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Blackhawks defenseman Calvin de Haan is healthy again for his third Blackhawks season. | AP Photo/Mark Humphrey

De Haan fractured the head of his left tibia March 5 but played through it for much of last season, he revealed Friday.

Calvin de Haan has quietly become the most invincible Blackhawk.

The 30-year-old defenseman played through a broken leg for much of last season. He saw his name tossed around all summer in expansion draft and trade rumors. The Hawks did bring in several higher-profile defensemen, overshadowing his presence.

Yet as the 2021-22 season gets underway, de Haan is still in Chicago, still playing for the Hawks and still delivering his signature one-liners.

“Sorry fans — I’m still here,” he joked with a smile.

Back on March 5, De Haan blocked a ferocious one-timer by Lightning forward Alexander Volkov, then realized the impact had fractured the head of the tibia bone in his left leg.

He hobbled around to finish the shift, missed the March 7 rematch but then returned to the Hawks’ lineup as if nothing was wrong. He didn’t publicly reveal the injury until Friday.

“It was probably a good spot [to break it],” de Haan said. “It didn’t feel good for two or three weeks there, but skating was actually easier than walking around, to be honest. I know that sounds contradictory, but the motion of walking and pounding was a little different than the fluid motion of skating. [I needed] a lot of Advil, lot of Tylenol. It is what it is.”

“We knew right when it happened,” coach Jeremy Colliton added. “I don’t think we knew the damage, but he was hurting obviously for a while. To his credit, [he] played through it. That’s sometimes what makes our game special. We’re not the only sport where guys play through stuff, but there’s a hard-nosed quality to it, for sure.”

De Haan insisted the Hawks medical staff was aware of the situation and allowed him to continue playing because they knew it wouldn’t cause long-term problems. He didn’t need surgery or rehab, just time to let the fracture heal on its own.

But de Haan’s determination to stay healthy — or at least healthy enough to play — almost certainly contributed, too.

His career has long been plagued by shoulder issues, which cost him most of his final season with the Islanders (2017-18) and most of his first season with the Hawks (2019-20). He has scored exactly one goal in four consecutive seasons, and quipped last spring he simply hasn’t played enough games to ever get to two. But last year, he managed to appear in 44 of the team’s first 47 games before succumbing to a hip injury in the final weeks.

“In this day and age, I guess I’m old in hockey years, which kind of sucks,” he said. “Just trying to stay healthy obviously is the main thing for myself.”

The Hawks were widely expected to part ways with de Haan this offseason, but nothing ever materialized. His overpriced $4.55 million cap hit may have actually saved his Hawks tenure by diminishing his attractiveness to the Kraken and other ‘D’-hungry franchises.

After distracting himself during draft and free agency week — the busiest portion of the summer — by holding his wedding at the exact same time, de Haan resurfaced to find himself suddenly a very significant part of the Hawks’ revamped veteran defensive core.

“I knew I was going to have a job somewhere,” he said. “I’m really happy to be a Blackhawk, to be honest. My wife and I love it here, and it’s obviously a great organization.”

De Haan has spent much of training camp paired with Wyatt Kalynuk, and could conceivably move up alongside one of the right-handed stalwarts (Seth Jones and Connor Murphy) eventually, but will play Friday with Caleb Jones.

Seth Jones and Jake McCabe, meanwhile, will both make their Hawks preseason debuts — as will Marc-Andre Fleury, who will tend the net for the game’s first 30 minutes.

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The sport is making its triumphant return to Chicago thanks to XS Tennis, a 13-acre campus with 15 outdoor courts.Read More

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Riccardo Muti leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and violinist Leonidas Kavakos in performance of the Brahms Violin Concerto on Thursday night at Symphony Center. | (C) Todd Rosenberg Photography

Thursday’s line-up showcased two classic compositions embedded in the bedrock of the orchestral repertoire.

After last week’s opening of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s 2021-22 season with its high emotions and podium commentaries, the ensemble returned to a relative sense of normalcy with the first in its second set of concerts Thursday evening at Orchestra Hall.

And unlike that kick-off program, which included two almost unknown historical works getting their first Chicago Symphony hearings, Thursday’s line-up showcased two classic compositions embedded in the bedrock of the orchestral repertoire.

While novelty and variety are always desirable and welcome, it is also worthwhile to return to these pieces that never grow old and serve as touchstones that allow audiences to in some ways to take the measure of this venerable orchestra.

