Joseph Michael’s Salon and Spa

I went to Katie for highlights 2 weeks ago and she did a fantastic job! She is a great hostess and listened to everything that I wanted done with my hair. Sweet and polite gal! I showed her a picture of my hair and she used an amazing toner on my hair which resulted in EXACTLY what I wanted!
I would absolutely recommend Katie for highlights and will continue to come to her in the future. Thank you for a beautiful job.

I live in the neighborhood and was looking for a color appointment short notice. I called and scheduled an appointment with Katie. I’m very picky about my color since I am a «blonde» and have had some very orange hair in the past.
Katie was great. She listened to my neuroses with patience and concern. She suggested doing a highlight instead of my normal balayage to brighten up and blend my existing color. It turned out beautifully! I normally avoid highlights in fear of the 90’s streaks but they turned out gorgeous, blended, and totally natural.
I will absolutely be returning to Katie. So nice and really listens to her clients.

I went to Katie twice for a haircut and she did a decent job. Then I made the mistake of asking her to give me highlights. The first round you couldn’t even tell a difference and when I went back and said I wasn’t happy she got really bitchy. She offered to correct them which I let her do. BIG MISTAKE. she made me a bleach blonde and it looked like someone poured a bottle of bleach on my head. The worst job I have ever had. I am now going to someone else to repair and correct this crap job she did. Don’t go to her for color. She has no idea what she’s doing. But she’ll be happy to brag to you she’s the best. STEAR CLEAR.

I came in here last minute hoping to get a deep conditioning treatment for my fried blonde hair (compliments of another hair salon in NYC). They were no longer accepting new clients for the day, but they took me in anyway and gave me an Olaplex treatment. They were so nice and made me feel much better about my horrible hair situation. They also gave me magazines and wine. I felt truly pampered and I wish this salon was in NYC where I actually live so I could go there all the time! Thank you!

Seriously the BEST Blowout EVER! Great shampoo, terrific blowout & I have a TON of difficult hair. Great job Katie! Thank you!

I would highly recommend Stacie for hair and makeup! I’ve been to Stacie a few times, including my brother’s wedding where I was a bridesmaid. She did an amazing job on my makeup and long hair. She listens very careful to exactly what you’re looking for and replicated the pictures I brought in to a tee. I received so many compliments on the day of the wedding, and many people asked who I wen to so they could use her themselves. She’s also very sweet! Can’t wait to go back!

So wonderful and nice. After I got my eyebrows done they let me sit in the spa with a blanket while I waited for my sister to get done with her appointment. Everyone was very friendly.

Love this place. I start my Sunday morning with a message from Candice. All of my shoulder tensions from a tough week completely disappear! She combines knowledge, skill, and compassion to the max. She is a real artist with a big school degree too.
The facility is also very nice and is staffed with friendly, professional people. It makes me wish I had hair again.

I went for a facial with Nicole, it was amazing!
Nicole did an excellent job. My skin was glowing.
I can hardly wait to go back.
The European facial is the best.

Beautiful salon. Very friendly staff.
I received a no-​chip mani for $ 44. Worth it? Eh. I figured because of he price and spa atmosphere that I would at least get a little hand therapy included. Maybe a little paraffin mask? Nothing. Very basic no-​chip mani. Unfortunately, all they have is the CND brand which is kind of crappy (never lasts a full two weeks on me). Not a ton of color choices, but they do have some nice colors. Jelena did a good job, but I usually only spend $ 30 and get much more for my $$ somewhere else.

Eileen can fix any bad color. I don’t even live in Chicago, but I fly back just to color my hair. Eileen is the nicest person you’ll ever meet and she is excellent at her job. She is a true artist.
This place is the best salon in Chicago.

