, nothing extraordinary — large enough to be comfortable.
The massage was good — very professional. However, as someone living in the west-​southwest suburbs, it’s a bit of a trek to go there. I think I’d save my time and money and stick to something more local.

There is a reason why this space doesn’t call itself a spa.
Here is a summary of my experiences:
1. I bought a Groupon for a 90 minute hot stone massage. I came in for my first appointment last year and no one was there to greet me. I heard laughing, loud conversations and people scurrying around in the back. I felt awkward and sat down. I waited for more than 10 minutes when the receptionist emerged, apologized and said that they are running behind. Okay, no big deal, I have time. Iris was my massage therapist and she was so great that I purchased another (discounted) massage that day. They had one more Groupon a month later and I bought it, since I was so happy with the massage. Sadly, Iris left SB before I got around to scheduling my next appointment.
2. My second appointment was an absolute nightmare. The icing on the cake was the full waiting area and the fact that the receptionist left the desk and left the answering machine on speakerphone. As we all sat there, someone called and left a message that went something like this: «I have called many times, left messages and e-​mails. No one is calling me back to schedule an appointment. I am very frustrated and beginning to think this is a scam. I will be calling YouSwoop to get my money back.» Everyone just sat there in silence, listening to this woman unknowingly confirm that this business is very poorly managed. My massage was awful. The therapist’s hands were cold the entire time, the pressure was very rough and I was literally afraid that I will be injured. I am used to very deep pressure massages, but this was weird — it hurt like hell and at no point did I relax. Enough time has passed where I can disclose that the therapist was Reggie. Since this was a couple’s massage, I did not want to say anything, because I did not want to embarrass the therapist or ruin my spouse’s massage. I was grateful that the massage was only 60 minutes, but believe me when I say this– it felt like eternity. I had to see my regular massage therapist for damage control 4 days later, because my back hurt and I felt like I had a pinched nerve.
3. Needless to say, the 2^nd experience left me with a bad taste and I still had one more massage to use up. I figured it will be easier to just get the service done instead of trying to get my money back. This time, while I was waiting to be checked in, someone showed up for their massage and the massage therapist decided not to come in that day. Frustrating, right? Fortunately, my massage therapist was there. I had an appointment with Susan and the massage was very good. Unfortunately, even a skilled massage therapist will not keep me coming back to SB.
Even though 2 out of 3 massages were very good, this place is not for me. Read the reviews and decide if it’s worth it for you.

I bought a YouSwoop certificate for this place over a year ago and I was relieved that I was able to redeem it a couple of weeks after the expiration. It was definitely difficult trying to book an appointment months ago and trying to find a time slot that worked for me. It wasn’t until recently that communication got better and I was able to book my 90 minute massage.
I was scheduled for a 4 pm appointment and I received a phone call while I was on my way to the studio asking if I could push it back to 4:30 since the massage therapist was working back to back and needed a break. Well, I was able to kill some time and thought they were nice enough to expand the expiration date for me (even though it was not truly my fault about trying to book a timely appointment). I said I could come in a little later but 4:15 or 4:20 the latest since I had plans later.
I walked in about 4 pm (my old appointment time) and it’s a very small place and waiting area. The receptionist was on the phone so there is a live person taking calls but think they’re so overbooked with Groupon and YouSwoop clients. She was pleasant enough and told me that there was a massage therapist available so I didn’t have to wait.
The place itself is a little confining with small rooms and just didn’t have that zenlike feel. It was ok. My massage therapist was good but felt as if I got a little shortchanged on time. I was definitely supposed to get a 90 minute massage and 15 minutes short on that. I timed it. I even mentioned when our time was up if that was 90 minutes already and when it was time to get dressed I immediately checked my phone and it was not. I think the therapists are probably overbooked and that management doesn’t truly know how to accomodate customers. It’s a shame because I’d like to see this place do well but it just seems like the business took on more than they can handle with all the Groupon clients. The massage was decent but wish I had my full time on the clock.

I kept my expectations low after reading all the reviews… even with that, I was still disappointed. I also used a youswoop deal and was nervous about redeeming it. Like others, I had a hard time scheduling an appointment. This is probably the only spa I have dealt with that does not return phone calls. I left 4 messages for 4 straight days until I finally got someone on the phone. They didn’t even acknowledge or give an excuse for not calling me back. There was no upsell which I appreciated. I had arrived early for my appointment and my masseuse was able to accomodate me early. I told her which area I wanted extra attention to certain areas and that request was ignored. My massage ended up lasting 70 minutes for a 90 minute session.
Maybe I was really looking forward to some relaxation so my expectations were slightly heightened than I originally thought. I would have recommended going in with low expectations, but I guess even that won’t help.

