Ulta

Ulta is a chain store, so I don’t know if every Ulta is as nice as this one, but I love the Hyde Park Store. They have a great selection, both of higher end brands and the cheaper stuff you would find at CVS (what I buy). Every staff member I’ve ever interacted with is friendly, knowledgeable about beauty products and eager to answer questions and help. Every time I go there I have a pleasurable experience, and I leave feeling quite satisfied and well taken care of.

This was an incredibly disappointing experience for me. I had a hair and nail appointment with Eric for 10AM. After confirming my appointments the day before, I arrived promptly on time. By 10:30AM Eric had still not arrived and only one person had checked in with me to apologize and assure me that they had contacted Eric. Other than that one time there was no other apology, no one thought to see if another stylist was available. I sat in the back by the salon area waiting patiently, being ignored by the staff. By 10:40 Eric had still not arrived. I promptly cancelled my appointments and left. The salon manager has yet to contact me to apologize for this lack of professionalism. I have always been a huge fan of Ulta, but going forwards I am going to discourage my friends and family from shopping here and using their services. I cannot in good conscious support a business that provides such a lack of quality customer service. This was a doubly disappointing experience as I was getting my nails and hair done for my birthday. They really let me down on a really special day!!!

I’m glad that a higher quality beauty supply store and salon are in HP. The selection is smaller than some other Ultas in the Chicagoland area but it serves the area well. You can sometimes find bargains and free gift specials. This isn’t a store I frequent, but when I go I am happy with the items I find here.

So I went to Ulta yesterday to purchase a product for my eyebrows. The saleswoman was very condescending and kept trying to tell me what I wanted and wasn’t listening to what I was looking for & what I wanted to purchase. I was going to leave but ended up purchasing a couple of items anyway, one of which I had to return today. I go in to return the item and there’s 1 woman ahead of me in line. I stood in line for almost 30 min waiting to return 1 item when there were 3 other sales people I saw just standing in the front of the store talking and laughing. Every so often they looked up to greet a customer coming in and then went back to their personal conversation. When I finally got to the register, it appeared that the woman did not know how to operate the register and kept entering numbers that weren’t giving her the desired result. This took another 10 min. There was even an additional salesperson behind the counter just kind of walking around behind the registers opening and closing boxes and cabinets. Not one single person was actually assisting a customer except for the inept woman working the register. These two Ulta visits were just all around bad experiences and I would strongly urge you to visit another location to make your purchases.

I absolutely Love my Master Hair Designer Sheree, but was sad to find out that she has relocated to another Ulta Beauty location. Although the Hyde Park location was close to where I live it’s not going to stop me from getting my hair done at her new location at the Ulta Beauty in Greektown/​West Loop on 16^th and Halsted ! After having her miracle hands in my hair and after my horrible experience before meeting Sheree I just don’t trust anyone else in my hair!!!

Hurray! Finally a positive hair experience! Girls in Hyde Park, our agony is over! ;) I just had color+hair cut+style with Sheree, and I am totally happy with the results. She listened to what I wanted and explained to me what she would do, and how to take care of my hair after the color. I will definitely be back!

Just had my hair colored by Sheree. She did a fabulous job! And, she is so personable– the time passed quickly as we chatted about her dogs, Gracie and Mimi, places to retire and getting away from the cold in Texas with good Mexican food. My first time to the salon at Ulta but won’t be the last.

I’ve been living in Chicago for a few years now, and I could not find a great person to cut my hair. Until yesterday. Sheree was an excellent stylist! And I plan to go back.
She consulted with me at every step of the way, offering options and suggestions, but was never pushy. She was extremely professional and capable, even fixing my last hair cut that I got at a different salon, which I was really unhappy with. I walked out of the salon with my head held high and feeling great! I love my new cut and will go back to Sheree in the future.

My hair stylist was Kahaun, and she is awesome! She styled my hair beautifully!!!
Ask for Kahaun when you call; she’s a fantastic stylist and super friendly and sweet.

I always have a great experience at this Ulta. They are always willing to help and seem to really know the products they sell. I’ve had to return a couple of items because I wasn’t happy with them and they easily exchanged them. I love the benefit brow bar, so nice and they do a great job. Today a woman helped me with matching a foundation. After she was done she offered to apply sunscreen (very sunny day here) and gave me some awesome lip treatment to apply.

