7am Nail Care (Old Town) Chicago, IL

I received an The Perfect Ten Combo (OldTown) for $108 plus $15 for tip not including gratuity so it came to $123 and I will have to say they best thing about this place is their painting skills, also free bubbly. Maybe my expectations are high but my pedi was mediocre and my mani was simple. My nail tech had hands like a baby which is nice if you don’t like it rough. Paint job was great. Can’t complain about that. Prices…I guess it’s the day and age we live in.

I have been going to 7am now for the past several months. While there are other nail salons closer to me, and probably less expensive, I keep coming back to 7am due to their high quality health standards, attention to detail, and ease of appointments.
I rarely have a problem finding an appointment time that fits my schedule, including Sundays. I jump around between three of their locations, but the Old Town location is my main go-to for ease of parking and color selection.
I generally get a gel mani and Dazzle Dry pedicure for my service. I enjoy all the techs, but Tuya was my most recent tech and she was efficient, attended to detail, and gave me a very pleasant experience.
I recommend their membership, especially if you get your nails done 1-2x/month. It really saves in the long run.

EDITED: After I posted my original review, they reached out to offer a gel polish pedicure. I accepted and was able to quickly make an appointment. They were quick and easy to work with and of course the gel helped with the drying process. I appreciate when companies try to make good on issues, hence why I’ve changed my rating.

I’ve been to 7am in Old Town before and last time was a 3/5 stars. I would give my technician 3/5 stars. She was friendly and did a fine job, but said she would check on me in 10 minutes to see if if they were dry enough to put my shoes back on and to check me out. I waited 25 minutes to be safe and she never checked in. I walked over and she said it would be fine and when I came home a couple of my nails were messed up. I will say it’s tough having to put shoes on after a pedicure but it’s winter and I had to walk home so it’s not entirely her fault. More that it felt like I was forgotten and could definitely have sat there for much longer and I don’t think they would have checked in. In the same 25 minutes I saw someone walk in for an appointment and leave about 5-10 minutes later because nobody was at the desk to check in on them. Overall the communication and care is why I rated them 2/5. The space itself is nice.

I regret having to express my dissatisfaction, but I attempted to address the issue privately by reaching out via email immediately after encountering problems. Unfortunately, it became evident that the establishment did not prioritize customer concerns, prompting me to share my experience publicly.

Upon trying to schedule an appointment online, I encountered difficulties and engaged with the manager to book two appointments for gel and acrylic removal. Despite the manager manually booking the appointments without storing my card information, the actual visit was disheartening. Arriving a few minutes early, I observed the nail technicians appearing disheveled, and there was no confirmation of our requested services, signaling the first red flag.

The second red flag was raised when they used the same drill head on both my sister and me, a clear violation of state board regulations concerning sanitation. As a licensed esthetician, I found this practice unacceptable. The technicians seemed unsure about acrylic removal, contrary to the manager’s assurances, and were left to navigate the situation without support as the manager abandoned them.

Furthermore, the appointments were scheduled for 4 PM, a deliberate oversight by TAM, prolonging their working hours. The result was a rushed and subpar job on my nails, with the added inconvenience of not receiving a refund from the management. Now, I have to seek another salon to rectify the issues.

In addition, I must mention that each of my nails ended up with a different shape. When I requested the technician to reshape them, she briefly filed them without checking if the shape was satisfactory. There was a lack of communication and consideration regarding my preferences for the nail shape during the appointment.

In conclusion, I cannot recommend this establishment. Despite an appealing Instagram presence, the actual service did not align with the aesthetic promoted.

1st picture: is my sisters nails after she paid and the 2nd picture are my nails, all different shapes and sizes, 3rd picture: these are the nails I came in with.

I had to laugh at my nails and find a new studio to fix this mistake.

Five stars!! I love that 7 am has dazzle dry polish and the salon is very peaceful with out tv’s. The dazzle dry polish keeps my nails strong but still lasts 2-3 weeks. I love being able to make appointments online. Also- Nora is fantastic! She’s kind and friendly and does a great job! She pays attention to details and is efficient but also careful.