I read some bad reviews of this place so I really wasn’t as excited about my hot stone massage as I should have been. However, I ended up having a perfectly fine experience. Nothing was absoulutely stellar, but nothing went wrong for me. The only things that would keep me from going back are the location (not quite in my hood) and price (my service was originally $ 220!). If I came across a Groupon or Living Social deal again then perhpas I’d reconsider. Here are a few comments on my experience:
*I had no problem getting an appontment. I e-​mailed on Sunday and they replied within 24 hours with an appontment time for later that week. All very simple and efficient.
*The place was a little hard to find. You need to take the elvator to the 4^th floor and then turn left when you get off.
*Why was everyone bitching about the restrooms? They are literaly right across the hall from the waiting room. Plus they do have some attached to some of the massage rooms.
*My massuese was Joey and he did a very nice job — If I ever go back I will certainly ask for him.
*They put the sign there reminding to tip on the full amount of the service because some cheap-​ass people don’t. You know who you are…

Definitely NOT Spellbound! If I could give zero stars, I would. Like most the reviews here, I bought a Groupon for the 90 minute stone massage because of the incredible deal ($ 220 service for only $ 55). Basically I paid $ 55 for about 6 months worth of headaches and irritation.
Organizing and booking a trip for 10 to Mexico was easier than scheduling an appointment here. I called at least 5 times and got their voicemail each time; not one was returned. Their website suggests emailing to schedule, so I sent them my availability and waited… and waited. About a week later I received a response, listing a number of openings about a few weeks out — none of which fit into the time slots I had requested. The email I sent back was never responded to.
Finally I happened upon
, a website where you can book appointments for various places around the city. I was amazed to see openings in Spellbound’s schedule for the next day– considering all the issues I was having, I had given them the benefit of the doubt and assumed they were insanely busy. No, they are just severely lacking in the customer service department. Regardless, I booked my appointment in less than 5 minutes and was happy. For the moment.
I ended up having to reschedule my appointment a few days later and was back to the voicemail game. One week, multiple calls, no response. Until I get an email from Schedulicity informing me that my appointment was canceled. And Spellbound had deactivated their appointment book feature on Schedulicity so I couldn’t even reschedule myself. At that point I had it. Groupon kindly gave me a refund and apologized for the bad experience.
It was such a stressful experience trying to get in here that no amount of massaging was going to remedy it. Spend your hard-​earned dollars someplace else; Spellbound miserably fails on even allowing me to give them a chance.

Scheduling is impossible with them.
I’ve tried calling multiple times at various times over the last week and have always been directed to their voice mail system. I’ve left a few messasges about appointment availability and haven’t received a call back. I emailed the address for appointments as directed on their website and providing multiple window slots of availability after reading reviews on here about long waits for appointments. Here’s hoping I get an email back.
So far, a pretty bad experience. I’d really like to make it there before my Groupon expires.

My husband and I did a couples massage here on Monday. I bought the massages through youswoop and they were a great deal.
This place is in a giant office/​apt building in the gold coast. So yes, the rooms are a little small, and the bathrooms were outside in the hall. But I thought they did a great job arranging all of the furniture/​decorations in order to make the most of the space. Everything felt cozy but comfortable.
We had 90 minute swedish massages, and added salt scrubs for $ 10 each. I thought the salt scrub was okay, but my husband hated it.
I’m not sure if we had a full 90 minutes or not though. We may have gone in a few minutes early, I don’t know. However we were done with the 90 minute massage and salt scrub 94 minutes after our appointment was supposed to start, and the salt scrub lasted a while, definitely longer than 4 minutes.
My massage was wonderful, however my husband’s massage was more rushed than mine. So I think the quality of the treatment may depend on who you have.

