Remember the phrase, “You had me at hello,” uttered by Renee Zellweger in the movie “Jerry Maguire”? Well, the Heartland Spa and Fitness Resort totally had me at: “We provide you with a T-shirt, shorts, sweat pants and sweatshirt. After you wear them, just put them outside of your door and we will bring you another set. We do that so you don’t have to pack that much to come and enjoy it here.”
The timing of the spa roundup email I received was perfect, in that I had decided a few years ago that for my 50th birthday, I wanted to treat myself to a destination spa vacation, one where I could be completely pampered from head to foot, mind, body and soul and not have to lift a finger if I didn’t want to, including to open my wallet to pay for meals either on-site or close by. What I got was so much more than I bargained for.
“Pamper, Nourish, Thrive, Relax”
This is the Heartland Spa’s mantra, and it’s easy to embody it once you arrive on the grounds, situated on a former 32-acre dairy farm in the pastoral and wooded Illinois countryside, just 90 miles south of Chicago. Guests generally drive there from the Windy City or Springfield (only two hours), Indianapolis (two and a half hours) and Louisville or St. Louis (both about four hours). The resort’s boutique size is one of the many features that attracted me, pampering a maximum of only 41 guests with a two-to-one staff-to-guest ratio. Accommodations here are in the main 15-room country manor or for groups, in the adjacent guesthouse.
In addition to the clothing provided by the resort’s “Clothing Fairies,” the staff takes care of really any other personal items you might normally bring with you, including body wash, lotion, shampoo and conditioner and comfortable, full-size terrycloth bathrobes.
Guest lodging here ranges from two- to three-, five- and seven-night packages and includes three delicious meals a day, one or more spa treatments depending on the length of your stay and all of the resort’s amenities.
Soup’s on!
In most households, this is the loud announcement that dinner is ready. Not so at the Heartland Spa.
When it’s time for breakfast, lunch or dinner, a member of the culinary staff meanders about the property gently ringing a cowbell—at the pond by the chaise lounge chairs; on the fringe of the expansive great lawn; in the library/game room (the Wood Room) and near the main relaxation room (the White Room). It’s a lovely way to become aware of the time, because I dispensed with my watch the moment I first checked in.
Because the focus here is on health and wellness, the menus are tailored toward a low-calorie daily intake with primarily vegetarian fare easily tailored to suit any special food preferences or allergies. But don’t take that to mean, tasteless, boring, and that you are starving between meals. On the contrary, the dishes were so flavorful, nutritious and artfully created, if you didn’t tell me everything was low-fat and low-calorie, I would have had no idea, as each meal was more fantastic than the last.
At the helm of the culinary staff is Chef Tasso—“Chef T,” as everyone calls him—a delightful Greek immigrant who worked for years in some of the finest restaurants in the world and was trained at the famed Le Cordon Bleu. His expertise and love of cooking is evident in the way he cheerfully bounds from the kitchen to detail each of the various ingredients, fresh herbs and spices incorporated into each dish. The chef’s exuberance is intoxicating, and it is a joy to watch him beam from ear to ear while speaking with his lovely Greek accent as the guests bestow compliment after delicious compliment on his amazing creations.
In the morning, we were treated to a changing repertoire of tasty breakfast items, including warm peanut butter and banana muffins, fresh fruit cups, homemade oatmeal with a choice of brown sugar, dried cranberries, flax seed or crushed nut toppings and low-fat egg soufflés, just to name a few. I just about passed out at the intricate flavors of the carrot ginger soup, chicken salad with grapes on a wheat bun with raw vegetables, and spinach salad with mushrooms, green apple, red onion and a light vinaigrette for lunch, among other dishes.
Dinner was yet another outstanding affair. One night it was grilled boneless chicken breast with snap peas and warm rice salad, and a special family recipe Greek gazpacho another. Then there was the teriyaki salmon with a corn and red pepper mélange and carrot, cabbage and mandarin orange slaw. Clutch the pearls! And the desserts! I am not a chocolate fan, but man, that low-calorie, flourless chocolate soufflé was off the chain!
And it was a thrill to see that, like me, so many of the guests were into gastronomic moaning at the table—it was all so good. I can honestly say it’s probably the first time I can remember anyone, anywhere, who is on a diet to lose weight—as some of the guests were—raving about the food and contemplating how good the next meal would be.
The backdrop for all of this wonderful gastronomic fare is in the resort’s intimate dining room, with decorative touches of home set amidst expansive windows overlooking the verdant lawn, pond, walking trails and meditation stations in the distance. For a slideshow of the property, log onto http://heartlandspa.com/slideshow1.html.
In our next Heartland Spa and Fitness Resort adventure, we’re delving into the fabulous spa and more.
Lysa Allman-Baldwin writes for numerous online and print publications, including as the cultural travel writer for www.Examiner.com and as a senior travel writer for SoulOfAmerica.com, an Afrocentric travel website. Lysa can be reached at lallmanbaldwin@kc.rr.com.
Resource List:
- The Heartland Spa and Fitness Resort: 800-545-4853, heartlandspa.com