Highlights Chicago
Highlights in Chicago
Highlights are strands of hair lightened in sections and wrapped in foil, so the foil traps heat and lifts each piece faster and more evenly than freehand painting can. That is what makes them the brightest, most precise blonding technique available: you control exactly how many pieces, how wide, and how light. At Reverie Salon in River North, Chicago, foil highlights are priced by your stylist — choose yours when you book and their pricing appears before you confirm.
Highlights are also called foils, foil highlights, or — at their finest weave — babylights. Reverie's color team is led by 17-time NAHA-recognized founder Sal Misseri and trained to one standard through Kaizen Education.
How it works
Your colorist sections the hair, paints lightener onto each section, and wraps it in foil. The foil traps heat, which means faster, more even lift. The result is precise, bright, and uniform.
Full highlights cover the entire head. Partial highlights focus on the top layers and face frame — where the light naturally hits. For most clients, a partial gives you around 80% of the visual impact at a lower price and in a shorter appointment.
Babylights are highlights taken in very fine sections for a soft, almost undetectable brightness — the option for fine hair or a natural-looking lift. A money piece brightens the face-framing section only, and can be added to any highlight service.
Real Reverie Highlights — Before & After
Real clients. Every placement designed for the individual.
Highlights vs. balayage vs. foilayage
Highlights give you more brightness and precision. Balayage is painted freehand for a softer, more natural result and an easier grow-out. Foilayage combines both — foils at the root for lift, blended into freehand painting through the ends — and is our most-requested blonding service because it gives foil brightness without a hard regrowth line.
The practical difference is maintenance. Foil highlights grow out with a visible line and want refreshing every 6 to 8 weeks. Balayage and foilayage sit closer to 10 to 14 weeks.
Highlights and lowlights together
Highlights alone can flatten hair that has been lightened for years — everything ends up the same brightness. Weaving lowlights back through restores contrast and makes the blonde read as dimensional rather than solid. If your color looks bright but somehow flat, this is usually the fix.
Toning is a separate step
Lightening removes pigment; toning sets the shade. Every lightening service at Reverie finishes with a toner, priced separately at the price your stylist sets. Icy, ash, beige, honey and golden are all toner work. We quote it in writing before we start — it is never billed as included.
Pricing
Every stylist at Reverie sets their own pricing. When you book online you’ll see your stylist’s current price before you confirm. Our colourists range widely in experience, and one flat salon-wide number would be unfair in both directions — so each of them prices their own work, and the booking site shows it to you before you pick a time or enter a card.
- Partial highlights — priced by your stylist
- Full highlights — priced by your stylist
- Toner, added to every lightening service — priced separately by your stylist
- Consultation in the chair at every appointment — no extra charge
- Standalone consultation before booking — $50 for 15 minutes, or $150 for 30 minutes with Sal, credited in full toward any service or any product within 30 days
Within a stylist’s pricing, highlights are priced by length and density, never by gender. Your exact quote is written at your consultation before any color is applied. Not sure who to book? Find your stylist.
Related services
- Blonde specialist · Balayage · Foilayage · AirTouch
- Lowlights · Gray blending · Toner · Color correction
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do highlights cost in Chicago?
Every stylist at Reverie sets their own pricing, so there is no single highlights price. When you book online you choose your stylist and see their current price before you confirm — partial or full, before toner, which is priced separately. Within a stylist’s pricing it is by length and density, never by gender.
What is the difference between partial and full highlights?
Full highlights cover the entire head. Partial highlights focus on the top layers and the face frame, where light naturally hits. For most clients a partial delivers roughly 80% of the visible impact at a lower price and in a shorter appointment.
How often do highlights need to be redone?
Foil highlights want refreshing every 6 to 8 weeks because they grow out with a visible line. Balayage and foilayage sit closer to 10 to 14 weeks. A gloss or toner refresh in between extends any of them.
What are babylights?
Babylights are highlights taken in very fine sections for a soft, almost undetectable brightness. They suit fine hair and anyone who wants lift that reads as natural rather than striped.
Are highlights or balayage better?
Neither is better — they solve different problems. Highlights give maximum brightness and precision but grow out with a line. Balayage gives a softer result and a seamless grow-out. Foilayage combines the two and is the most-requested option at Reverie.
Will highlights damage my hair?
Any lightening service lifts pigment out of the hair, so condition matters. Reverie assesses the hair at a consultation first, uses bond-protective products through the service, and will stage a big change across sessions rather than force it in one. A standalone consultation is $50, and the fee is credited in full toward any service or any product at Reverie within 30 days.
What it costs
Partial highlights at Reverie Salon in River North, Chicago start at $160, and full highlights start at $215. Every artist sets their own price, so those are starting prices — the lowest any bookable artist charges. Your artist's exact price is confirmed at booking, before anything is charged. See the full price list.