I tried to make an appointment for a haircut in the Ulta Salon in Hyde Park. There was a «new guest coupon» in the Ulta ad and I thought I would take advantage of it. I had about 20 minutes before I had to leave for an appointment. Thinking that would be more than enough time to just set up a simple haircut appointment I telephoned.
My experience was outrageous. First, the person answering the phone apparently knew nothing about the offer in the advertisement and had to check with several people about it. Then we had to figure out which stylist would fit into the proper price category that would permit use of this coupon. Then I was asked way too many questions including my birthday, which had absolutely no relevance to getting a haircut. I explained that I was in a hurry and needed to get off the phone. She told me that this was a computer operation and she needed to ask all these questions. She was as pokey as could be and I did impatiently raise my voice and ask if I could get off the phone. I did not use foul language or curse or say anything nasty, just raised my voice in frustration. Finally, it was done and I left for my appointment.
When I returned home there was a message stating that the salon could not service me. I could call someone named Stephanie. I called and learned that they would not provide service to me because I had been rude to their stylist. I was stunned, to say the least, and asked to speak to her supervisor. She informed me that she was the salon manager and asked if I wanted the number for customer service. I said yes and was given a number to call.
I made the call which was a complete waste of time. Again I was informed that this was a computer operation, and did I want the district manager to call me. I said yes and was assured that the district manager would call me within 24 to 48 hours. I am still waiting for the call, about a week later.
I have never been so offended and insulted by a business in my entire, rather long, life. I wouldn’t go into this store and salon if they wanted to give me the key to it.

I have had my fine, curly, difficult hair cut at salons around the world and across the price spectrum, (including two on Oak Street). From Miami to LA, from an NYC star-​maker to my second favorite stylist who works in Nairobi, I have spent a lot of time (and money) always trying to have someone on the roster who could at least do a serviceable job on my hair. Well, right after Ulta HP opened, I serendipitously discovered my very favorite!
Stephanie, the salon manager at Ulta in Hyde Park does an awesome job cutting styles for me that can transition easily from my wash and go natural curls to a sleek, blown dry look. Right before Valentine’s Day, she hooked it up! Also, if you are into natural-​looking, flattering highlights, she does a phenomenal job on that as well.
I could regale you with horror stories about the things that have been inflicted upon my head in the chairs of various other stylists from Miami to LA– singed with a too-​hot blow dryer so much that it re-​split my ends right there in the chair; cluelessness about how to blow dry my texture resulting in me looking like a chia pet; plain old uninspired, lackluster cutting skills; etc. However, I will spare you the details. Stephanie’s years of experience and considerable knowledge and skill, work to bring out the best in my hair. She is – hands down– my favorite.
While I was initially skeptical about paying ULTA’s prices, i feel that the services are worth every penny. (Knowing that your hair looks amazing is priceless!) Also, their booking system works. This means that I’m in the chair minutes after I arrive. I actually listened to a friend complain about spending three hours at a salon that overbooks, and thought about how long it’s been since I’ve had that sort of misfortune. I’m truly grateful that I can get in, get out, look great, and feel confident enough to slay some more dragons!

Girls rejoice. There is finally a place in Hyde Park to buy affordable shampoo and other cosmetic/​hygiene products. This location is well stocked and has a fairly extensive selection, and only slightly more limited than their State Street location. The employees are extremely friendly and helpful. They also have a salon, so haircuts, waxing and facials are finally reputable options in Hyde Park. This location is an extremely welcome and needed addition to the area.

This review is for the Ulta salon at Hyde Park.
I have had my naturally curly 4a/​4b hair straightened and trimmed at the Flagship Ulta on State Street by different stylists multiple times with excellent results. I have even had it straightened and trimmed well by a stylist at the North & Clybourn location. I generally trust the Ulta brand for well-​trained and competent stylists who know Black hair.
Enter Kim at the Hyde Park location.. I had finger-​detangled my hair after a sew in before I came to decrease the amount of damage that I knew would be done once a comb hit my hair. It was tangled at the ends – hence the need for a trim– but Kim started in on my locks with a SMALL-​TOOTHED COMB. You know, the jobs you get from the Dollar Store in a pack with 15 other combs.
As she ripped my hair out, I decided to mitigate some of the damage by suggesting she use the big red detangling comb sitting a few inches away on the counter. She did for about 3 minutes, then went back to the small comb. I even asked her to give me the large comb and detangled half my own hair so I wouldn’t walk out bald.
My inner voice was screaming «Don’t let this woman cut your hair.» By this time I was pretty worried, but since I had a head full of pre-​poo conditioner, I went with it for a bit longer.
She washed my hair and left me sitting at the bowl for about 10 minutes while she finished up another customer and swept her station. No explanation. The manager came by and asked if I were relaxed. I hid my rage.
When we returned to her chair for the blowout portion, I realized things were going even further south. She used a blow dryer comb attachment to dry my hair. Now, my hair is fine, but it’s CURLY. I have broken the teeth of many a comb attachment in my day. As she ripped through each section to «detangle» with the tiny tooth comb, she would stop blow drying about 3 inches from my ends. I think she was preparing to cut the rest of that length off because it was too tangled. Again, I asked her to detangle with the wide tooth comb. Again, she used it for about 4 minutes and went right back to her tiny tooth friend.
I stayed through the end of my blow dry to avoid walking out with wet hair. The very moment she finished, I bailed. I asked for my bill because I believe in paying for the products used. I was extremely unhappy, however, because my hair looked worse than when I came in. The manager found me fuming in the store and ripped up the bill so I wouldn’t have to pay. She was nice enough and said she understood there were problems with the service. She even offered to finish my service and trim herself if I didn’t mind waiting for her to finish another customer. I picked up a paddle brush to use for blow drying my own hair and promptly left.
I ended up blow-​drying my own hair and only had to trim about a half-​inch. My blowout looks way smoother and more professional than hers did. Although the customer service from the manager was nice, I will never visit this Ulta salon again.
TL;DR: listen to your inner voice and avoid this salon if you care for your natural hair.

