5 Ways To Spend $100 In Chicago

So you've been cooped up in your apartment for far too long. Suddenly, a week of home-cooked meals and lounging on the couch have left you with some spare change and an itch to spend. Or maybe your years of lotto tickets have paid off, and it's time to celebrate. What's the best way to drop a Benjamin in this town? If you're looking for something beyond a massage or a spa day, we've gathered up some flashy and fun ways to drop semi-serious dough when you really feel the urge.

Vosges

520 N. Michigan Avenue
www.vosgeschocolate.com

To no surprise, the sweet tooth might be the first urge to take over. Vosges chocolate bars are already one of Chicago's most luxurious treats, but if you really want to splurge on the locally-made sweets, try their La Grande Gift Tower. With 16 truffles, La Parsienne Cocoa, a half-pound of toffee and eight exotic collection caramels, it's a decadent indulgence for yourself or a sweetheart.

Terragusto

1851 West Addison Street
www.terragustocafe.com

If you're still thinking with your stomach and want to be generous, a dinner for two at Terragusto could be just the thing. For $45 a piece, you and a friend can enjoy the prix fixe menu of homemade organic breads, antipasti, primi piatti, meat course and a dessert. Use the rest of your dough for a nice tip or your favorite bottle of red; the Addison location is BYOB.

Rotofugi

2780 N Lincoln Avenue
www.rotofugi.com

Anybody can go out and buy a nice art print to hang on the wall. But if you want to find some of the most unique art for sale in Chicago, look no further than boutique toy shop Rotofugi. Long a favorite of hometown rapper Lupe Fiasco, Rotofugi sells high-end, sometimes extremely limited-release action figures and toys. Take home something like London Police's Teddy Troop, a ten-inch vinyl figurine that'll give your place some playful class.

Insight Studios

1062 N Milwaukee Avenue
www.insightstudiosonline.com

If you want this splurge to last a lifetime, spend your hundred (or possibly much more) on a tattoo. Chicago's Insight Studios is home to a bevy of acclaimed piercing and tattooing professionals. A hundred dollars, you can't get a very large detailed drawing, but if you're just looking for some lettering or simpler designs, a hundred bucks can probably get your name of choice written across your bicep of choice (and c'mon: haven't you always wanted to?).

The Duke

2616 North Clark Street
www.dukeschicago.com

If you really want to get the most decadence out of a single bill, there's likely nothing more gluttonous than Duke's "The Duke". Underneath its mild-mannered pretzel bun, the Duke swells with a pound of Kobe beef, black truffle paste, 9 ounces of lobster tail, and 23-karat edible gold leaf. If this doesn't sate your spending spree fever, nothing will.

Dan Morgridge is a writer from Ukrainian Village who will gladly help you spend any spare $100 bills you have lying around.