AIRE Ancient Baths: Urban Oasis in Chicago

My husband and I booked one of the valentines packages which included access to the baths as well as a couples massage. After reading some recent negative reviews, I was a little anxious about our experience because it is pricey and we did pre-pay. I'm so glad I didn't let those reviews sway my decision to book because we had such a good experience! Staff was welcoming and friendly and provided us with a tour of the facility and instructions for our visit since this was our first time. We enjoyed all of the various pools, baths and steam rooms and were called for our massages toward the end of our allotted time, which I thought was perfect. My husband and I are frequent spa visitors and are particular about massage and we both had a good experience here. My therapist used firm pressure as I requested and was able to relax my neck and shoulders. The hot stones were a perfect finishing touch. After the massages, we had just enough time to take a final soak in the baths before heading out. The checkout process was smooth and we were on our way. We both felt relaxed the entire rest of the day! Thank you AIRE for a perfect Valentine's Day treat! We will be back!

I was gifted an experience at Aire Baths, and for the most part, it was amazing! We didn't know what to expect, but we were truly satisfied with the service we received, with one exception: the massage. After reading reviews dating back several months, I realized that other people had experienced the same issue. Let me start at the beginning. I made my reservation for a Sunday at noon. When we arrived, we were told that our reservation had been canceled. Naturally, I was confused because I hadn't canceled it. We were asked to take a seat while the staff looked into the matter, and they quickly figured it out. Brittany at the front desk did a wonderful job explaining what had happened. In the end, it turned out to be an error on my end, but she remained friendly, professional, and accommodating. She offered us another date and time and even compensated us for parking. Thank you, Brittany! The bath experience was everything I needed to cleanse my soul. The waterfall area and the eucalyptus sauna quickly became our favorite places. The atmosphere was peaceful, relaxing, and exactly what we had hoped for. Now, on to the massage. My wife and I were in the same room. She had a female therapist, and I had a male therapist. Unfortunately, our experiences were completely different. My therapist spent most of the session lightly rubbing my feet and legs. He never touched my hands, fingers, neck, or head, all of which my wife received during her massage. He did ask whether there were any areas I wanted him to focus on, and I mentioned that I had tension in my upper shoulder area and that I had a shoulder injury. He concentrated primarily on the injured shoulder and very little else. I was genuinely surprised when he told me the session was over. My first thought was, "Wait, where was the rest of the massage?" I would really like to see Aire invest in more experienced massage therapists, especially since this appears to be a recurring concern among guests. That said, the massage experience did not ruin our visit. I would absolutely return, and I would still recommend Aire to my family, friends, and coworkers.

I visited AIRE Ancient Baths Chicago and overall had a good experience. The baths themselves are beautiful, relaxing, and well-maintained — a great place to unwind and disconnect. However, the massage package could definitely be improved, especially considering the price of $700. It didn’t quite match the level of expectation for that cost. That said, the overall atmosphere and experience were still enjoyable, and I’d consider coming back, just maybe without the package next time.

Really wanted to love this. Facility was clean, baths were very nice, albeit extremely busy. However, we had booked a massage as well. Were told to plan for a 90 minute total experience. After what felt like a long time, we asked for an update, the staff seemed very confused, asked to see our wristbands, and proceeded to tell us it would be another 20 minutes. Curious on the time, I went to the locker room to check. We had already been left in the baths for over two hours. It was clear we had been skipped/forgotten. Our massage felt very rushed, assuming because it was squeezed into to accommodate the mistake. Overall, not worth the price tag.

I really like this place and I recommend it to many people, there's definitely nothing like it in Chicago. It has a gorgeous, romantic atmosphere. I was thrilled the first time I was here a year ago, but today I was a little disappointed. Considering the high level of service and the price, the walls and doors to the toilets are shabby and dirty, there's only one toilet on the floor, one of the Dyson hairdryers isn't working, and the couches where you can dry your hair are dirty. The rubber seals on the sauna doors are broken and let out steam, and they also removed the tea from the pool area; it was only available at the entrance, and only cold water was available. This isn't quite what you expect to see after the place was closed for several months for renovations. Also, in the massage room, instead of music, there's a loud fan noise, and there's no longer that wonderful relaxing atmosphere, although I have no complaints about the massage itself or the masseuses.