If these musicians were still shaking off a little rust after spending more than a year during the coronavirus shutdown playing only sporadically and mostly in small groups for on-line presentations before a return to full-blown live performances at the Ravinia Festival this past summer, it would be totally understandable.

But as Thursday’s concert made absolutely clear, that is not at all the case. In what is a tribute to the skills and professionalism of these world-class musicians, this orchestra sounds every bit at the top of its game.

Much the same could be said of music director Riccardo Muti, who drew the best from the musicians in these two works. As is always the case with this master conductor, nothing is impetuous, nothing is overdone, nothing is unconsidered. Yes, there is all the necessary punch and pop, but his is a refined, nuanced sensibility.

(C) Todd Rosenberg Photography
Violinist Leonidas Kavakos performs the Brahms Violin Concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on Thursday night.

The evening opened with Johannes Brahms’ Violin Concerto in D major. Op. 77, one of the most frequently heard works in this form, although, surprisingly, nearly six years have passed since the Chicago Symphony last played it.

Muti and Greek violinist Leonidas Kavakos offered what might best be described as an understated take on this work, an approach that was especially apparent in the long first movement. It carries the tempo marking — allegro non troppo, which means fast, but not too much so.

They took the “not too much so” direction to heart, offering a gentle, unhurried and at times even surprisingly measured approach, but one that never sacrificed the section’s momentum and flow. Here and throughout the piece, Muti, the consummate accompanist, made sure the orchestra and the soloist were always balanced and in sync.

After the slow second movement, which begins with a lovely woodwind chorale led by a solo from principal oboist William Welter, the piece concluded with a fun, lively take on the third movement with is catchy folk rhythms that have been attributed to the Hungarian Roma.

Though this work certainly has it technical flourishes, it’s more about expression than technique, and Kavakos handled it all with a comfortable, straightforward interpretation that took full advantage of his pleasing, silken tone. He used an involved, sometimes inward-looking cadenza by the soloist for which the concerto was originally composed, Joseph Joachim, and made the most of it.

Kavakos earned an extended standing ovation, which probably came as much from his fine playing as it did from the audience’s sheer joy in hearing a soloist perform with the orchestra at Orchestra Hall for the first time in some 19 months.

Then came the evening’s apex — Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92. It is one of the most familiar works in the classical literature, but Muti and the orchestra offered an authoritative interpretation that was fresh and alive in every way.

After an appropriately spacious, relaxed take on the introduction, principal flutist Stefan Ragnar Hoskuldsson deftly introduced the movement’s buoyant main theme. The entire orchestra took it up with an appropriately light, agile touch — Muti setting a tempo that seemed just right.

A bit of darkness creeps into the slightly slower second movement which began with the rich, burnished sound of the low strings — a stand-out moment. The evening ended in stellar style, with Muti and the orchestra injecting abundant vim and verve into its take on the exhilarating finale, one of the best-known sections in all classical music with its snappy, propulsive theme powered by the soaring French horns.

It, too, drew a standing ovation from an audience clearly delighted to reconnect live with these timeless classical standbys.

Kyle MacMillan is a freelance writer.

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Khalil Mack is blocked by the Bengals last month. | Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Mack is making progress, practicing Friday for the first time all week.

Bears nose tackle Eddie Goldman is set to play his first real football in 658 days on Sunday.

He has no injury designation for the Lions game after practicing in full the last two days. Goldman had been limited or out ever since he hurt his knee the Monday before the season opener. The Bears presumed he’d return sooner than Week 4, but coach Matt Nagy said he’s eager to get him back.

Nagy wouldn’t say whether he’d be on a set snap count, though that seems likely. Before getting hurt in Week 1, Goldman sat out all of 2020 because of coronavirus concerns. In between, he appeared in one preseason game: the third one against the Titans.

“I think we’re going to see a player who’s going to come out and give it his all,” Nagy said. “I don’t like to put stat lines or anything like that on the guy, but I know this: He had a really, really good week of practice and now probably more than anything is his conditioning and just getting used to that game condition. I know he holds himself to play well and puts a lot of accountability on himself to help out. So he’s going to be anxious to get out there.”

Mack improving

After sitting out the first two practices of the week with a foot injury, star outside linebacker Khalil Mack was limited Friday. Nagy characterized that as a good first step toward playing Sunday.

“I think that’s important,” he said. “That’s a good start there.”

He injured his foot in the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the Browns, went to the locker room for X-rays and returned to play in the second half.

More injuries

Starting strong safety Tashaun Gipson, who missed last week’s game with a hamstring injury, is doubtful for Sunday after failing to practice all week.