Nice place, needs better staff and less «stuffiness».
When the place is in Gold Coast, and the prices are high you expect nothing but excellence…
Char is a great colorist! Very talented and well established. A bit pushy, but trust her — she knows what she is doing, and — more important in some cases — what needs to be done. I tried 2 other colorists there but I think she is the only one who can make the right color on any hair from the 1^st try.
I tried pedicure with one girl… and will never do it again. It just wasn’t a quality you expect from a place like this, and for that price. LOL!
Massage was good though. Danny definitely knows his stuff.

I went to Joseph Michael’s Salon last Tuesday and I was not very impressed.
Eileen cut my hair and although she seemed to know what she was doing, she cut it very quickly and after drying it, she seemed to be arbitrarily cutting pieces.
My brother is a stylist and I have some experience with what you should be doing and what you shouldn’t be doing. She was cutting the hair to make how she styled it look good and not trying to make the actual cut look good.
I wasn’t going to post anything but today my husband went and had a pretty bad experience. Angela cut his hair and he was shocked with how poorly done the cut was.
He said she did not seem to know how to cut men’s hair and was randomly clipping bits here and there. He almost asked her stop and to get someone else to cut his hair. When she was finished the sides and the top were the same length and his hair was still touching his ears. My husband is a 30 year old professional and wanted a clean cut look. He had to talk her through the cut step by step.
When he asked the receptionist how long Angela had been doing men’s hair, she replied that Angela had worked there for 2 years but didn’t really answer the question.
Suffice it to say, we will not be returning which is a shame because it’s only a block away from our house.

NICOLE is AMAZING! Being new to Chicago I was looking for a new «home» salon for waxing services. TMI? Well, whatever. It is summer after-​all.
Anyway, I talked to her and was very open about what I was looking for. She accommodated and shared some stories to keep me distracted. I told her what would make me feel more comfortable and she worked with me throughout the process. I mentioned that I would need a drink afterwards and she offered me a glass of wine. Love it! Although I did not partake, at least I know it is available.
Overall the entire staff is very friendly. The facilities are beautiful. Plenty of beverages.
Highly recommended. I will try color/​cut in the near future once its time. Hopefully this will be my new salon!

For beautiful hair color and styling, I recommend Stacie — she is really talented, friendly and knowledgable.
I have always been hesitant to color my hair and have stuck to my natural color. I wanted to try the new ombré look, and showed Stacie a few Pinterest pics of the look I wanted. Stacie was patient with me and spent a great amount of time to carefully select the right colors to work with my skin tone.
Her diligence paid off and my colors are just right. I’m beyond thrilled with her and my new look!

I have been coming to JM Salon and Spa since it was on State street. I go to Stacey and love her! She is so sweet. She listens very well and always makes my hair look the way I explained it to her. She also recommended where I could buy clip in extensions for my birthday and put them in and styled them for me — best my hair has ever looked! I always leave feeling beautiful and happy! Will continue to only go to Stacey for all things hair related :)

I have to compliment Angela Petersen of Joseph Michael Salon and Spa.
I met her through a mutual friend and kept her card actually for years. When I needed someone to do my hair for TV apperances– Angela was willing to come in and do my hair bright and early and listened to what I wanted. She’s quick, efficient and dedicated to her craft.
I highly recommend you check out the salon and check her out– I’m glad I did!

Prior to finding Joseph Michael Salon, I often found it difficult to find a hair salon that gave a refined yet consistent hair cut. I’ve scoured throughout the city and surrounding suburb, only to be left disappointed. This is partially due to the fact that not everybody can cut Asian hair because of its coarse and thick nature. After countless searches and reading reviews, I decided to take a chance with Joseph Michael.
The salon has a serene ambiance as you enter. From lounging to a large selection of complimentary drinks, each client is welcomed in an inviting manner. I’m always impressed by the level of attention and detail my stylist takes to cut my hair. Though it can be time consuming, the entire experience from start to finish exceeds my expectations every time.
Considering I’m on a college budget, the haircuts and services are more on the pricier end. But for the quality and consistency of the haircut, I highly recommend it to those who are very particular about their cuts. However, I would definitely recommend checking out their website to find a hair dresser that best suits your needs. Whoever you decide to go with, the level of experience and talent they have to offer won’t disappoint you. That being said, making an appointment prior will ensure you a spot, especially since it can get extremely busy on weekends.
Though the salon is located within the heart of the Gold Coast, knowing that my expectations will be met or exceeded makes the travel from up north well worth it. As a loyal client for a little over a year now, I will continue to get my cut from Joseph Michael for years to come.

