Last week I got the opportunity to travel to Chicago with one of my besties, Rachel from @justdimpleit! We were invited to stay at the Swissotel Hotel and Resorts to see their brand new Vitality Suite and all of the wellness initiatives they have incorporated into their property! It was truly an amazing holistic experience that revitalized my body, mind, and soul!

Wellness travel is really trending right now and I think in the years to come we will see more and more properties adding amazing wellness offerings! I know it’s so important to so many people to be able to maintain a sense of normalcy and routine while traveling, also sweating is just so dang good for jet lag! Today I’m excited to tell you more about my stay at the Swissotel Chicago and more about the Vitality Suite and all the amazing Vitality offerings!

We arrived late in the afternoon on Wednesday, had a flawless and easy check-in, and then went up to our room to quickly change and head down to meet the rest of the group for cocktails and the most delicious and healthy dinner! The chef prepared items from the Vitality menu including a Vitality cocktail, Beet Tartare, House Cured Hamachi, Roasted Bass Smoked Spaghetti Squash, Sauteed Duck Breast, Carrot Wellington, and for dessert we had the most delicious and refreshing Passion Fruit Shaved Ice Banana Blancmange with Coconut and Pineapple.

After dinner, we all made our way into Limos to head to a local theatre for a fun drumming show. And then when we returned back to our suites we had a lovely Vitality Sleep board with Chamomile tea and lavender and lemon balm infused cookies waiting for us! Rachel and I relaxed with our tea before hopping into the comfy beds and then shortly after we passed out!

The next morning we were up bright and early to start our morning off with a private workout session with the Swissotel’s very own Personal Trainer in the Vitality Suite! Even though it was about 530am Los Angeles time, we were up and at em at 730am Chicago time to get our sweat on! We worked out in the Vitality suite and used the amazing Wellness Wall to do a dynamic and effective 30-minute workout.

The Wellbeing Wall is made up of a ladder, a water rower that’s used for resistance training, sandbag dumbbells, and has storage for pilates props and yoga mats! It was so amazing to get to see how dynamic and versatile the Wellbeing Wall truly is. In our quick but effective 30 minute workout we used all the equipment and even did things that I’ve never done before! The staff trainer was super friendly and so knowledgeable as well!

After our sweat session we returned back to our room and then before we knew it there was a knock on our door and breakfast was delivered! The Vitality breakfast options were absolutely delicious and filling. I ordered the green smoothie, the egg scramble, and the waffles to try, all of which were SO delicious. Rachel opted for the tofu scramble and said she loved it! Starting off any day with a healthy and filling breakfast is so important and it’s amazing that the Swissotel has these healthy options to choose from!

After breakfast, we showered and got ready for the day and did some work in the room, then before we knew it, it was time to join the group at the bar in the lobby for lunch. The chef created a Vitality menu at the bar to be able to not only provide the classic bar favorites like burgers, fries, wings, etc, but also some delicious healthy options, like fish, carrot salad (my favorite), and a yogurt dessert that was out of this world yummy! I also wanted to note that there were vegan and gluten-free options throughout the entire trip, which is so amazing if you are traveling with any food allergies or just have specific dietary needs.

After lunch, we made our way to an incredible mindfulness workshop, where we learned more about being mindful, the difference between joy and happiness, and then we did a wonderful exercise to help us pick 3 words that held great meaning to us to be turned into a piece of artwork at the end! There were three columns, the first read What are you good at?, the second read: What do you love?, and the third read: What does the world need more of?. In each column, you were to write the first words that came to you and you could write as many as you’d like. Once you finished, you looked back through the lists and picked one word that really stood out from each column to create the 3 words for the calligraphy artwork! It was a challenging exercise that really made me think but I truly loved it. I think it’s so important to be mindful and any exercises that help with that I’m always so grateful for.

Once we finished the workshop we made our way to a sound bath by Sara Auster! I was super excited for this, as I personally love sound baths and I had the pleasure of experiencing Sara’s sound bath before at another event, so I knew I was in for another treat! If you’ve never done a sound bath before, you NEED to try one! They are truly amazing! It’s one of the only ways I can actually calm down and feel meditative.

After the transformative sound bath, we enjoyed a few yummy Vitality appetizers, like toasts, protein balls, fresh salads, and I had to have a glass of Rose, it’s all about balance baby!

Our last day in Chicago, we woke up early to get a tour of the gym space at the Swissotel. It’s incredible! The views, the equipment, the light, and the technology they offer is like walking into a high-end gym like Equinox! They even have flavored water stations and green smoothies to keep you hydrated and fueled post-workout, what a treat!

After the gym tour, we took a yoga class together and then had breakfast! Our last fun activity was jumping into the Swissotel’s very own kitchen to see how the chef prepares some of their Vitality dishes! This was such a fun experience because I love to cook, so I picked up some great tips and tricks and learned some amazing new recipes! I love that all the food is cooked with love and intention by the chefs there, you can tell they are like family and you can feel it in the food as well!

After our cooking lesson, we gathered around for one last meal altogether. And then it was time to pack and head home. It was such a special trip to Chicago and I’m so thrilled I got to spend it with 3 other amazing bloggers (and friends) and I got the opportunity to meet so many new people in the wellness space too.

This trip was a press trip and the costs and my stay were taken care of by the Swissotel. However, the views, ideas, and opinions expressed here are my own. Sponsored posts help fund the work I do here on Fittybritttty.com at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your constant love and support!