Spa Night at Cabanas Restaurant

Spa night at Cabanas in Mentor was buzzing on Monday, filled mostly with tables of girlfriends there to have dinner and a spa treatment.

Now in its second year, Spa Night, which costs $25, takes place the first Monday evening of each month. In April, however, it will be on April 8, since Easter Sunday is the day before April’s first Monday.

Reservations are a good idea, because even though Cabanas is spacious, the evening attracts a big crowd. (440-255-0697)

Spa Night customers each get a drink or glass of wine, choose among a soup or pair of salads, eight entrees and among four spa choices, provided by staffers from Jenniffer & Co.

Flowing floor length curtains drape the area where customers undergo spa services, comfortably sequestered away from diners. Beckoned to their chosen spa service by their server between their salad and their entree, they choose among a chair massage, paraffin dip and hand massage, mini facial or airbrush make-up. All are abbreviated versions of more complete services offered at Jenniffer & Co. salons in Mentor and Mentor-on-the-Lake.

Each customer gets a goodie bag of samples and coupons at the conclusion of the treatment, which takes about 15 minutes. Full service treatments booked for the Jenniffer & Co. salons that evening get a 20 percent discount.

Cabanas also has a menu it designed for the News-Herald’s Lighten Up initiative, with all menu items under 600 calories. Managing Editor Laura Kessel will tell you more in her Saturday column.

I ordered a glass of Merlot, garden salad, and lemon garlic chicken and got a mini facial for my Spa Night experience. Another 58 people also participated in Spa Night and at least one table remained to play cards.

Cabanas is at 9055 Mentor Ave. in Mentor. Jenniffer & Co. Salons are at 9420 Mentor Ave., Mentor and 7906 Munson Road in Mentor-on-the-Lake. It’s the best kind of cooperative agreement between businesses, who share news  of the evening with their own customers, and is a true win-win scenario – especially for the customers.