Merz Downtown

This place is so unique to the city! I discovered this place because I was looking for a non-​toxic deodorant. I was happily surprised they had multiple options and thoroughly enjoyed browsing the other items in the store. In addition to the deodorant, I purchased some lovely scented unpackaged soaps.

This place makes me happy. It reminds me of a time that I never experienced, but heard a lot about, when my uncle owned his own pharmacy and my mom and grandparents could sample and try all kinds of common, cool, unique, old or new, expensive or commonplace, sundries to their hearts delight. I see Merz as a modern day pharmacy, apothecary, without the sometimes strange sass of Sephora and worse, Ulta. At Merz, you’ll get old world charm, ultimate quality with all the modern conveniences we expect.
You’ll need assistance navigating the chock-​full shelves, counters, tables loaded with lotions & lotions and wonderful goodies for your body and your senses. Fortunately, staff is very helpful and friendly and professional. I was just wowed and unaware this place existed until receiving a luscious, scentsational bar of Swedish Dream Soap, and wanted to see what else they had to add to my repertoire of dry skin pleasures, especially now that Chicago is experiencing the deep freeze. Everything from The Star of David soap to the fabulous Caswell Massey lotions, potions, scents and super hydrating moisturizers. I’m so happy there’s 2 great locations — this one in the Loop, another, in Lincoln Square. Lots of great gift ideas here, too!

Man. I LOVE wasting a lunch hour at Merz. I am so thankful they have this location that I can visit during the week, because it seems like the only time on the weekend that I think to myself «Oooh, I should go to Merz!» in Lincoln Square is on a Sunday, and they’re closed on Sundays. So, Monday lunch visits it is.
They have amazing customer service, the staff here are always super helpful and in a good mood. I bought the manfriend a whole bunch of shaving items, and I’ll treat myself to a few things here & there as well. They have the great, super moisturizing lotions, a huge selection of lip balms & tons of fragrance options. It’s not an exaggeration when I say that I can spend my entire lunch hour just wandering around & sniffing things.
Great place for small, meaningful gifts, and they always have something that you just cannot find anywhere else.

I *much* prefer this location to the one in Lincoln Square since I feel like you have more room to browse, shop and wander about, despite it being a somewhat small shop. I don’t feel like I get claustrophobic shopping in here like I do at the LS location.
The products can be a bit pricey, but keep in mind that a lot of their lines are imported from Europe. I asked an employee why their brand of Nivea products, specifically the Nivea Soft Moisturizing Cream (a 200 ml jar) costs $ 10.95 at their store versus way less than that at other drugstores. She told me that the Nivea US products are made in Mexico and then distributed to the US. Whereas, the Nivea products carried at Merz are authentic and imported from Germany.
I fell in love with Nivea soft after using it when I was in London earlier this year. I figured I’d go ahead and splurge on it — being authentic and all. The woman who helped me was somewhat snappish when I inquired about the price differences, which I didn’t appreciate. I merely asked one question and felt like she kinda ripped my head off. Oh well. The other employees who I’ve shopped with have been friendly, so I’ll just avoid her.
Oh, and ladies, since it’s finally summer, I highly recommend the SummerSpot Labs wipes. A pack of 30 wipes will set you back $ 12, which is well worth it. They keep things nice and fresh down there. And you know there’s nothing worse than walking around in the hot summer heat with a sweaty you know what. Unless you’re part of Piper Chapman’s panty posse in OITNB… I digress…
Bottom line: next time you’re looking for some high-​quality bath & body products as well as items for your home (candles, etc.) check out Merz.

A place in the loop where I can buy beauty and personal care products that are made out of just plants? And get pretty home fragrances, home remedies and cute gifts? Yes. Love Merz, it’s my go-​to place for pretty much everything except for band aids — if I run out of lip balm or want some nice incense without trekking all the way out to Lincoln Square, or if I want to try a different all natural face moisturizer, I just go here. The staff are super knowledgable about all of the products and I love that they also have some natural remedies for those times when I’m congested and don’t feel like hopping up on Dayquil Go here, you will be happy that you did. And, did I mention they are local? Cause they are! Go now.

