Barber Shop in Oak Park

Vidal Sassoon–trained Valerie Lopez turns manes into displays of art while working inside Cleo Hair Salon. Goldwell products help her bestow heads with new hues in the form of highlights, all-over color, or stenciled stars. She tames unruly strands with a Brazilian blowout formula—one of her specialties—and instantly adds length with partial weave services.

Paris Cut Hair Design's aestheticians deftly channel the ancient Middle Eastern practice of threading, a precise and speedy method of shaping brow bristles that has found popularity among many of today’s A-list celebrities. During the 15-minute threading treatment, a skilled thread tech twists a length of pure cotton thread and weaves it around overgrown brows, uprooting follicle squatters without chemicals or irritation. Ocular overscores emerge from the treatment looking sharp, streamlined, and ready to replace spit takes and eye rubbing as the preferred method of expressing disbelief.

Practiced stylist Christine Miller has been sculpting classic and contemporary hairstyles since 1985. At Studio Bijoux, she employs these decades of experience while carving out cuts for men, women, and children using Privé and Redken products. Christine also imbues locks with rich, deep Goldwell and Framesi hair color, which can perk up her guests just as much as the complimentary coffee and water she offers them.

Hot Choppers Salon knows hairstyles bespeak attitudes. Tori Palmer helps clients let their hair do the talking with modern cuts and styles. She specializes in Brazilian blowouts, custom colors, and extensions, and she clips women’s, men’s, and kids’ tresses with precision and attention to detail.

Kylie Bass commands one of the many chairs inside Jamie's sprawling 5,000-square-foot salon and day spa, drawing upon her considerable styling talents to refurbish sloppy mop tops. From among her services, she adopts Matrix coloring elixirs to lace locks with highlights and mask roots in aging clown wigs with tints.

Surrounded by cream walls, decorative metal hangings, and foliage in every corner, a fleet of sleek black chairs eagerly awaits the next client at Salon of the Oaks, where stylists dole out expert cuts, highlights, and perms. Nearby, manicurists fuse Shellac polish to nails for a chip-free two-week stay, while acrylics hide agoraphobic keratin sheets. Additionally, patrons can refresh faces with cleansing facials, brow waxes, and ear-piercing services.