I'm Sal Misseri, and I own a salon in River North — so let's get the bias on the table right away. But after seventeen NAHA nominations and two decades of cutting hair in this city, I can tell you honestly what separates a great Chicago salon from a merely good one. This guide is what I'd tell a friend who just moved to River North and asked me where to go, what to pay, and what questions to ask before letting anyone near their hair.
What actually makes a salon "the best"
Every salon in this neighborhood will tell you they're luxury. Ignore the chandeliers and look for four things instead.
1. A real consultation
The best appointments are decided in the first ten minutes, before anyone picks up shears. A serious stylist asks how you actually live with your hair: how often you wash, whether you'll blow-dry it on a Tuesday, what went wrong at your last salon. At Reverie, every appointment includes a full consultation in the chair at no extra charge — and if you want to talk before you book anything, a standalone consultation is $50 for 15 minutes, or $150 for 30 minutes with me, credited in full toward any service or any product here within 30 days. We'd rather turn a consultation into a written plan than rush a stranger into a chair.
2. Cutting that's planned, not improvised
My signature is dry and razor cutting: shaping hair in the state you actually wear it, with a shape that's planned to grow out gracefully instead of expiring in three weeks. Ask any prospective stylist how your cut will look in month two. If they don't have an answer, keep looking.
3. Color with a point of view
River North is full of colorists who can follow a formula. The ones worth waiting for can look at your skin, your history, and your calendar and design dimension that suits you — balayage, foils, or both, and we price them the same so the technique choice is about your hair, never the ticket.
4. Proof, not promises
Awards and reviews aren't everything, but they're evidence. Our team's work has been NAHA-nominated seventeen times, and clients have kept us at 4.9/5 on Yelp (187 reviews) and 4.8/5 on Google (315 reviews). Whatever salon you're considering — look for that kind of paper trail.
Why clients choose Reverie Salon
Reverie sits at 300 W Grand Ave, Suite 5, in the heart of River North. A team of ten stylists — plus Elizabeth, our esthetician for facials and waxing — covers everything from precision cuts and dimensional color to extensions, keratin smoothing, and bridal work. Davines is our house line, and we back it with Milbon and K18 for repair and daily care, so what we use at the chair is what you can actually take home.
Two things people are surprised we offer:
Extensions. We install hand-tied wefts, K-Tips, I-Tips, and tape-ins using premium hair, including Bellami. Installation starts at $300 plus the cost of the hair itself, and every extension service begins with a $35 consultation that ends in a written quote, so you know the full picture — maintenance schedule included — before committing.
The head spa experience. Our scalp services bring the head-spa ritual to River North. Head Spa with blowdry is a standalone 75-minute appointment — a long massage, professional-grade products your stylist chooses for your hair, and a blowdry to finish. It's $200 — the same price with every stylist who offers it. There are also shorter hair and scalp treatments at $30 and $50 that can be added on to a haircut or color appointment — those are add-ons only and can't be booked on their own. It is the least-known, most-loved thing on our menu.
What hair services cost in River North
Transparent pricing is rare in this neighborhood, so here's ours. Every stylist at Reverie sets their own pricing, so for the services marked below there is no salon-wide figure — you see your stylist's price when you choose them at booking, and your exact quote is confirmed at consultation.
- Haircuts (short, medium, long): priced by stylist
- Misseri's Bespoke Renewal Cut with me: $500
- The Grey Transition with me: from $600, quoted only at consultation
- Partial dimensional color (balayage or foils): priced by stylist
- Full dimensional color: priced by stylist
- AirTouch: priced by stylist
- All-over color: priced by stylist · Root touch-up: priced by stylist
- Gloss: priced by stylist · Toner: from $75
- Keratin Smoothing Treatment: from $500 · Keratin Blowout: from $200
- Extensions: install from $300 plus hair
- Blowout: priced by stylist
- Head Spa with blowdry (75 minutes): $200
If a service isn't listed, it's quoted at consultation — no surprises, no gendered pricing, ever.
How to choose your stylist (at Reverie or anywhere)
Match the specialist to the job. A colorist who lives in lived-in blonde is not automatically the right person for your curly cut. At Reverie we built a find-your-stylist quiz that pairs you with the team member whose strengths fit what you're booking — and if you're still unsure, book a consultation and let us tell you honestly who on our team (or elsewhere) is right for it. The fee comes back to you in full as credit toward any service or product here within 30 days.
Frequently asked questions
How far in advance should I book?
For a specific stylist, one to two weeks. For bridal or a major color transformation, give us more runway — transformations are often planned across multiple visits.
When are you open?
Tuesday–Thursday 12–8, Friday 10–7, Saturday 9–4. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Do you take walk-ins?
We're an appointment-first salon. The fastest way in is booking online, or text us at (773) 378-9288 and we'll find you a spot.
The bottom line
The best salon in River North is the one that treats your hair like a long-term project instead of a transaction. That philosophy — planned shapes, dimensional color, honest consultations — is what Reverie was built on, and it's why our clients stay for years, not visits.
Come see for yourself: book an appointment, or start with a consultation — $50 for 15 minutes, $150 for 30 minutes with me, credited in full toward any service or product within 30 days. Reverie Salon, 300 W Grand Ave, Suite 5, Chicago — (312) 955-0083.
