Sandra Ross Salon

I finally found Chelsea after I saw a woman in a hardware store parking lot with a great haircut and asked her where she got her hair done… I’d recently moved to OP and had bad luck with other stylists in the area. The salon is a warm and friendly place to get your hair done and I’m so glad I found Chelsea!

Had a haircut a few weeks ago with «Sandy». I am not sure if she was having a bad morning but she was kind of hostile. She said things like «I have no clue what you are talking about», «I know you haven’t been here in months, I looked up your account in our computer», «people really don’t know how to use shampoo, they waste their time», etc. I am pretty sure it was nothing personal, but it was not a comfortable haircut. She did a good job but I would never ask for her again. Strange.

Great haircut. Excellent color. Casual, nothing special atmosphere, pricey for the neighborhood, but was worth the money for such a wonderful cut by Chelsea.

So now that I no longer have time to travel back and forth from Oak Park to Algonquin to see my favorite colorist, Patti (with whom I have a ten year relationship), I decided I needed to find a place closer to home. Sandra Ross Salon is about three blocks from my condo so the location is perfect. When I stepped inside I noticed that it was much uglier/​trashier than I was used to (i.e. cluttered, outdated colors, old formica stations, no decoration except trashy halloween tchatchkes). There seemed to be no dress code at all as some workers were dressed in old jeans and tees. The salon was not very clean or organized, and I’m pretty sure that they did not wash the aprons for the customers after each use because I found many unidentifiable hairs on my shirt after leaving (EEEW).
My appointment began with a hi-​lite/​lo-​lite. The colorist and I had a very brief consultation before she started on what turned out to be a very, very skimpy job. Additionally, she did not consult with me on which shade I would prefer for the lo-​lite. I think there was only one drier in the salon and it was pretty old and not very hot, so it took quite a while under there before I was done. Although I was not satisfied with the work, I thought that the colorist was very sweet but quiet.
Then I had a hair cut. This stylist was more outgoing and bubbly than the colorist. She did a great job on my hair cut and style, although it took her a long time for the style.
As I was paying, I was told I could not use my credit card for tips, which was really inconvenient since then I had to write two checks– one for the colorist and one for the stylist. The coloring service was overpriced for the skimpiness of the job.
Overall, I was unsatisfied with my experience at Sandra Ross Salon. The skimpy hi-​lite/​lo-​lite, incomplete consultation, and overall trashiness would not allow me to recommend this salon.

I needed a quick, cheap manicure and this place had time for me, but the whole experience was a little creepy. The technician was close to 80 years old. There were only about 12 polish colors to choose from – and not all of them were «nice» brands like OPI or Essie – and when the tech couldn’t open the color I had chosen, she just grabbed another and said, «This one is close enough.» As she worked, I noticed that all over the table were nail clippings – big chunky bits and little slivers. Seriously repulsive.