Overall my hair turned out ok, but you get what you paid for.
I am in the process of growing out my asymmetrical bob which is now past my shoulders and needed to get a trim to even out the ends and de-​bulk my hair around the neck as it has gotten thick and heavy. My hair is medium in texture, shoulder length and I have a lot of it! I always bring a picture of a cut that I want to make it easier to communicate with the stylist as to what I’m asking for. The girl that cut my hair was new and I think I may have been her first client ever… she took forever! and only did half of what I requested (just a trim) because frankly I think by the time she finished trimming the hair she was either too tired or ran out of time. So she never went through the hair to take out the bulk and thin it out. The manager had to come over 10 times to help her and give her advice on how to cut hair, what tools to use, what products to use, where the clips are. the hairbrushes… she didn’t know SQUAT … I understand she was new, but common! as a client I want to feel that my hairdresser is in control and knows what she/​he is doing, needless to say that didn’t help the process either.
Afterwards I felt pressured by the hairdresser and the manager to book another appointment to get my color done, but because of the experience I got I do not trust them to do a good job on my hair, so I will not be going back.

The customer service at this Ulta is hit and miss. Most of the time I don’t mind being left alone to browse. However, the last several times I have gone looking for a specific product I wasn’t asked once if I needed anything by the multiple employees that passed by.
The main reason why I wanted to write this review is because of the lack of skill in the salon. I made an appointment for a no-​chip manicure with Kimberly, as the other nail salon in Hyde Park that offers no-​chip has also had poor reviews. First of all, nail shapes should not be limited to square or round. When I asked her to follow the natural curve of my nail, I ended up having a minimally filed nail that was not uniformly shaped and symmetrical. Maybe my request for a natural look threw her off, but I also suspect her square and round techniques would also be asymmetrical. Secondly, if I wanted my nails to look like I had done them all with my non-​dominant hand instead of salon-​quality, I would have saved myself the $ 25. Some nails weren’t painted close enough to the cuticle, leaving it appear as if my nails had grown out since I had them painted. Other nails were painted beyond the side of the nail onto the skin, allowing the polish to peel away thereafter as gel nail polish does not cure on skin. Once the top coat was applied and cured, she went back and touched up spots with the colored polish but didn’t go back over those spots with more topcoat, leaving dull spots (not shiny like the topcoat) over multiple areas in my nails.
What I gathered from some of the conversation was that she was trained by Ulta, not necessarily receiving formal training specific to nails like a nail technician. It doesn’t take a genius to apply no-​chip polish, but it does take some skill from beginning to end. In fact, I own a UV light and Shellac polishes but I think I don’t do a salon-​quality job so I’d rather have someone else make them look nice. My mistake… I’ll do them myself.

I had a pleasant shopping experience with Lori and Marshal today. I just went into Ulta looking for basic products and when I got to the register I asked Lori if they sold a certain product, when she said they did not have the product I was looking for, she went out of her way to go find a similar one! Not only did she find an awesome product, but she applied it on my face so evenly and it was flawless! Marshal assisted and gave some great tips.
Thank you all, I’ll be returning to this location.

When I go into this store, Im normally in and out. This store is always clean and organized, Its never super crowded and the staff is normally very friendly.

Had a great experience. Nia (pronounced like Nia Long pronounces her name) was super helpful. I don’t love shopping but Nia made it fun and brought all the lip colors to me and matched what i was looking for perfectly. Makes you want to go back and try new looks and buy more stuff.

I am thrilled that Ulta opened a location in my neighborhood. I stopped by during their Grand Opening event. This is a spacious Ulta filled with great stuff. They have a salon and a section for facials. I plan to try those sections in the future.
The staff was very friendly, and didn’t seem to have any problems with handling the chaos of a grand opening.