Receiver Darnell Mooney is questionable with a groin injury but will play. So will tight end Jesse James after missing two days for personal reasons.

Inside linebacker Joel Iyiegbuniwe, who hurt his hamstring against the Browns, is out.

Cornerback Xavier Crawford (back) is questionable.

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at a news conference to sign a number of housing bills at the Coliseum Connections apartment complex in Oakland, Calif., Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021. Newsom signed seven new laws aimed at addressing the state’s homeless crisis during an event in Los Angeles, on Wednesday, Sept. 29. | AP

The state will require the COVID-19 vaccine for students in kindergarten through sixth grade only after the federal government has given final approval for anyone 5 to 11.

SAN FRANCISCO — California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday announced the nation’s first coronavirus vaccination mandate for schoolchildren, a plan that will have all elementary through high school students get the shots once the vaccine gains final approval from the U.S. government for different age groups.

The government has fully approved the COVID-19 vaccine for those 16 and over but only granted an emergency authorization for anyone 12 to 15. Once federal regulators fully approve the vaccine for that group, the state will require students in seventh through 12th grades to get vaccinated in both public and private schools, Newsom’s office said.

The state will require the COVID-19 vaccine for students in kindergarten through sixth grade only after the federal government has given final approval for anyone 5 to 11.

The announcement comes as infections in most of California have dropped markedly in the last month. But Newsom has been emboldened after easily defeating a recall effort last month following a campaign where he emphasized his commitment to vaccine mandates to end the pandemic.

In Los Angeles County — the nation’s largest, with more than 10 million residents — just 1.7% of people tested for the virus have it and daily infections are down by half in the last month, when most kids went back to school.

“These numbers are amazingly low given that 3,000-plus schools are now open countywide,” county Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Thursday.

She noted that though the number of outbreaks in schools has increased slightly in recent weeks, the overall number is small and largely related to youth sports.

The state’s vaccine mandate would take effect the semester after the federal government grants final approval. If it comes in January, then the mandate would take effect in July.

Students would be granted religious and medical exemptions, but the rules for how the state would apply those exemptions have not been written yet. Any student who refuses to take the vaccine would be forced to complete an independent study course at home.

Until now, Newsom had left the decision on student vaccine mandates to local school districts, leading to a variety of different orders across some of the state’s largest districts.

Los Angeles and Oakland Unified have mandated all students over 12 to be vaccinated, but Oakland’s order has not set a deadline for when students must comply. LA set a deadline of Jan. 20.

Earlier this week, the San Diego Unified school board approved a mandate that staff and students age 16 and older be fully vaccinated by Dec. 20.

Newsom has made it a point of pride to be the first in the nation to issue a variety of pandemic-related school mandates.

In August, California became the first state in the U.S. to require all teachers and staff in K-12 public and private schools to get vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing. Newsom also issued a school mask mandate earlier in the summer for indoor classes that applies to all teachers and students.

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Former Blackhawks video coach Bradley Aldrich allegedly assaulted a player in May 2010. | Sun-Times file photo

In new court documents filed Thursday, a Georgia psychologist describes the “emotional distress” the player suffered as a result of the alleged assault.

The former Blackhawks player allegedly assaulted by former video coach Bradley Aldrich suffered anxiety, depression, severe sleep and anger problems, sexual dysfunction and marital problems resulting in divorce as a result of the assault, new court documents claim.

The player, identified anonymously as “John Doe 1,” is suing the Hawks for negligence in the matter, alleging they covered up Aldrich’s actions after the May 2010 assault.

New responses filed Thursday by Susan Loggans — the lawyer representing both Doe 1 and “John Doe 2,” a Michigan high school student whom Aldrich assaulted in 2013 — include an affidavit from Julie Medlin, a Georgia-based psychologist who evaluated Doe 1 in late 2020. The responses are the latest in a long series of motions and amendments by the Hawks and Loggans in both lawsuits.

Doe 1’s hockey career entered a “downward spiral” ending in an “emotional breakdown” while playing in Austria after the assault, Medlin said. Her evaluation revealed the aforementioned “emotional distress” symptoms.

On the night of the assault, Aldrich allegedly threatened Doe 1 physically with a baseball bat and rhetorically with claims he would ruin his hockey career before sexually touching and ejaculating on him, per earlier court documents.

The Hawks have motioned to dismiss Doe 1’s lawsuit, claiming the two-year statute of limitations should have expired long ago for a May 2010 event, since Doe 1 was an adult fully aware of the incident at the time.

