The Ultimate Girlfriend Spa Getaway at Wind Creek Chicago Southland

Vacations with your besties don’t always have to involve air travel and months of planning. Sometimes you can find the best spots to hang out together, chill and be pampered near home, making a fun and relaxing weekend getaway an easy reality. That’s how one of my closest friends and I discovered The Spa at Wind Creek Chicago Southland.

Highlights

• True getaway where you don’t need to leave the property to enjoy a relaxing weekend.
• Dining options include everything from first-floor buffet to seventeenth-floor steakhouse with amazing views and food that lives up to the hype.
• Relaxing spa with all-day amenities, including steam room, hot tub with a view, sauna and more.

Editor’s note: The writer was hosted by Wind Creek Chicago Southland.

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What is Wind Creek Chicago Southland?

Wind Creek is part casino, part luxury hotel and dining and part spa getaway. Here are the basics:

• Parking garage is located on-site. Self-park is free while valet parking is available for $25/day.
• Parking connects to the main level which contains the casino floor, several dining options and a gift shop.
• Hotel rooms are on the 3rd through 15th floors with the spa on the 16th and Alto restaurant on the 17th floor.
• Accommodations include Deluxe King or Deluxe Double Queen rooms, plus Junior or Executive Suites. ADA accessibility is available in all room types.
• Free wi-fi is available throughout the property.

Chicago is a short 2-½ hour drive for us from Grand Rapids, Michigan and Wind Creek Chicago Southland is an easy exit just off of I-80. We arrived on a Friday evening and stayed through Sunday morning.

Accommodations at Wind Creek Chicago Southland

Property: Wind Creek Chicago Southland | Address: 17300 S. Halsted St. East Hazel Crest, IL | Phone: (866) 946-3361 | Hours: Open 24/7 (Check-in 4:00 PM, Check-out 11:00 AM) | Rooms: Deluxe rooms start at $159 to $219 per night while suites start at $319 to $770 per night.

My friend Kristi and I shared a Deluxe Double Queen room on the 15th floor. Our room was spacious and the beds were extremely comfortable. The bathroom was large with a glass-enclosed shower, dual showerhead, lighted mirror and a lot of counter space.

• First Thoughts: After a slight hiccup with check-in that was quickly and professionally addressed, we ended up on the 15th floor instead of the 7th, with a better view. Otherwise the check-in process was very easy.
• What We Loved: The bathroom had multiple lighting options, including ‘Nightlight’ which gave off a dim red glow, perfect for finding your way in the middle of the night while allowing the room to be fully dark.
• What Could Be Improved: The room had a large window that let in a lot of natural light during the day. The lighting at night could be better as we struggled with just the bed sconce lamps, a floor lamp and a table lamp that weren’t the brightest. Bring a night light if you like to read before bed.
• Final Thoughts: We really had a comfortable stay. While we didn’t need to hang out in the room much, we could easily relax during the time we were there. There was plenty of room to spread out.

SheBuysTravel Tip: The elevators took a moment to figure out. You scan your room key on the screen outside the elevator bank to request an elevator and it tells you which to use and how long until it arrives. Then you just enter the elevator and get off at your floor. Publicly available floors can be requested without a room key.

Spa at Wind Creek Chicago Southland

The spa was the highlight of our stay and where we spent the most time. We each received a 50-minute signature massage. Along with various massages, they also offer facials, manicures, pedicures and body wrap services. If you book a service of at least 50 minutes, you have access to the spa amenities for the full day.

• First Thoughts: We arrived early, as requested, and were given a full tour of the spa area. Lockers are available and we each received a cushy robe (large sizes available upon request) and sandals to wear while in the spa. The women’s locker room also has changing areas, showers, products (hair ties, brushes, deodorant spray, etc.), steam room and a sauna.
• Massage Experience: The massage was one of the best I’ve ever had. We discussed problem areas before getting started and she used just the right amount of pressure without being overly painful. The atmosphere was lovely and I loved the few moments at the end to just relax with a warm towel under my neck. Kristi loved her massage as well.
• What We Loved: We really enjoyed the amenities. We hit the steam room before our massages to loosen everything up. Afterward, we explored the aromatherapy showers to see which were water or mist, hot or cool and what the aromas were. I equated it to an adult version of ‘running through the sprinkler’ and it was so much fun to just hang out together and laugh. The swing chairs were really comfortable and we loved the expansive hot tub, the nut and granola snacks provided and the cold washcloths available to help regulate body temperature.
• What Could Be Improved: I really can’t think of anything specific. It was an amazing day and exactly what we needed after a stressful summer.
• Final Thoughts: I would definitely come here again, just for the spa experience. My favorite part was sitting in the hot tub at sunset and enjoying the view.

SheBuysTravel Tip: You are allowed to leave and come back later the same day. We spent some time in the aromatherapy showers, swing chairs and hot tub after our massages, then showered and changed for lunch. Later we returned and spent more time in the hot tub and swing chairs while enjoying the beautiful sunset view before dinner.