Everybody needs a «happy place.» I have several. This is one of them.
If you’re into specialty potions, lotions, candles and other smell good and pretty things, this is your spot. I’ve been shopping here for years and I will never stop! I don’t have to schlep all the way to Bucktown for my beloved and horrendously overpriced Diptyque candles — I can get them here. I don’t have to order my beloved and more reasonably priced Archipelago candles online — I can get them here.
I can go in here on a bad day and leave with my fully girly humanity restored after sampling, sniffing and spritzing all kinds of lovely things. Stay out of the big retail stores, get your special, thoughtful gifts here. Trust me on this. The Merz splurge is worth your disposable income.

Ummm, hmmmmm. I’m torn between two and three stars. My husband says one star but he’s never been here so I am going with two stars. I have been shopping at Merz for YEARS. I shopped at the Lincoln Square location until south loop Whole Foods opened. This was my first experience at the downtown location.
Last week I schlepped all the way to the lincoln square Merz to buy some Dr Hauschka lip balm because I didn’t want to deal with loop parking. South Loop Whole Foods stopped selling it and nothing else was working. My lips looked like Samwise Gamgee’s did while traversing the volcano of Mordor. While I was there, I spent an additional $ 100 on stuff, conditioner, hand cream etc. Happens every time.
I was not crazy about the hand cream I bought. It wasn’t moisturizing my hands really well. I was regretting not going with my old standby L’Occitane, but for some reason I wanted to try something different this year. I decided to exchange it for one I’d tried in the store. I hoped it would be better. I didn’t want to drive all the way up to Lincoln Square to exchange it. I called the downtown location. I told the woman who answered the phone that I had purchased some hand cream that I did not like and what was their exchange policy? The woman on the phone said that as long as I had the receipt (I did) and that it was within 30 days (2 days) I could bring it in and exchange it as long as it wasn’t either shaving equipment or something else (I can’t remember, maybe brushes?). I also mentioned that I had purchased the hand cream at Lincoln Square and asked if that would be an issue. «No», she said, «That should be fine as long as you have the receipt.» Ok.
Took a couple of days for me to make it there. I took it today. Walked in and went straight to the register. Told the woman I wanted to exchange some hand cream. Her name was Momee or Nomee or something like that? Not sure. She opened the bag, took the cream out and said, «This has been punctured. I can’t take it back.» I said, «Yes you can because I called and asked if I could bring it back and I was told I could.» She said that I couldn’t return it because it was opened. She was nasty. Did not listen or care that I had called and spoken with someone BEFORE I came.
She was just rude. I’ve probably been shopping at this place since before she could drive.
What the h***? I am a busy mom and I really don’t have time for this kind of crap. Now I have to go into full b**** mode — which I hate — to stick up for myself and not allow myself to be taken advantage of or allow my time to be wasted. I have to ask to see where that policy is written on the receipt? Posted in the store? Anywhere in writing? No, this policy — which is completely different than what I was told on the phone — is not written anywhere. I find this very suspicious, arbitrary and possibly based on my appearance which I notice others have alluded to in their reviews.
Renee comes over and to her credit takes care of it. But she does so with the whole, «I’m really doing you a favor because I have worked here ten years and we don’t take back open items unless you have an allergic reaction.» So I have to give her back, «Yeah, well if that’s the policy you should tell people that when they call to ask what your policy is and you should probably tell people that when they buy stuff, or put it on the receipt, or the bag or anywhere in the store.» She’s like yeah, I will tell them. Really? No one’s thought of that in the ten years you have worked here? She called someone on the phone and they said it was ok for me to return the hand cream. (Geez, what a pain). I don’t want to be to hard on Renee because in the end she did take care of it but after having called in advance to find out what their policy was I really don’t appreciate having to go through an experience like this. It was upsetting enough that I am taking my precious time to write this. Why? I don’t know. Partially venting, partially hoping that they will fix whatever is coming down from the top that is causing some people to leave their store feeling — uncomfortable, and partially hoping to let others who have had an ‘off’ experience in this store know that they are not crazy.
Like others have stated I was not dressed in a suit. I was dressed for the winter. I am a stay at home mom so I don’t wear suits. Does this mean I don’t deserve to be treated with respect? Or denied the right to return something I don’t like when it’s ok for others? According to my husband we spend quite a bit of money every month. Not smart to alienate me. Lots of places to buy this stuff, like online. I think at the least some employee training is in order. This was a one star experience but I am giving a star for the product selection.

