Ask Susie: Affordable Hotels with Spas

Question:

My daughter wants to meet her sister between where they live.  One is in Springfield, Missouri, and the other is in Alsip, Illinois.  Do you know if there are any nice hotels with spas (not too expensive) around there?”

-DM

Answer:

Dear DM,

I was born and grew up in Illinois, so I am somewhat familiar with the area.  It has been many years since I have been back there however, so my best bet was to use the trusty advanced search tool on www.spafinder.com. Voilà!  I found the Oak Terrace Resort (Lakeview Spa) in Pana, Illinois, which would be a great choice.  The resort is a little further from Springfield, Missouri, than it is from Alsip, Illinois, so one daughter will have to drive bit more than the other — perhaps the one with the shorter drive can treat the other to a manicure to even things out!

I’d like to share the step-by-step process I use in case others may want to find a spa between two specific points:

1. If I don’t know an area and am searching for a spa, I always feel safe recommending a spa visible on Spafinder.com.  If a spa is marketing on Spafinder.com, you know it is serious about its spa – it isn’t going to be a couple of old massage rooms in the basement.
2. I checked Google Maps to find the route between the two cities.  It appeared that Springfield, Illinois, was about halfway in between where the girls are.
3. Next I put “Springfield, Illinois” in the top search area on SpaFinder.com? where it says
   “Search….In or Near…..(Springfield, Illinois)” and hit “Search”
4. I found a variety of spas that came up with a default search radius of 75 miles
5. Then I used a filter on the site’s left-hand side for “Getaway Spas”
6. Oak Terrace Resort was the spa that came up on top!
7. I went to the property’s website, looked at the photos and checked out the write ups to see if it would meet your needs.
8. Then I checked the resort’s reviews on SpaFinder.com and found this one , which helped me realize that this place would probably be perfect!

“You will not find a more relaxing, serene environment than LakeView Spa at Oak Terrace Resort. It’s nestled in the country with small-town atmosphere but the amenities are second to none. Think of Kohler’s WaterWorks Spa but only half the price! The spa has fantastic amenities – salon, hydrotherapy, nails, and facial rooms and outdoor patio all overlooking a tranquil lake. We stayed in the Villas and felt like royalty. We are definitely going back!”

Susie