I’d like to preface this 3 star rating with the fact that we purchased the Youswoop for a 90 minute Swedish massage at a very hefty discount, had I paid full price, I think I would have given them 2 stars.
1. If you are looking for a spa, this isn’t it, but my wife and I did have a nice sized room, the music was relaxing, although the CD skipped a few times and I didn’t heat any outside noise as others have complained about.
2. Scheduling was difficult. We would call 2 – 3 weeks in advance and be disappointed to hear they were booked for «months.» We finally scheduled it over a month out when our time was running out on the Swoop.
3. Victoria was my masseuse, she was good and the pressure was excellent for a «relaxation» massage. Had i gone with deep tissue, I may be paralyzed. She focused on my areas of concern and would stop and ask if I was ok when she cold tell she was applying too much pressure. I appreciated this greatly.
4. We left our tips based on their «actual» pricing guidelines as stated on the notice above the tip envelopes. While I do not mind being reminded to tip appropriately based on the actual cost of a service, I find it slightly offensive how much more expensive they consider their «actual» prices. Although, if people weren’t so cheap, leaving poor tips behind based on discounted coupons, they wouldn’t have to post this. So, I really can’t complain I guess.
5. Parking is a breeze, right in the building and you can buy a discount validation for $ 10 from them, although they did not have ANY change except for 20’s, so we over-​tipped one of our masseuses and had to put our parking on a credit card. Kind of unprofessional to not have change, especially when i am sure tips are expected in CASH…
6. Our massages did end about 10 minutes early, but I have noticed them doing this at other spas also, which is annoying. 90 minutes is 90 minutes… not start 5 minutes late and end 10 minutes early. Adjust your appointments accordingly so you have time in between. I am not paying for the walk to and from the room and time to undress and dress.
Overall, Since we purchased these at a discounted price, I can’t REALLY complain, but I would not return at full price or even the offered discounted price. I know for some, getting a massage is JUST getting a massage, but for me, it is more of an experience from the minute I walk in the door, to the minute I walk out of it and beyond. For my money, I would rather pay full price and go to Allyu Spa on Chicago and Kingsbury. I have been there multiple times and have never left disappointed in the least.
For feedback, I would say, answer the phone more, have change at all times and don’t short change the amount of time supposedly paid for.
CP

I first went to Spellbound because I got a groupon for the hot stone massage. It was FABULOUS. I was extremely relaxed and my massage therapist really seemed like he knew what he was doing. When I went to pay at the end of my massage they offered me a «Special Deal» to get a 1 hour deep tissue massage for half price. I accepted and paid for it on the spot.
I just went back about a week ago to get that massage and that will be the LAST time I go to Spellbound. THe receptionists are extremely unprofessional and unorganized. When I called to make my appointment, I coudl hear the receptionist talking to a friend/​boyfriend on her cell phone. She finally said, «Ugh, I better go, I have like 5 people on hold.» Make sure to REALLY put us on hold next time if you’re going to do that!
The deep tissue massage I had was REALLY painful! I like massages hard, but this was to an entirely new level. I think i said «OWW!» once or twice throughout the massage and asked the therapist to please go a little lighter. When I asked how much the massage usually cost (I just paid $ 68) he told me $ 185!!! I really hope none of you waist your money on this!

The bad: it was kind of hard to book an appointment and it is located in an office building (with no signs directing you where to go). The ambience also leaves a little to be desired.
The good: my hot stone massage with Adam was EXCELLENT. It really was. I have had at least 50 massages with different therapists in my life and in terms of the actual massage, this was definitely top 5.

Strange Euro Disco music during the massage with lyrics like, «Time is a strong convention. Present and future… we are living in the past» and lots of bell sounds to wake you out of any relaxation state that you were able to drift into. I had a YouSwoop for a 90 minute massage and spent at least 60 of those minutes wishing for soft lighting and nature sounds music. Very difficult to really relax between the bright lighting and relatively loud music. Maybe it was to drown out the sounds of the sirens outside and the other girls talking in the hallway.
My YouSwoop listed an office suite on the 7^th floor… I arrived at 2:45pm and waited until 3pm when I got a call from the receptionist asking if they could reschedule my massage. I told them I was here and waiting in the lobby. I found out that they moved to the 4^th floor, but still had employee space on the 7^th floor where I was waiting. They explained that they sent an email out in April to let people know they moved. Okay, well, this is August… maybe you could have given me the correct suite number on the phone when you called to confirm my appointment!
No bathrooms (well, it’s in the hall), really oily massage oil, loud music with lyrics, bright lighting… GLAD I DIDN’T PAY FULL PRICE. I would not go back.

I don’t know why people are hating so much on this place. I had a couples massage today with Cyndi and Carma as the therapists. Both of them listened and provided a great service. I had Cyndi and she gave me one of the best and deepest massages I have had in a while. Afterwards, I felt like a whole new person.
Yes, this is not the most spa-​like setting, but I have seen worse environments in so-​called spas. The office was inviting and I felt more than relaxed. In my opinion, the quality of the massage should matter more than whether you get a rain shower afterwards.
My YouSwoop purchase was a complete sucess!

I can completely agree with Diana. I also had David, and I have to say it was the weirdest massage I’ve ever had. And when I say that, I use the term «massage» very lightly. All he did was rub my skin back and forth. At no time did I feel relaxed during the massage or feel like my tension was going away. He used so much pressure at some points that I was terribly sore for the entire weekend that followed.
To make things worse, after slathering lotion all over my back and legs, he then rubs my face! Hello??? I don’t want your greasy hands on my sensitive, acne-​prone face!
I don’t care that it was 74% off the normal price. I wouldn’t go back if they paid ME the price of the massage.