Step away from your cubicle

We found the best haircuts, massages and yoga within the Loop’s borders. Whether it’s a lunch-hour massage or a postwork yoga class, your personal urban oasis is just around the corner .

[1] 316 Club Barber Spa
In the center of the buzzing Financial District, this men’s-only spot is equal parts barbershop and spa. (All packages include a free shoe shine.) It boasts guy-friendly extras like a pool table, fireplace and flat-screen TVs. While you’re getting that shave and haircut, partake in the complimentary beer, wine, tea or coffee. 175 W Jackson Blvd (312-880-0316).

[2] Eshe Day Spa and Salon
Cubicle drones will find a peaceful sanctuary on the second floor of a sky-high office building. All guests are treated to an aromatic foot soak and tea before each treatment, to transition them from street life to soothing oasis. On the salon’s menu: body treatments facials and massages, plus haircuts, blowouts and color. 8 S Michigan Ave, suite 200 (312-629-0376).

[3] Cortiva Institute
Below the rails of the clattering El you’ll find the calm, quiet Cortiva Institute, where massage pros and students deliver exceptional rubdowns. We dig the sports massage for all-over muscle melting, but you may be tempted to try something unusual, like myofascial therapy or manual lymph drainage. 18 N Wabash Ave (312-753-7990).

[4] Kundalini Yoga in the Loop
After years of pounding the pavement as a runner, kundalini-yoga teacher Shakta Kaur (a.k.a. Susan Kezios) found…yoga. At her sunny studio in the Fine Arts Building, she teaches lunch-hour and postwork classes (check the schedule at shaktakaur.com) with a focus on meditation. Athletes will appreciate her sports-specific background. 410 S Michigan Ave, suite 514 (312-922-4699).

[5] The Spa at Equinox
Come early and hang out in the steam room to fully unwind before you’re led to the tiny spa connected to the locker rooms (guests get all-day gym access, too). We personally recommend booking a deep tissue session with Richard, a blind massage therapist who is totally in tune with his clients’ bodies. 200 W Monroe St (312-252-3100).

[6] Akal Yoga
Vincent Hunihan, a former trader at the Chicago Board of Trade, swapped stress for serenity when he started Akal (“Awareness”) Yoga—in the same building. (He took over an empty conference room.) The terra-cotta walls and artwork give nine-to-fivers a warm, soothing place to sweat, several times a day. 141 W Jackson Blvd, suite 750 (312-303-0090).

[7] Soham Yoga and Healing Arts Center
The goal at this central-Loop studio is to provide stressed-out workers with a Zen break from office life. The menu includes hatha-yoga classes, qi gong, meditation, plus workshops on topics like strengthening your body, freeing your mind and connecting with your spirit. 55 E Washington St, suite LL 113 (312-409-1416).