In the new response, Doe 1 claims that awareness the incident was wrongful is also required to start to the statute of limitations, and since former Hawks skills coach James Gary allegedly convinced him at the time the assault was his own fault, he didn’t gain that awareness until learning in 2019 about Aldrich’s assault of the Michigan student.

Cup day equivalent to recommendation?

A new response also filed Thursday in the Doe 2 case, meanwhile, claims the Hawks letting Aldrich enjoy a day with the Stanley Cup in summer 2010 in Houghton, Michigan, was equivalent to a recommendation.

The issue of whether or not the Hawks recommended Aldrich to Houghton High School, where he was a volunteer hockey coach when he assaulted Doe 2 in 2013, has been central to the legitimacy of the Doe 2 lawsuit.

“Most definitely, there was communication between the Blackhawks and Houghton,” Loggans wrote in a letter to Hawks lawyers attached to the court filings. “At the very least, there was non-verbal communication. The Blackhawks gave Mr. Aldrich the actual Stanley Cup to take to Houghton to show it off. The Cup was inscribed with Mr. Aldrich’s name. Standing alone, this communication vouches for Mr. Aldrich’s suitability as a coach.”

All employees of the Cup-winning team traditionally receive one day with the Cup. Aldrich, however, did not receive his Cup day until September 2010, after he’d left the Hawks.

Loggans’ letter responds to a letter from Hawks lawyers, also attached to the filings, in which the Hawks threatened to pursue court sanctions to get “reimbursement of legal fees…incurred defending” the Hawks against the “demonstrably false” claim of a recommendation.

The original version of the Doe 2 lawsuit claimed the Hawks ”provided positive references to future employers for Bradley Aldrich. An amended version of the lawsuit was less specific in that realm, claiming only the Hawks provided a ”positive review and/or employment verification of Aldrich to Houghton.”

The Hawks strongly pushed back against those claims in their most recent motion to dismiss. Indeed, no evidence has surfaced yet of the Hawks sending any reference letter to Miami (Ohio) University — where Aldrich worked in 2012 — or Houghton High, but the lawsuit has not yet advanced to the discovery phase, when such a letter could surface.

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Police responded to a shooting Friday in the 1200 block of North Mason Avenue on the West Side. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Police and paramedics were called to the 1200 block of North Mason Avenue.

A SWAT team responded after two people were wounded in a shootout Friday morning in Austin on the West Side.

Police made two arrests after an exchange of gunfire around 11 a.m. in the 1200 block of North Mason Avenue, Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown said in an unrelated news conference.

Paramedics took one person in serious condition to Mount Sinai Hospital, Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Merritt said.

Chicago police officers transported another person, but the condition was not immediately released, Merritt said.

Police did not immediately release additional details about the incident.

This story will be updated.

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Ana Maria Martinez sings the title role in the Spanish opera “Florencia en el Amazonas” at the Houston Grand Opera. She will reprise the role in Lyric Opera’s production opening in November. | Lynn Lane/Houston Grand Opera

Chicago’s fall/winter classical music scene is filled with international flair, world premieres and holiday treats.

While it’s incumbent on major opera companies to advance the art form by commissioning and premiering new works, it’s also important to re-stage and champion recent creations deemed worthy of such treatment so they have a chance to gain a lasting place in the operatic repertoire.

That’s exactly what Lyric Opera of Chicago (lyricopera.org) is doing with its Nov. 13-28 production of “Florencia en el Amazonas (Florencia in the Amazon),” a 1996 opera by one of Mexico’s leading composers, Daniel Catan. In this this tale steeped in magical realism, elements of the fantastical intervene as operatic diva Florencia Grimaldi takes a boat trip up the Amazon River to a performing engagement where she hopes to reconnect with her lover, Cristobal.

Anthony Freud, Lyric’s general director, president and chief executive officer, called “Florencia” one of the “comparatively few recent operas” that deserves regular revival. “It’s a piece that I love,” he said. “I’ve known it for some time. It’s a very accessible, very beautiful piece that combines Puccinian romance in terms of the melodic and orchestral writing with a sense of fantasy and a sense of [Gabriel Garcia] Marquez-inspired magical realism. It’s a real grand opera, and I’m thrilled that we’ll be producing it.”

This opera will be the first Spanish-language opera that the company has presented as part of its Lyric Opera House mainstage season, a milestone Freud acknowledges might be overdue given the prevalence of Latinx culture and the Spanish language in the United States. “I think it is important in the context of our wanting to tell more diverse stories and to engage a more diverse range of storytellers to tell them,” he said.

