About three-quarters of the way through writing Peaceful Places, I hit a wall. I couldn’t find another peaceful place to save my life. And about the fiftieth time that someone suggested the Bahá’í Temple*, I started experiencing a sensation that I’m just going to call not peace.
Then, after I had ferreted out all 119 spots (originally 120, but one closed) and the book had been published, I started hearing about all kinds of peaceful places that I would have included if I’d known about them. So at book signings, I hand out a little sheet listing those extra places, as a Value Add. (Email me and I’ll send it to you.)
The best of the ones that didn’t make it into the book, as far as I’m concerned, is King Spa & Sauna in Niles. It’s a huge Korean-style spa with whirlpools, nine saunas, its own food court and movie theater, and “meditation rooms” (read: napping areas). The common areas are noisy; the saunas and meditation rooms are silent. It’s open 24/7. And afterward, you can go next door to the H-Mart for the best Asian pears you’ll ever eat.
*Yes, it’s in the book. And it’s awesome. Go inside. The Bahá’ís don’t bite.