Chicago is the third-largest city in the US, with a population of 2.7 million, and is home to world-class shopping, hospitality, cultural, and arts & entertainment options.

The Chicago downtown area alone has more than 75 high-quality spas, yet in spite of this ripe environment, the Chicago spa industry has not had a strong voice since the dormancy of the Great Lakes Spa Alliance.

So in the interest of collaboration, earlier this month some 35 managers and owners of local spas came together for an evening of education and networking, hosted by the Chuan Spa at the Langham Hotel and the director of spa for North America for Langham, William Wesley Myers.

The group has tentatively called themselves CLASP, for ChicagoLand Area Spa Professionals, and will explore forming an association that can provide a platform for local spa professionals.

After gathering for cocktails, I shared a presentation on the current state of the spa industry globally, and showed the group a number of ideas and concepts for spa and wellness trends around the world.

The attendees were then treated to a demonstration by Julie Wu of Rad Roller, creators of a line of massage tools that can be used by professionals or clients themselves to improve mobility and relieve stress points in the body.

“The feedback was very positive, and attendees agreed that collaboration makes everyone stronger,” said Myers.

In a country as large and widespread as the US, regional spa associations play an important role in bringing professionals together and advancing causes that are specific and relevant for the region.

CLASP will plan more networking and educational events later this year; for more information, look for the Chicagoland Area Spa Professionals (CLASP)’s group on LinkedIn.