Starring in the title role will be soprano Ana Maria Martinez, a Lyric Opera regular. “It’s a marvelous role,” Freud said. “Being able to combine an important new piece with one of our favorite, most distinguished artists in that central role is really significant. It’s another demonstration of the seriousness of our commitment to that piece.”

Here’s a look at 10 other classical music presentations worth considering this fall:

Through Oct. 4: Ear Taxi Festival, venues across the city (eartaxifestival.com). After debuting in 2016 to great success, this nationally heralded celebration of Chicago’s bustling new-music scene is back, and it’s bigger and more diverse than before. This year’s edition runs three weeks and features about 100 events, including more than 20 premieres on its Mainstage Series alone.

Oct. 3, 6 and 9: Giuseppe Verdi’s “Macbeth,” Enrique Mazzola, conductor, bass-baritone Craig Colclough, soprano Sondra Radvanovsky, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Upper Wacker Dr. (lyricopera.org). Mazzola begins his tenure as Lyric Opera’s third music director, leading this 1847 Shakespearean adaptation, which came just before Verdi’s best-known operas like “Rigoletto.” It is part of Mazzola’s plan to lead a series of Verdi’s early works — one a season.

Oct. 5: “Fanm d’Ayiti (Women of Haiti),” Nathalie Joachim and Spektral Quartet, Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph (harristheaterchicago.org). Joachim, a Brooklyn-born composer, flutist and vocalist, developed this evening-length work for flute, voice, string quartet and electronics as a way to explore her Haitian heritage. A 2019 recording of “Fanm d’Ayiti” with the Chicago-based Spektral Quartet received a Grammy nomination for best world music album.

Oct. 7 and 9, Collaborative Works Festival, Ganz Hall, Roosevelt University, 430 S. Michigan, and Oct. 8, Driehaus Museum, 40 E. Erie (caichicago.org). This annual festival pays tribute to the rich, sometimes underappreciated world of art song — vocal settings of poems or other texts. This year’s edition, titled “Strangers in a Strange Land,” explores themes of immigration and cultural exchange and puts an emphasis on diverse compositional voices.

Dario Acosta Photo
Mezzo-soprano Susan Graham | Dario Acosta Photo

Oct. 8: Mezzo-soprano Susan Graham and Music from Copland House, University of Chicago Presents, Mandel Hall, 1131 E. 57th (chicagopresents.uchicago.edu). Graham, one of the leading lights of the vocal world, joins a six-member resident ensemble from Copland’s historic home for an all-American program. A highlight is the world premiere of Richard Danielpour’s “A Standing Witness,” settings of poems by former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove.

Oct. 17: North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie, and Oct. 18, Harris Theater, “Vivaldi & Friends,” Music of the Baroque, John Butt, conductor (baroque.org). Butt, music director of Scotland’s Dunedin Consort and a respected early-music specialist, joins Music of the Baroque for the first time. He will lead a program that explores the music of the celebrated baroque master as well as composers who influenced Vivaldi and whom he influenced.

Provided
Pianist Yuja Wang.

Nov. 7: Pianist Yuja Wang and violinist Leonidas Kavakos, Symphony Center Presents, Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan (cso.org). Few classical-music artists are better known worldwide than Yuja Wang, a 34-year-old Chinese pianist who has electrified audiences with her fiery, technically dazzling style. She joins her frequent recital partner, Kavakos, for this program, which includes works by J.S. Bach, Ferruccio Busoni and Dmitri Shostakovich.

Ma2la Photo
Giancarlo Guerrero

Nov. 18-21: Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor; Daniel Binelli, bandoneon, Symphony Center (cso.org). Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla gained lasting fame for transforming the tango into a viable concert form. The Chicago Symphony will mark the 100th anniversary of his birth with a program that includes the composer’s Aconcagua Concerto for Bandoneon — a showcase for a kind of concertina popular in Argentina and Uruguay.

Dec. 9-11: Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Andres Orozco-Estrada, conductor; Hilary Hahn, violin, Symphony Center (cso.org). Hahn, a probing, always expressive violin soloist and innovative arts leader, began a two-year appointment as the Chicago Symphony’s artist-in-residence on Sept. 1. Her first performances in that role will come during these concerts, which will also feature the world premiere of Gabriela Lena Frank’s “Hailli-Serenata,” which the orchestra commissioned.