I have really held off on writing this review as I have been a loyal customer since 2008 but will never be returning.
As I have gone over the years, my color and experience went from great to bad, as many women often experience. Color appointments go from 2 hours to 4+ hours as other appointments are booked and handled while I am processing, being shampooed, etc forcing me to wait. But — I never said anything — because the color was good. Then it started to go downhill, yellowish/​orange highlights instead of blonde.
The last time I left with orange highlights. My stylist told me to buy purple shampoo, since she didn’t have time to fix my hair, which might fix it ($ 30 shampoo) — but of course it did not. I had to return to get them fixed (paying for parking twice) and they were not at all fixed. She saw I was unhappy, but I was again there for many hours and had to go. I asked to speak to the manager, as I was not going to pay $ 200 for this, plus parking two times, plus the shampoo that clearly did not work. I told her I have been a customer since 2008 and was very unsatisfied. She told me she would not be discounting my service, I should be happy she tried to fix it, and something along the lines of they didn’t need me as a customer and they didn’t care how long I had been going there.
I think a true test of a business is their customer service, especially in a situation where I have now spent 7 hours of my time, given up two Saturdays, and was completely unhappy. So… I paid and left.
Be advised that if you go to this salon and something does at some point go wrong, they will not try to make things right. I would highly recommend going somewhere else.

Visit #1: I had longish hair and got a basic cut. I was happy (which is the reason I’m giving 2 stars instead of 1). I decided to go back. MISTAKE.
Visit #2: Worse salon experience of my life (that’s really saying something! I’ve had some pretty awful cuts in my life. like the Carol Brady Mullet Incident of ’06).
Cut:
I wanted to lose my length. I brought in a picture of a very cute razored, shoulder length bob. I specified that is what I wanted, only a bit longer. Lauren looked at the picture for approximately .4 seconds. I was impressed that she «got it» that quickly. Turns out she only saw «bob» and decided to give me a pageboy. I should have realized everything was going horribly wrong at the first cut. She was making the layer of hair that touches my neck the shortest when even I could tell that in the picture that was the longest layer (not a traditional bob which is why I chose it out of hundreds of pictures in the hair mag). I ended up with a too-​short pageboy.
Awful, awful. I went back the next day to see if she could make it look even a tiny bit like the picture. She took some weight out of the bottom which actually made it worse. Too short to fix.
Color:
I wanted to go decidedly RED. I was very clear that I didn’t want that fake looking ruby/​purple hued red but more of an orangey red (she taught me the term is «coppper»). I have medium brown hair with coppery highlights naturally. What I ended up with was BLACK CHERRY much darker than my natural color.
So awful.
When I went back the next day I said I’d be okay stripping it if need be but instead we went with a clarifying shampoo and recolor. I walked (ran, really) out of there with black cherry hair that in direct sunlight would have a coppery sheen in some places but mostly still the black cherry horrible purple/​ruby. But overall my hair was still much darker than my natural color. How is this red?
You would think anyone doing hair knows that you can always go darker but you can’t go lighter. Why not err on the side of caution?
Horribly botched cut, worse color.
I debated for a long time about reviewing because I really like Lauren as a person. She was very sweet about my returning to try to fix everything the next day, too. The thing is, I ended up on something of a hair Odyssey trying to fix what she messed up and it’s proving so very challenging, even a month later. Literally nothing she did worked. At all.
Moving on to The Fixing of the Hair which brought me to Strange Beauty Show and Black Hearts Hair House. Those are next.
UPDATE: I received a letter from the manager along with a check for the full amount I paid for my services. VERY classy move.