Gifts like heart-shaped chocolates and silk boxers are sweet, but they’ve been done. So why not impress your valentine with something else this year?
– Consider treating your sweetheart or a gal pal to an at-home massage. Certified massage therapist Dennis Pierce, 39, has been unraveling stiff muscles for a decade. Pierce will tote his tools–a massage table, sheets, oil, candles and CDs–to your home. He also provides massages for couples. Sessions are based on each body’s needs, but they typically run 70 minutes and cost $65. Pierce will travel to homes within Chicago. Call 773-907-8453.
– Heat up the evening with sultry rhythms and Latin dance. Several clubs offer salsa lessons. Club 720, at 720 N. Wells St., will celebrate Valentine’s Day on Feb. 12 with a live merengue band. Dance lessons will be offered from 9:30 to 11 p.m., with a $10 cover charge. Visit www.club720.com or call 312-397-0600. Liquid, 1997 N. Clybourn Ave., offers salsa lessons Sunday nights, with doors opening at 8 p.m. and lessons at 9 p.m. And on Feb. 12, a salsa event will feature a finals dance competition from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., lessons from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m., and a salsa band and dancing afterward until 2:30 a.m. The cover is $12. Call 773-528-3400.
– Spending time playing games or quaffing beers at the ESPN Zone, 43 E. Ohio St., could be the perfect way to score points with a sports buff boyfriend or husband, and single women could benefit from the higher guy-girl ratio. The center has two restaurants–one family-oriented, another sports-bar style. The center also has a 10,000-square-foot sports arena that offers challenges from football to rock climbing. With a $20 game card, you can try your hand at just about every amusement. Call 312-644-3776.
– Take a cue for a clever line from Shakespeare. The Chicago Shakespeare Theatre at Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., will present a shortened “Romeo and Juliet,” about 70 minutes long, on Saturdays from Feb. 12 through March 18 at 12:30 p.m. Tickets are $8 for students and children and $12 for adults. Also, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is ongoing until March 26. Tickets range from $23 to $42. Call 312-595-5600 for tickets or visit wwww.chicagoshakes.com.
– For a romantic and only slightly less retro alternative, hold hands and glide together on the ice. Skate on State, at State and Randolph Streets, is perfect for an after-work rendezvous. Admission is free and skate rental is $3. The rink is open from 9 a.m. to 7:15 p.m. daily with hours extended on Thursdays until 9:45 p.m. Navy Pier Park Ice Rink, 600 E. Grand Ave., is a smaller-scale rink where admission is also free. Adult skate rental is $3.50. The rink is open Monday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Daley Bicentennial Plaza Rink, 337 E. Randolph St., is near the lake. Admission and skate rental are $2 each. The rink is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays and from 10 a.m. to noon, 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. weekends.
– Baffled by your relationship or lack thereof? “Love Wisdom,” by Carolyn Temsi and Caro Handley (Pocket Books, $10), is an advice book that’s divided into short gems on trust, patience, communication and more. The advice pertains to love, hope and personal growth–a gift to yourself or a good friend.