Love love this shop! My favorite shop in chicago. I could spend hours here just smelling everything. I love all the international brands. Customer service is fabulous. They are super nice. Love that they carry santa Maria novella. I no longer have to wait for my European travels to stock up on soaps and shower gels. I bought a ton only stuff today and was amazed at the affordable price tag. For reference, I bought something on Amazon and saw it for cheaper in this store. What the heck! Love this store. Mwah!!!

What an adorable little store — I could spend hours in here! They have just about every natural remedy you can imagine. The ladies aren’t exactly oozing warm fuzzies, but they’re friendly enough.

I loved seeing the good reviews for this place.
I went in looking for some essential oils for myself and some soaps to send to new friends.
I got a lukewarm «Hello» by an older lady who never once asked if I needed help during the entire 30 – 40 minutes I was there. I mean… some days you don’t want to be hovered over in a store but it would have been nice to at least PRETEND you WANT my money or assume that I have some.
I was looking at the essential oils and ayoung Black woman sales associate made eye contact with me (YAY!). I asked for a specific essential oil and it turns out they didn’t have it. She, along with her other young co-​worker, helped me find an alternate. I wasn’t quite ready to commit because I don’t have an essential oil diffuse (waiting until winter when my windows will mostly remain shut) BUT I know where I’ll more than likely be coming.
I bought some soaps for my friends and made a mental note of this place whenever I’m downtown and feel like spending $$ pampering myself, a friend, or family member.

I love Merz! They have the best soaps ever and some amazing candles. My favorite is the Archipelago Black Forest candle that comes out in Fall/​Winer. This location is connected to the stunning Palmer House Hilton Hotel. I take all out of town guests here!

I’ve been coming to both locations ever since I switched to a safety razor and rid myself from evil Gilette. The employees here are very friendly and very helpful. You can lose hours in this place. The products sold here at top notch and I shall be shopping here for a long long time. Bonus here is their store downtown inside the Palmer House Hilton is open on Sundays! I recommend the Merkur razors and Proraso products for you guys out there.

GERMAN NIVEA AT A TOTALLY AFFORDABLE PRICE! I was so delighted to stumble across this treasure trove. If there’s some European beauty product you discovered while abroad and miss desperately, give this place a call — they’ve got a fantastically broad stock. Only downside is that they don’t carry any of my favorite European sunscreens, but that’s probably a legal thing (freaking FDA refuses to approve the most effective new ingredients, grr).
They also had some really delicious looking boxed teas from various European companies. I’ll definitely be back to try that strawberry-​pear herbal brew I saw!

Great selection of difficult to find Japanese incense at reasonable prices. Also many imported products that you can’t easily find in Chicago.

I love the feel of the store – if you want broad spacious hyperorganized aisles, you can check out Walgreens.
It is organized enough that I can grab what I need, and interesting enough that I can, when I have time, browse and explore.
The merch is amazing, but the staff… I’ve been there several times and have only found one helpful person, a gentleman. Maybe because of the location and the variability of downtown clientele they are more wary, but as a black lady, I find they follow me around. It annoys me at Neiman Marcus, and this ain’t no N-​M. Ergo, the 2 stars lost, and that’s being generous. If I could get my quirky purchases elsewhere (Marvis toothpaste, etc.), I would. Maybe I’ll check out Smallflower and avoid the hassle.

A fancy downtown location :)
I’ve been going to the one in Lincoln Square since I was a kid and we lived nearby. Dad is from Munich and this place is a very authentic German Apothocary.

