Why America Has Gone Spa Crazy

America has long been considered the root of all evil. Our obsession with plastic surgery, money, fame, and power may play a huge part in this generalized stereotype. However, before you go and lose all hope for the American culture, it should be acknowledged that all of our obsessions are not truly evil. The American obsession with spas, for instance, may be a way we are trying to improve the American way of life.

True, many of the luxury spas in the country cater to people who probably need the spa amenities less than most. The word spa is even imported as a marketing tool to give a luxurious, peaceful quality. Still, the intentionsfor true spas are always in a good place, especially for a romantic getaway in Chicago like The Champagne Lodge (or The CL). We live in a society where everything is moving a mile a minute, and sometimes it becomes challenging to take a second to breathe and meet our personal needs. The goal of the spa is to yes, to pamper yourself. And if you read any medical article, any health magazine or listen to any one of your doctors, they will all say the same thing. Putting your body first, is the one area it pays to be selfish.

While the stress levels in our lives may have increased a great deal in the last ten years, our awareness of stress and attempt to live healthy lives have also increased. If that is the case, maybe we as Americans are on to something in our search for getaways in Chicago and other urban areas. Maybe it does pay to pamper ourselves and increase our ability to relax. Stress triggers symptoms of all kinds, and often times, when we fail to control our stress, we become susceptible to many other physical problems. Going bald and finding gray hairs are the least of our problems. Research has shown that over half of today’s diagnoses of depression are related to the inability to control stress and the long-term effects stressdoes to the mind.

Does this mean we should go out and blow our savings on a five star spa retreat today? Of course not! But it does lead us to understand where these ‘spa amenities’ came from and why there is a “spa package” in just about every hotel from getaways in Chicago to getaways in Albuquerque. There are many ways the services usually found at a spa can add to our peace of mind. Some boutique hotels offer in-suite massages or champagne packages for a romantic getaway in Chicago. Others offer luxuries such as a sea salt or pumpkin pedicure.

What often relaxes us, and relieves us of stress is to physically feel good. While it is true there are specific places on our bodies that with massage or acupuncture can relax our muscles and therefore our mind, what also works is to pamper our body so we feel more attractive. It may seem like silly reasoning, but when we feel beautiful, we tend to be happy and when we are happy, endorphins get sent to the brain and we sink into a calm and positive state of mind. Not every person needs to go to a spa to relax, and not every spa is relaxing. But while there are many obsessions in America, an obsession with being healthy and happy are not the worst ideas we’ve ever had.