Dining at Wind Creek Chicago Southland

The on-site restaurants are almost all operated by Fabio Viviani, a celebrity chef who appeared on Top Chef: New York. There are six options which include everything from diner comfort food to upscale steakhouse. And a Starbucks, of course.

Food Bazaar Gourmet Food Stations

We ate here the most often – for dinner our first night, and for lunch/brunch both of the other days. We loved the flexibility of combining options from multiple stations into a customized meal we could either share or eat individually. While some of the options did change out for different meals or days, some were consistent throughout the weekend we visited.

What To Expect: Food Stations include:

• Abuela Cocina (Mexican)
• Bottenga (Italian)
• Salt and Sea (Seafood)
• Burgers ‘n Wiches (Burgers and Sandwiches)
• Southern District (Southern BBQ and Comfort Food)
• Sugar Lips (Dessert).

What We Loved: For our first dinner, we both just grabbed multiple options and tasted/shared everything on the table. It’s a great way to test out dishes you might not already know you like.

Challenges: While you can order and grab as much food as you want, it does create a lot of waste when not everything on the table is eaten. For our lunch/brunch meals, we were much more circumspect about choosing things we knew we would eat. Some of the food was really delicious but a few missed the mark. The beauty of a buffet? If you don’t like something, just go get another option.

Our Favorites: Kristi loved the parmesan fries so much she got them both for dinner and lunch the next day. I really liked the chicken alfredo. The desserts were single-serving and tasted SO amazing. They included several seasonal options (pumpkin and apple in this case since we went in early October). We honestly could have filled up just on sweets!

Alto

We went in to Alto with very high expectations, based on the menu and the reviews we’d seen online. We honestly weren’t sure if everything would actually meet those expectations, but we were very happy to find out that it definitely lives up to the hype.

What To Expect: Reservations are required. There is very little space to wait, so you don’t need to arrive much before your reservation time. Our server was friendly and professional. Alto is a steakhouse, but there were many other menu options also. Later in the evening, a wonderful singer provided live entertainment.

What We Loved: After the delicious Wagyu meatballs as an appetizer, I ordered steak (the petit filet) and Kristi had the amish chicken. We ordered two sides: roasted mushrooms and the whipped Yukon potatoes. It was obvious from the portion sizes that the sides are meant to be shared. The portions were plentiful, and everything tasted absolutely delicious. I ate my fill and more, and Kristi took a huge portion of chicken back home afterward.

Challenges: The food is definitely pricey, but we both thought it was worth it for the quality and how well it tasted. The restaurant can be a bit crowded and noisy, especially if there are larger parties. We meant to check out the outside balcony to see the nighttime views better, but honestly forgot.

Our Favorites: Everything we had was wonderful, but I think we would both probably choose the whipped potatoes if we had to choose a favorite. They were just SO good. Kristi definitely enjoyed her cocktail as well – she ordered the Fumo (made with hibiscus-infused Amaras Mezcal, Amaro Montenegro, pear, and lemon).

The Spot: An American Diner, Shuck It! and Ivory Noodle Bar

• The Spot: We ate here for breakfast our first morning. They only offered a couple of actual breakfast items – a sandwich and waffles (plus assorted pastries). Kristi liked the breakfast sandwich, but the waffles were a bit too heavy (and sweet) for me. The Spot is a great option for any meal when the Food Bazaar isn’t open.
• Shuck It!: This is an oyster bar with several different seafood and shellfish options. We did not have the chance to eat here but the menu looked really intriguing.
• The Ivory Noodle Bar (located on the casino floor): I love Asian food, so If we’d had more time, I would have eagerly tried the food here. Another option on the casino floor is a Chicago-style hot dog stand. It looked like so much fun! There are also three bars on the casino floor.
• Starbucks: located on the first floor, outside the casino floor.

Room service is also available during certain hours.

The Casino at Wind Creek Chicago Southland

Neither Kristi or I are really gamblers and I hadn’t been to a casino in almost 30 years. We both were really curious though. We explored the casino floor, which offers all the traditional table games (56 of them!), multiple bars (including one where you’re served by robots), a sportsbook area with recliners available to watch various screens showing different live sporting events, poker room, over 1,700 slots and several ‘hidden gems’ (semi-secluded rentable areas for special events or parties).

We wandered for a while to get the lay of the land and finally found some of the more traditional, pull-the-arm slot machines that seemed a bit easier for newbies to figure out. Initially, we each played with ten one-dollar bills and won enough to keep us playing for several minutes. Then we learned about the casino’s rewards program and some of their promotions, including new player rewards.

For opening a rewards account, you get various free play credits and food credits (promotions can vary). We each received $50 in free play credits and realized that it’s a much different experience to play with credits (either free or paid-for) than just feeding dollar bills into the machines each time.

We mostly stuck with the simpler machines, but there are a lot of different types with amazing video graphics and all different kinds of ways to bet and win. We changed machines a few times but I had the most luck with one single machine where I made back the $50 from the credit I’d played.

Was this fun? Yes. Especially trying to figure out what we were doing together. Would I want to visit another casino? Maybe, although it wouldn’t be the main thing to draw me somewhere. But it was a fun addition to our spa weekend for sure.

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