Stressed Northwestern students now can relax and get pampered with the introduction of the Egea spa to downtown Evanston.
Mayor Lorraine H. Morton cut the ribbon at the full-service spa’s grand opening Tuesday. Willie the Wildcat, friends and family of the staff, and Chamber of Commerce members were also on hand for the celebration.
Egea, 1521 Sherman Ave., offers massage, facials, waxing and body therapies to both men and women, using locally-made organic products, including those from The Enterprising Kitchen, a Chicago-based nonprofit employment- and skills-training program. When guests buy spa products to take home, all of the proceeds are donated to women’s job training.
“Through proper care of body and skin, you will always be in the best of health,” said Katherine Pappas, Communication ’83 and ’86, who owns the spa along with her husband, Chris, and friend Carol and Ted Mavrakis.
Egea’s mission is to give clients an enjoyable experience that can be easily integrated into their lifestyles, enabling them to live healthier lives, according to the spa’s brochure. The modern-looking spa, which is painted light green, features men and women’s locker rooms, five massage rooms, two facial rooms and a wet room with a shower for body treatments.
“Egea is special because it is a gender-neutral, clean, fresh environment,” Carol Mavrakis said.
The spa derives its name from a young Greek maiden who used hands-on therapies to treat her father’s patients. In Greek, Egea is now synonymous with good health.
The Pappases and Mavrakises said they chose Evanston as a base for the salon because they hope the city’s population is progressive and will share their sentiment that massage enriches and nourishes daily life.
“We want to bring wellness into the community,” Chris Pappas said.
“We are so excited,” said Dina Kalamperovic, one of the spa’s concierges. “This is a great addition to Evanston, and it promotes a positive vibe. Everyone is highly qualified.”
Guests at the ceremony echoed the positive sentiments of the staff, oohing and aahing as employees described services on the tour.
“(Before the massage) we bathe the customers’ feet with salts while we interview them,” said Marcia Cerantolla, one of the spa’s nine massage therapists. “It feels very warm and comfortable.”
The salon specialty, the Sugar Glow Treatment, consists of full body exfoliation, a shower and a lotion rubdown.
Besides the nine massage therapists, the spa employs three aestheticians and four concierges, two of whom are NU students.
“We are definitely looking for Northwestern student clientele,” Carol Mavrakis said. Students will receive special discounts Monday through Wednesday.
As guests and appetizers circulated at Tuesday’s opening, Morton made plans for increasing the spa’s clientele.
“People need to know how to take care of their bodies,” the mayor said. “I’ll come here and send my grandchildren too!”
Egea is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. For more information call 847-332-2772 or visit www.egeaspa.com.
