Finally, I have found a regular stylist......MARY!!!

by AmberA

Throughout the three years I have lived in Chicago, I have made appointments at countless salons but I have never been willing to commit myself to going back a second time. The problem is that I have naturally curly (frizzy) hair that I blow-dry and straighten every day. When I make appointments to get my hair done, I always dread the styling process because stylists usually rush through it and I have to go straight home to re-wash and re-style my hair before I can really see the work that was done on my hair. I have always felt that if I'm paying top dollar I should leave feeling good about my hair. I was so tired of feeling this way that I hadn't had a haircut in a year and I had resorted to coloring my hair myself. Naturally, when a friend recommended that I go to Mary at Salon Soca, I was skeptical.

From the moment I walked into the salon the staff were friendly and accommodating. Mary spent several hours with me, transforming my self-colored, over-processed, frizzy hair into silk. Not only did she take the time to deep condition my hair, but she also listened to me when I warned her that if not styled properly, it would get frizzy. I was amazed at the final result. My color was flawless, my cut was modern and exactly the length I had requested, and for the first time, I was actually excited to walk out of the salon to show off my hairstyle. I will definitely be back to see Mary again!

excellent salon

by emc90

i recently visited salon soca and it was a really great experience. bridget did a wonderful job on my highlights and cut. very relaxing atmosphere, very friendly staff people. over all i highly recommend going here, i know i will be back for many more of my hair treatments!

• Pros: very nice products, friendly people
• Cons: cash only tips

Great service & Fantastic employees

by misha06

I recently visited Salon Soca and greatly enjoyed their services. I had an appointment for an updo and not only were the employees very welcoming, I was seen right on time! My updo turned out great and exactly how I wanted. The owners, Pat and Bridgett, were soo nice and provided snacks and beverages for all of the clients. This salon also provides a fun environment!!

• Pros: Great service, fantastic employees, fun environment
• Cons: tip must be in cash/check

How good do you want to look?

by MRDP1502

I always look and feel amazing when I leave Salon Soca. It?s a truly wonderful experience just to be surrounded by the energy at this salon. I?ve been going to the salon for a few years and am always happy with my service. I love how up to date with fashion my stylist is?. she always wants to try something new and create a look for that particular season. Everyone seems to work as a team and the make you feel so at home for the time you get to spend there. My brother is getting married and we (the bride and all the bridesmaids) are going to Soca to primp the day of the wedding?I wouldn?t want my new sister-in-law to be to go anywhere else but Salon Soca on her big day?I know they will make us all feel and look beautiful! Thanks Salon Soca

• Pros: The people that make the appointments are so sweet!

Poor service

by KL88

This salon provided the worst haircut and service I've had in the last 15 years. I have always used top salons in London, NYC, Boston, and other cities. Due to the good reviews provided at this site, I decided to try this salon after moving to Chicago. It was a major disappointment. My cut was uneven, and layers were inconsistent. Plus the front desk staff gave me the stink face during both check-in and check-out. I ended up in another salon the next day to have my hair fixed. The salon simply didn't show the commitment and the level of service that the owner raved about repeatedly on this site.

Response from this business

78830– September 20, 2008 at 10:18:19 PDT

Dear KL88,

Thank you for your feedback and we're sorry to read about your experience. We appreciate it when our guests share feedback with us...good or bad. We would like to share the top review at this link

( http://tinyurl.com/4qqwg9 ) as an example of how we handle a less than positive salon visit when a guest takes the time to personally share their feelings with us. If you would like to contact us directly we welcome it and look forward to showing you just how serious we are in our commitment and our level of service. Yours in Service- Brigette Sobus-Owca & Patrick Owca

Decisions, Decisions...

by srb7y

I'm a pretty stable guy; had the same stylist for over 15 years. He's gone now, and I've got a dilemma: three fantastic stylists, and I just can't choose one.

I've had excellent cuts from Brigette, Joe and Tara on every visit, and my wife agrees completely. It's not that I'm getting a 'usual' cut either; I just let them know my few parameters, and turn the process over to them. Without fail, I leave Salon Soca feeling sharper, cooler, and more handsome.

The rest of the staff is great, too; from receptionists to assistants to managers, I always feel like they're happy to have me.

My schedule can be a little frenetic, so maybe it's best that no matter when I call for a same-day appointment, someone always seems to fit me in. Regardless of who's chair I sit in, though, I know I'm in for a great cut.

