Basics

Melanie did an amazing job balancing my hair’s health (and my like of shine) with my desired color. She is a professional; she knows her stuff and we had a conversation and decided on how to proceed based on her knowledge and experience.
The result transformed my hair from a mess into a lovely long sleek do with fabulous color.
She is also a crazy good listener. I felt cared for hair and all. Finally, I found my hair colorist and stylist!
And the price was very reasonable. I can’t recommend the salon more highly, as well as Melanie.

Mel is awesome! She is the best colorist I have ever been to. She has taken me from blonde to ombré, back to dark and now back to blonde with a fabulous bob cut. If you need an experienced hair stylist who specializes in color than Mel is the girl for you!

True to its name! A very well-​run no frills salon! I had my first haircut with Val tonight. I hadn’t cut my hair in nearly a year, and what a world of difference 45-​minutes in Val’s very capable hands made! All I asked was to keep the length, thin it out a bit and some layers. In short my hair looks and feels the best it ever has! Val is very friendly, not at all pushy and has some great history lessons about the neighborhood if you’re interested. :) Pricing is reasonable, salon is clean, staff is friendly, I will definitely be back! Only downside is cash only for tips. :-\ Come prepared!

Val is the man. I consistently get great haircuts from him and have a lot of friends that now go to him for their haircut needs. I won’t go to anyone else in the city. I would kill myself before that happens.

I had an unpleasant color experience at a different salon over 6 months ago and was terrified to let anyone touch my hair. After I decided I couldn’t stand to look at my mess of a nest anymore I knew it was time to find someone to help me out. A nice gal I know mentioned Basics. I read the Unilocal reviews and they seemed pretty wonderful, so I figured I should give it a shot. I called and was able to get an appointment the very next day for a cut and color correction. I met with Melanie and she literally made magic happen. Melanie was super sweet, patient, and really listened to what I was hoping to achieve while being completely honest with me. She was incredibly attentive to detail. She made sure that everything was absolutely perfect and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that. I felt like she really cared that I was happy. She also gave me a fantastic cut to compliment my fresh beautiful color. Everyone in the salon was super friendly. I felt like I was right at home. I will definitely only be trusting my tresses with Melanie as long as I live in Chicago!

I’ve been seeing Marie at Basic’s now for over 6 years… and have probably had the same amount of hair styles since then. She is so great with catering to my needs and is an artist at cutting and styling men’s hair.
My hair isn’t necessarily the easiest to cut & style, and she had done a more than awesome job with making sure I leave happy each time. The hardest part I find with changing styles is the transition from one to the other. Each time, she manages to do a perfect job with making sure I never go through an ‘awkward’ stage. Unless she decides to stop doing hair, I will always be sure that Marie will be the only person that touches this do.
Lastly, Basics is a very comfortable place. Each time I go in there, they are always so warm and hospitable. They get a 5 for being AMAZING!

I love this salon. Very friendly and knowledgeable staff, great products. Great location. David is a master of highlights !! Love his work. Highly recommend !

I went to this salon out of pure convenience and ended up very happy and definitely plan on going back. It’s a two minute walk from my house. I got Val when I booked a last minute haircut. He listened to what I liked and didn’t like about my previous cut and gave me exactly what I wanted plus I was in and out in less than an hour. The salon itself has no frills but it’s cute. I didn’t have products pushed on me and felt welcomed.

I moved to the area a few weeks ago and was trying out Basics for the first time. I had a recent bad experience at a different local salon, and needed my hair fixed. Melanie did an excellent job figuring out exactly what I wanted. She took her time and was very patient with me. Not only did she fix my highlights and lowlights, but she also styled it very nicely. I left the salon very happy and I know I will be going back. I highly recommend Basics!