Dec. 11, 17 and 19: Mark Adamo’s “Becoming Santa Claus,” Lidiya Yankovskaya, conductor; Chicago Opera Theater, Studebaker Theater, 410 S. Michigan Ave. (chicagooperatheater.org). The Chicago Opera Theater presents the Chicago premiere of this whimsical holiday opera by composer and librettist Mark Adamo, who is known for such popular contemporary operas as “Little Women.” Director and choreographer Kyle Lang will oversee this new family-friendly production of the work, which premiered at the Dallas Opera in 2015.

Kate Lemmon Photo
Conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya.

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GRAMMY(R) Award-winning artist and wellness guru DJ Khaled is bringing his CBD-infused skincare to fans with GROOMED x BLESSWELLTM Chicago. Due to the early success of the BLESSWELLTM brand in partnership with Endexx Corporation(R) (OTC: EDXC), the duo is expanding its footprint with an immersive, ultra-luxe self-care experience.

The music magnate’s pop-up store, to be located in the heart of downtown Chicago, will provide complimentary grooming services using the premium skin and face products of the BLESSWELLTM collection. The Kimpton Gray Hotel storefront, located at 126 W Monroe Street, is set to be the first physical location of its kind and will run from September 29, 2021 through October 23, 2021.

Photo Credit: BLESSED X GROOMED

Chicagoans and tourists will experience the keys to wellness by indulging in a range of offerings including cuts, shaves, and facials. Award-winning barber JC Tha Barber, alongside some of the best groomers in Chicago courtesy of the Anti Broke Barbers Club including resident Jesse Elite, will rotate in and out of the shop, providing their services and sharing tips and trends as it relates to the CBD-enhanced line.

There will be no shortage of “instagrammable” moments at GROOMED x BLESSWELLTM as the space will feature two state-of-the-art grooming stations, comfortable lounge seating with gaming, BLESSWELLTM merchandise, and a bar offering Jim Beam Highballs, Hornitos Seltzers, and On The Rocks Cocktails. The full collection of BLESSWELLTM products, which includes a Blue Charcoal Face Mask, Conditioning Beard Oil, Daily Moisturizer, Facial Cleansing Scrub, Lathering Body Wash, and Ultimate Shave Cream, will also be available to purchase on-site.

Photo Credit: BLESSED X GROOMED

DJ Khaled is excited to introduce Chicagoans to his brand and share his passion for wellness through the GROOMED x BLESSWELLTM experience. “I strive to better myself every day, and CBD has become an essential part of my daily routine that allows me to focus my mind and my energies,” says DJ Khaled. “BLESSWELLTM was created to introduce men and women to a whole body, holistic form of self-care, and I’m honored to bring the collection to Chicago first.” GROOMED x BLESSWELLTM plans to visit other cities across the country in 2022.

DJ Khaled will celebrate the opening of GROOMED x BLESSWELLTM by awarding one lucky fan and their guest an experience of a lifetime with “The BLESSWELLTM Grooming Getaway.” The giveaway will be announced on the business mogul’s instagram on September 29 and includes a two night stay at the Kimpton Gray Hotel, a $500 travel voucher to Chicago, a virtual meet-and-greet with DJ Khaled, and VIP access to the GROOMED x BLESSWELLTM experience.

Photo Credit: BLESSED X GROOMED

In honor of the pop-up, the Kimpton Gray Hotel and BLESSWELLTM will partner on a limited-edition “ROOM + GROOM” Package. The unbeatable tailor-made travel offer includes a hotel stay in the historic building that is considered one of Chicago’s finest landmarks. Guests will be welcomed with a complimentary BLESSWELLTM gift set and VIP salon grooming experience.

Ryan Stender, a Chicago native and co-founder of BLESSWELLTM says, “There is no city better-suited to host the first-ever GROOMED x BLESSWELLTM pop-up more than my hometown. This luxurious yet accessible shop will offer men and women a fun opportunity to experience the brand first-hand through the world’s most talented barbers, while also providing them the tools to achieve their healthiest skin and hair at home.”

Photo Credit: BLESSED X GROOMED

To schedule an appointment at GROOMED x BLESSWELLTM Chicago, fans can visit groomedxblesswell.com. Appointments will be available Wednesday through Friday from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Walk-in appointments will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

To book the Room + Groom Package, guests should contact the Kimpton Gray Hotel at (312) 604-9830. Packages must be booked a minimum of 72 hours in advance. For more information, please visit grayhotelchicago.com/chicago-hotel-deals.

The post DJ Khaled’s BLESSWELLTM Pops Up in the Windy City with CBD-Infused Skincare appeared first on UrbanMatter.

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