Goran Coban Salon | River North — Local services in Chicago

KATARINA IS THE BEST!!!

I have had my hair done at numerous salons and no one seems to know how to get the color I want. Often times I thought that I might not be explaining myself well, but I thought "highlights WITHOUT yellow" would be sufficient enough. Not really! Anyway, I have been dealing with yellowish highlights for a while now. A friend recommended I try Katarina at Goran Coban Salon. I read the salon reviews and took my friends advice. I had nothing to lose.

Scheduled my appointment, arrived early, was greeted, seated and served with coffee while Katarina was finishing up her client (which gave me an opportunity to observe her for a bit ;)). The salon was very clean, modern, comfortable and quite. I could've sat there for hours, sipping on my coffee.

Katarina finished with her client and seated me in her chair. She asked me to tell her what I wanted to do while she was studying my hair. I told her that I DO NOT want any yellow in my hair and asked her if that was even possible. She explained why and how yellow happens and assured me that she can fix it. I have to admit that I wasn't very optimistic, as I always had some yellow in my hair. She mixed up something and applied it to my hair. She waited next to me the whole time and kept checking on my hair, adding some more of whatever she used. After a few minutes, she shampooed my hair and gave me the best head massage ever!!! I wanted to stay there forever. :) We went back to her chair and she said "It's gone!" I was wondering how she could tell since my hair was wet, but I guess stylists can see that. I couldn't at that point. I smiled and couldn't wait for her to dry my hair. She dried my hair, styled and trimmed my bangs. I didn't want to look at the mirror until we were done. I think I was afraid of another disappointment. She finished, I looked up and couldn't believe my eyes. YELLOW HIGHLIGHTS WERE GONE!!! I was thrilled!!! I didn't know what to say or do. I was speechless. She said that she mixed three different things to get the right toner that would take care of yellow highlights.

Looking forward to my next appointment. I will get highlights and lowlights and will for sure take the time to write another review. I am pretty sure that I have found a stylist that I will stick with...

When I booked my appointment, I scheduled a full highlight with Rachel. I sent in pictures of my current hair and also inspo photos of what I wanted. I show up to the appointment, and she asks me what I want done—so I explain it again, and she tells me she doesn’t do what I’m asking for.

At that point, I was confused and frustrated—why confirm my appointment if I already sent photos showing what I wanted and what my hair looked like? When I brought that up, she told me the receptionist “bullies her” into taking clients she’s not comfortable with. Honestly, I didn’t know how to respond to that—it felt unprofessional and awkward.

After making it clear she wasn’t going to do the full highlights I booked, she ended up just doing a root touch-up and a test strand “to see if my hair could handle bleach.” I already knew it could—that’s why I booked a full highlight in the first place. Then she charged me for a partial highlight, even though she told me all she was doing was a root touch-up.

I don’t usually leave bad reviews, but I left this appointment feeling too frustrated not to say something. The only reason I tried this salon was because they say they specialize in blonding, but this experience was disappointing from start to finish. I wouldn’t...

I love this place! I come in feeling like a hot mess and leave feeling like a queen! I'm so glad I decided to take the leap and try this salon. Ivy, who does my hair, is amazing! Especially if you are blonde! I originally had an appt with another stylist at the salon ( who moved out of state) and she recommended I go to Ivy. After looking at her Instagram (@ivydoeshair) I knew my hair would be in good hands. After my last appointment, my confidence went way up! I felt like a new person. Ivy took the time to style my hair and photograph it , like--America's next top model type photoshoot hahaha-- which makes me feel good that she takes a lot of pride in her work (my hair). Previous stylists I went to never did that and it really made a difference for me. The salon- The vibe is industrial, low key, very welcoming, they take your jacket for you, they offer you wine, coffee, water, etc. The prices are fair for the amazing work the stylists do. I would recommend this salon and Ivy to my friends, blondes, anyone in need of an amazing color change...