My relationship with Basics is a little weird: I don’t ever go to anyone in particular, but I always come in with a «please, for the love of God, help me and my hair» situation.
The first time, I got Val.
I had recently gotten a bad hair cut from a place in Lincoln Park. I thought it was one of those situations where I would, after a few days, suddenly start loving the cut. That was not the case. So one Wednesday after work, I crawled into Basics and unloaded all of my hair woes on to Val. He listened. He suggested. And he transformed my weird hair cut into a brag-​worthy do. Yes. Val saved my life.
The second time, I got Cecilia.
After getting totally bored and hacking off my bangs accidentally Tegan-​and-​Sara short, I really needed some assistance. She listened. She suggested. And she actually, some how, took some of my extra hair and made my bangs look amazing (and even a little bit longer and more fitting!). Cecilia basically saved my (social) life.
In the end, I think I will always keep walking-​in to Basics for all of my hair care situations. Whenever I have hair-​anxiety, Basics is like a therapist (tHAIRapist?)… no matter your stylist!

I have never done a Unilocal post but Erin deserves the praise. She just gave me the best haircut I have probably ever had. I knew it was good when I left the salon but wanted to see what it looked like a couple of days later and I could not be happier.
For a guy I am pretty particular about my hair and because I travel and have relocated to 10+ cities over the last 20 years I have had a lot of experience in trying to find a good stylist. I am sure I have tried at least 3– 5 stylists iin every city I have lived in and this is the first time I don’t have to look for a new stylist.
She has great technique and vision, was very personable and engaging, and demonstrated pride in what she was doing.
Thank you Erin — I look forward to seeing you in a few weeks.

I’ve been coming to this salon for a couple years now and I don’t live in the city at all. I drive in from the suburbs to go see Marie. So if I were you I would request Marie. If you need a great blow out, request Val.
Being on Southport during a Cubs game, the parking can be a little difficult, but if I ever need to put more money on the meter, the receptionist there always just take my keys and runs out to my car for me. The service here is always with a smile and it’s just a casual salon. I always come out loving my hair. They do a have a nail lady in the back that does nails, including no chip, but you do have to make an appointment for that. I love coming here, I don’t think I will ever see a different person to do my hair other than Marie. Marie was also one of the top 100 Stylists in Chicago’s Magazine for 2011. Go Marie!!!

For a guy who used to laugh at men going to a salon, I proudly eat my words. The people are amazing just as the service. Erin will always be allowed to cut my hair while I live in this area. Barbershops are a thing of the past. Service and conversation are keys for a salon and they are short on neither.

This will be my one year anniversary with Marie! And let me say, it is not easy to get me to settle down.
She has helped me try out all sorts of styles and colors until I found one that I love. Ever since that pivotal minute when I realized I love being a brunette, I see her once a month. I walk out adoring my hair, and loving that I have a great conversation. Another fantastic perk is that even though I go once a month, I’m not breaking my piggy bank out for it.
I don’t know what else you can ask for in a salon.
Yay for Marie!

I have been getting my haircut here for 5 years from Val. He is the best. Remembers my cut, is quick and will fit me in if I need a cut last minute. Never complains when I am late (which is often) and the staff is cool too. I strongly recommend him and this place for a hair cut.

Marie was AWESOME. She took me as a walk-​in today and gave me a fabulous cut. She was creative and had good technique and has a great personality and excellent conversation! I highly recommend her!!! Thanks Marie. I look a lot better now.

Val is my hairdresser and he is AWESOME! We even exchange Christmas giftsI have been going to basics for over 6 years now. We Everyone is super friendly. I have had manicures, pedicures, and waxing done as well and all were great. I would certainly recommend going here.

This is the only place I’ve ever gone in Chicago to get my hair done since moving to the city 3 years ago. Well, there was that one time that I was tempted to a pricey salon on Oak St. by $ 31 services for the Pretty City event. And that other time that I went to Salon 1800 because I had a gift certificate (even though that $ 100 gift certificate barely covered half of the price). But I always came back to Basics (wow…no pun intended!). Specifically, Marie has been my go-​to gal for 3 years. She always does a great job and she even helps me figure out what I want to do to my hair next, even when I don’t really have a clue other that «make my hair not suck!» Marie gets better every time I go there too; it seems like every hair cut/​color I get is just a little bit better than the last. Even though the last one totally rocked, too. :o)
The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is because it is a little bit pricey. It’s definitely reasonable (especially when compared with other places in the city), but a 5 star place in my book shouldn’t make me wince at all when I hand my card over the the receptionist.