So many new health and wellness businesses have landed in Chicago this past year and I am LOVING it! Boutique fitness studios are at an all time high, restaurants are starting to serve up healthier dishes that are catering to all sorts of specific dietary lifestyles, and social events catered to mindfulness and meditation are popping up left and right.
Since Chicago is my playground, and quite a few peeps in the Balanced Babe community call Chicago home, I’d like to start sharing more articles about all the awesome businesses popping up in this typically meat-centric city. YAS bish yas. Aaand I’m happy to say that a lot of these new healthy things to do involve fooood!
6 Healthy Things To Eat, Drink, And Do in Chicago
1: Vapiano, an international chain of Italian inspired fare, just opened a new location right off of the fabulous Magnificent Mile. If you aren’t familiar, it is considered a fast casual spot where you step up to a station of your choice (pasta, antipasta, soup + salad and more), order what you want, and enjoy!
I’ve already been there a few times for their salads and since I’m such a stickler for finding hearty salads, I can confidently report that they meet the bar I’ve set. To make it even BETTER their second floor dining room is so incredibly light, airy, and fiiiiilled with botanicals all over the place. It’s such a beautiful and photogenic space, I can spend all day there.
2: I recently started taking Corepower classes again and tried their new C3 class – it’s AMAZE. All my yogis out there that already know a thing or two – this is an awesome class for you. I’m not sure exactly when C3 was added, but I’m loving it. The fact that the majority of their classes is heated is what really makes me obsessed.
3: Since it’s the season of pumpkin and caramel, many pampering places are taking note! There’s a bunch of new fall offerings at the Spa At Dana that are infused with all my favorite fall scents and smells like CARAMEL!
They are now offering spiced chai milk baths as a special addition to manis and pedis, a body polish made of ginger, nutmeg, orange and cinnamon, and my favorite: a warm salted caramel body treatment that begins with a scrub and ends with a massage- a dream!
4: A new Left Coast foods opened within the past six months in River North, so now I don’t have to make the trek all the way to Lakeview to feast on one of their delicious Acai bowls. Another spot that has a second floor dining space with open, bright decor. I am hoping this trend of minimalist design sticks around for quite some time!
5: A New Honeygrow just opened up shop on Lake street, and if you’re not familiar with this concept let me essssplain. They are a fast casual grab and go spot that has a tonnn of plant-based options, and you customize what you want on a menu screen. Easy as that, and they’ve got everything from salads to stir-fry!
