This is one of the better looking mani/pedi places in the area for a reasonable price. They even have a discount for the NU students, which is great. I like the ambiance and the fact that the play movies with subtitles while relaxing music is playing in the background for those who prefer not to watch. The problem is the quality of manicure here isn't great at all, which is the main reason to go to a mani/pedi place, isn't it? I gave this place a couple of tries and had two different people work on my manicure. First of all, they don't cut the cuticles well at all! I had way too much left on my nails after each time I went. Second, their nail polish application is mediocre. All in all, I'll be taking my business elsewhere. read more

Awesome neighborhood nail place. I'm a student and have been visiting Bien Assorti on a weekly basis for a little more than a year and I always get a great manicure, no matter who does it. They all do a great job getting your nails in good shape and then do a perfect job polishing them. The color selection is pretty extensive, they always have the new colors, and everything feels clean. I usually call in advance to make an apt because it can get busy at random times, but its understandably a popular place. It's decorated nicely, the chairs are comfortable, they play back-to-back chick flicks, and they give you a little shoulder rub post-manicure/pedicure while your nails are drying. I've also been to Nail Bar, around the corner, a bunch of times and can definitely say Bien Assorti is a far better experience and the manicure quality is about equal. read more

This is easily my favorite nail place in Evanston. I've tried several others (Nail Bar, Serenity, Angel, Red Door before it closed, Egea, Agora) and Bien Assorti is hands down the best. The atmosphere is relaxing, the decor is tasteful, and the equipment is clean. The staff is friendly and eager to please, but not so friendly that they talk your ear off while you're trying to relax and zone out. They have a great selection of smut magazines (US Weekly, etc.) that they bring you as soon as you sit down in the pedi chair and always have a cheesy chick flick with Matthew McConaghey and/or Sandra Bullock playing on the flat screen TV (with subtitles so you don't have to listen to it). The neck massage they give you while your nails dry is awesome. Sure, it's a bit pricey ($35 for a pedi) but you get what you pay for. You could spend less at a "quicky mart" type place but it will probably be dingy and understaffed. I have tried to show up to Bien Assorti without an appointment and have been turned away (boo!) so I learned my lesson and always make an appointment now. This seems to be an Evanston thing, though, as I once drove to 4 different places trying to get in to no avail (and donated lots of change to the parking meters in the process). Huge plus: if you are registered in their computer, they will send you a coupon for a free mani during your birthday month. WOW! read more

This is my preferred nail spot in Evanston, especially for pedicures and gel manicures. It is a little more expensive than the other options in downtown Evanston, but, the precision and service at Bien is usually better, though, it can be a bit hit and miss depending on your technician. For a pedicure, the cleaning and polishing is very thorough and I really like the little add-ons they include in even a classic pedicure. You get a nice lower leg / foot massage during the pedicure in addition to a brisk but powerful upper back massage while you are at the drying table. They also traditionally treat your heels to a warm paraffin treatment as part of any pedicure which in my prior pedicure experiences was always an extra fee. For gel manicures I'm a big fan as they have a lot more options of different gel and shellac brands and colors (including Essie gel) and the manicurists seem very skilled at applying it evenly and removing it without damaging your nails. My last gel mani lasted through 2.5 weeks of international travel including lots of beach time. Bonus points for the chick flicks playing while you get pampered, the clean space and the large polish selection! Only downside is that it can be tough to get an appointment the day of. read more

I love this place. I live downtown but work in Evanston and visit here for manis and pedis on my lunch break. They're wonderful. They do a very good job, the facility is wonderful, always a fun chic flick playing for you to watch while getting your nails done (even my husband is a sucker for a good chic flick!) and they always give you a heated towel neck massage when you're done. It's the perfect touch. Today was my frist pedi there and the paraffin wax on the heel was AWESOME. I haven't gotten that treatment from any of my other fave nail spots before and definitely needed it! I'm sure you can knit pick away at any place, but for the price, the service and location I really can't think of a better nail spot in downtown Evanston. There's another small shop literally 2 doors from my office, but I prefer Bien Assorti. read more