• Pros: Top-notch professionals
• Cons: Parking can be tough

I'm hooked on this Salon

by plploops

I am a very picky person in regards to my haircut simply because my head is full of cowlicks and it just has to be cut right. When I find the right Salon and Stylists I stick to them. I've been going to Soca since the day it opened and it has been nothing but a pleasure. In fact, the experience get's better every time if that's even possible. The Atmosphere is fun yet sophisticated and the employees are too. The salon is very friendly and inviting. They're pros all the way.

• Pros: Great haircut everytime. Comfortable atmosphere.
• Cons: They need more Dj Puzzle mixes to listen too.

Beware: It is pretty easy to keep a 4 to 5 star rating when the NEGATIVE reviews are deleted

by mvi

I wrote a negative review on 2.10.08. At first, there were a number of VERY POSITIVE reviews written immediately afterwards. Based on my experience and looking back at the review history that seemed a little suspicious to me. Now I notice today that my negative review has been deleted. There was no inappropriate language or any VALID reason for it to be deleted other than the fact that it reflected badly on the salon. You may want to keep this in mind unless you want to deal with a salon that will treat you this way after they have caused your hair to break off all over your head after a salon visit. While they have diminished and "deleted" my experience on their record and from their minds, I have to deal with the damage done to my hair by stylist MARY every day for a long time to come. UPDATE on 2.28.08 in RESPONSE to REPLY BELOW: It is disingenous at best for the salon to claim their "best efforts to contact" me were unsuccessful. The initial response from Mary to my call about my hair breaking off all over my head the first time I washed my hair following my salon visit was to say "We didn't do anything to your hair; did you use Aveda shampoo?" This was her response -it was my fault- after she told me she was using (temporary) semi-permanent color that "will not hurt your hair"&after straightening my hair beyond anything I have ever had done to my hair. I had made it very clear that a flat iron had caused my hair to break badly previously. I also had not put any color on my hair for over a year&a half. But she decided her judgemt was better than my concerns, the color turned out to not be temp,& now here I am with the salon concerned only about their reputation here. I called back to ask for a time to contact the owners&was told the next morning,Sat,before 9am. Some time after that the owner Patrick left a voice mail for me stating -in a tone inappropriate to the situation-that they would be TOO BUSY to speak to me AT ALL on Saturday if I called.

• Pros: NONE at this point; Cons neutralize any positives;
• Cons: Just hope nothing goes wrong because if it does they care only about the effect to the salon here, not your experience. Your experience will be deleted.

Response from this business

78830– March 03, 2008 at 18:12:48 PST

Dear review readers,

The owners and team at Salon Soca stand behind our word and our work. Our philosophy adopts values of honesty, integrity and respect and we take those values seriously. Truly honest feedback is a gift and if a guest is not happy with their salon experience then we genuinely want to know that and we want the chance to make it right. Our best efforts to contact MVI and address her concerns were unsuccessful and for that we're sorry. We wish her and her next salon well.

Yours in Service - Brigette Sobus-Owca & Patrick Owca

Not a good experience

by hadeedah

I went to Mary and was not happy with my haircut. Overall, I looked fine, she did not "butcher" my hair, but everything was odd:

- The cut was only about 20 minutes -- which I usually like fast cuts, but I didn't even feel like she was cutting anything! And for $60, I'd like a little more effort.

- She trimmed my hair wet, blew it out, and then cut the majority of my hair dry (?!) As a result, my hair was uneven (although not significantly noticable)

- I asked for a cut with more body, and in turn she did what she called "undercutting" making layers beneath my top ones shorter. After I went to another stylist to correct Mary's work, the new stylist was completely confused and astonished at what she had done to give me "body" -- surely there are better ways!

Overall, it was just a very odd cut, and I left feeling rushed, disatisfied, and $60 in the hole.

Response from this business

78830– March 03, 2008 at 18:16:24 PST

Dear hadeedah,

We at Salon Soca agree with you...you spent good money on your haircut and you deserve to be happy with it. We were sorry to read about your experience and we wish that we would have heard from you personally and we would have done our best to make it right. Everyone at Salon Soca stands behind our words and our work. We value honest feedback as it allows us the chance to learn, grow and improve personally and professionally. We want every guest to leave the salon feeling more than just satisfied...and if they're not then we want to know why and we're confident that given the opportunity we can change their feeling into a positive one. Again, we thank you for your feedback.

Yours in Service, Brigette Sobus-Owca & Patrick Owca

Talented Staff, Awesome Salon

by 72flowers

This is the best Salon! I started going here a few months ago when I moved into the neighborhood. It is a cute salon, with an enormously talented staff. I started going when I needed my hair put up for a black tie event, and Eileen gave me red carpet hair!! I recieved compliments all night long! I have since been back for a haircut and color everything has been fantastic! So happy I have found this salon!

• Pros: Everything
• Cons: None