Finding Relaxation At Planet Beach Spa

I'm not normally the kind of dude that goes to a day spa.

I don't have anything against them, because, well, I never knew enough to be "against" anything.

But on a recent Saturday morning I stopped in at , 8201 S. Howell Ave., and chatted with new owners Wyatt Foderaro and Phillip Bondi.

At the end of our conversation, I decided to try some of the services for myself. I was at the tail end of a particularly stressful week. Why not?

Thus began my maiden voyage into the land of the spa.

It started with answering a few questions about myself so that Planet Beach can "build a profile" of me, as they do any client. Not surprisingly, "relaxation" was what I would be focusing on, and the services they recommended for me matched that profile.

First up was the hydration station.

Oh, sweet lord. This is as good as it gets.

I lay down on this machine that essentially gave me a full-body massage while everything except my head was in a 120-degree sauna.

The following went through my head as I entered this state of extreme relaxation:

• This would be the ideal way to listen to Bon Iver music.

• I wonder how much it would cost to buy one for my house.

• I really have an irrational fear that someone is about to walk in.

Well, no one did disturb me, and the greatest part was that it wasn't one of those things that flew by. Somehow, they nailed it - it didn't go too long and it didn't go too short, and it accomplished everything it was suppose to accomplish.

After one of the more glorious 20 minutes of my month, I headed over to get some red light therapy. This involves some funny looking glasses and laying down on a machine again minus the vibrations.

I would compare this to a tanning bed, only without the tanning part. I guess it's supposed to help the way your skin looks. Whatever. It was a good cool-down after the excitement of the hydration station.

I then received what's termed a "luniere facial," in which the funny-looking glasses shielded me from some extremely bright light. The light was crazy bright, but you get used to it after a few minutes and it becomes so relaxing that it would be easy to fall asleep. 

In the last service, I dipped my hands into some warm water and got a umo hand massage.

Mind you, luniere facial, massages, hydration station - I could not have told you what any of these terms meant before I went. They might has well have been in Yiddish.

But let me tell you something, day spas are awesome. I realize to some people, this is like saying, "Hey, have you noticed how pretty it is to look out onto Lake Michigan?"

But it's still worth throwing out there: even dudes who weren't previously into day spas can become big fans. Especially after you reach maximum levels of relaxation.