Le sigh… once I saw that there was a place like this I knew I was going to spend beaucoup d’argent. Oh well, I like everything I bought.
This used to be in Macy’s but now it’s in the bottom of the Palmer Hotel and there’s 2 entrances– one from the lobby and one on Monroe. It’s not a huge store, but it’s crammed full of stuff you don’t need which makes it fun. I literally looked through every shelf while I was there. As others have mentioned they have Santa Maria Novella, Mason Pearson, and other luxe products. I strongly suggest taking the time to look at everything. That being said, not everything in here is pricey. There are many products that are moderately priced and perfect for gifts.
I understand Rea’s comments about the staff. I went in last Friday after work in jeans and flip flops (we have casual Fridays at my office). My jeans weren’t ripped or anything, but when I first walked in there was one women who I felt gave me the once over. On the other hand, everyone else was very friendly to me. I spent 3x as much as I thought I would and received several samples.
I will definitely go back, but I will likely wait awhile since I’m not sure how often they change out inventory and get new products in the store.

Hi — my name is Joanna T and I am a soap addict. I’ve been sober for exactly ZERO days after a visit to Merz’s.
Usually, my husband rolls his eyes and sighs loudly when we visit a store full of beauty + bath goodness. However, he recently switched to an old-​timey style safety razor and actually suggested we come here. I am telling you truly, I almost LOST MY SHIT in this store — that is how awesome it is.
Of course, there are the usual suspects here like Mistral, Nesti Dante, Pre, Porto, etc. Then add in a huge selection of homeopathic teas, supplements, dental care and other goodies. Get addicted to some beauty item when in Europe? They’ve probably got it — from Italian toothpaste to the ever popular German Duche Das! (the exclamation point is theirs) Of course, there’s an extensive selection of mens shaving stuff — from cake shaving soap to $ 200 badger brushes and German made razors.
All this makes me very happy — but then, then, then… I see the Santa Maria Novella display. And all is lost — at least all of my money. I might be broke, but damn it — I’ll go down well moisturized and smelling great.

My grandma’s birthday is coming up this weekend — now, shopping for her is pretty tricky. She’s quite the independent woman who still slips my sister and I money on holidays even though we’re doing ok on our own. So no dad, I don’t think giving her an envelope of cash will do the trick.
Then my sister suggested I get her candles — ok, I don’t know a thing about candles. I did want to avoid going the Bath and Body route; that was my default for gifts for girls when I was in high school. I wanted to step it up a bit.
I found Merz via Unilocal and decided it was worth a look, especially with it being in a convenient downtown location. I was a bit intimidated walking in. It’s connected to the big bright Palmer House, and I’m a 28-​year old who looks 18. I was ready to spend but didn’t really come off like it.
Luckily the two women working the store today didn’t judge me based on my hoodie and Chucks. I told them I was shopping for my grandma and they took their time in helping me choose some scents. When I mentioned she sometimes uses it to play down the delicious aromas of Filipino cooking, they immediately directed me to a candle meant just for kitchens.
Is it quality? Well, like I said, I don’t know too much about candles. What I do know is that what I got smells good, was reasonably priced, and they have great service. Perfect enough for me.

Happiness is certainly found in several little, large, and random containers, bottles, and balms here!
I was already enthusiastic about checking out this little specialty shop but the standards have been taken to a whole other level of appreciation here. Customer service is spot on fantastic and will load you up with samples happily and answer questions.
Everything in the store comes in pretty containers or bottles, but also quality. Here I’ve found all my European beauty and bath products at some reasonable prices, given these are imported so I willingly put out the extra $$.
If you are a beauty/​bath junky for fine products then your Chicago trip will not fully be complete without a trip to this store. Chock full of oils, Mason Pearson brushes, crafted straight razors, German bath soaps, balms, organic candies, Santa Maria Novella, travel supplies, expensive candles, rose shave creams and other sorts of homeopathy. This is my dream store!
I vow to always return! Simply worth the trip!