A visit to Bien Assorti always feels like a treat. Most of the things I love have already been mentioned (cute place, chick flicks, complimentary massage, great selection of OPI polishes), but the one thing that I really appreciate is how CLEAN everything is. The mani/pedi quality is great as well- long lasting and very nice nail shaping. Since I live in the neighborhood, I usually just pop in at random times (although I do recommend making an appointment to ensure availability). Each technician I've had has done a great job, so I never have to worry about requesting someone specific. I will say that it is on the pricier side for nail services, but to me, the overall experience makes it well worth it. *My friend gets the nail designs done by Katie, and they are gorgeous. Not my thing personally, but if anyone likes getting them done, she is the one to do it! read more

Made an appointment this morning for a manicure at 5:45 pm, and left work early to get there precisely on time. And every chair is filled and it is clear that some manicures just started (if they're doing your cuticles you haven't been there more than 10 minutes), and so the shop did not make even the slightest effort to honor my appointment. So I told the manager I only had a few minutes to wait and she's like, "whatever," so after 5 minutes I left. If you are not going to honor an appointment, don't take one, just say no and stop wasting people's time. If you care about being in business, learn some respect for prospective customers and don't be dishonest and dishonorable. I'll be telling everyone to avoid this place. read more

This is a great place. They are very friendly and do a very good job. My manicures always last at least a week. I go before or after class down the street, and it's always relaxing to sit in here and be pampered from start to finish. Here, it's all about the details. The quality of the polishes and the extensive color selection. The heart-shaped bowls to soak your cuticles in, and the movies showing at all times. The great leg massage at the pedi bowl. The warm towel shoulder and neck massage as you are sitting at the dryer. The STUDENT DISCOUNT! A little on the pricy side, but very well worth it all around! read more

A must visit nails salon! I was in Evanston for my brother's graduation and my nails toes need some work. So I went in here and had the best service ever! I mean it! I had my nails done at so many places since I travelled a lot. I definitely was 100% satisfied with the service. The wax they put on my heels are so good. It never felt so smooth and soft. Also the shoulder massage with hot towel was a plus. If I ever come back to Chicago/Evanston, I would come here for sure! read more

Sienna was fabulous. Had a walk-in pedi with her, and she really put effort into the foot cleansing and grooming process. The leg massage was relaxing and included some light pounding on the soles of the feet. You can tell when a cosmetologist cares about what they're doing, and like a fat cook and a thin dietitian, Sienna had pristine nails herself. I continue to love and vouch for Bien Assorti. They gave my graduation feet/nails a sparkling Northwestern glow just in time for the big day. Purple and sparkling silver compliment each other, I just discovered. Very satisfied. read more

Bien Assorti - Pardon my dusty shoes and the blister that was polished off my big toe. These nails shine! Feeling ladylike - Nail Salons Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

My go-to nail salon in Evanston. Mani/pedis are $41 with the Wildcard discount and usually take an hour max. The salon also has the latest Essie and OPI shades which is a plus. I try to call ahead an hour or two before going in, but there isn't usually a wait (especially on weekdays). The romantic comedies playing on the TVs make the nail drying time pass by quicker. Overall a good quality manicure/pedicure for a reasonable-for-Evanston price. read more

I come here to relax with my daughter (s). The service is the best in Evanston. Katie, the manager, Young, Amy, Mark, Diung (sp?) are so nice and professional. Mani/pedi is my fave but even a polish change is a breath of fresh air. They do the hot cloth to your hands and neck. Then massage your neck and back while nails are drying. It's a mini massage but so worth it! The place is meticulously clean, but my favorite part is the kindness, caring and the smiles. Thanks Bien Assorti , for being my oasis in the desert! read more

Bien Assorti is a cute, modern salon with nice workers. They play chick flicks on huge flat screens and give NU students 10% off. It's walking distance from home and I have come twice for manicures. I have had my nails done by Leah and Katie and they both did a decent job except....Katie filed my nail so hard that my finger started bleeding and now there's a scar. Ouch. My boyfriend made an appointment for me a few days in advance but when I got there, they couldn't find it. And they said they could only do acrylics in the morning when he made an appointment for acrylics. A little disorganization or miscommunication there, but forgivable. This is the only nail salon I've experienced in Evanston, so next I'll be trying out Trendy Nail Boutique and Nail Bar. read more

I come to this location all the time the manager here is the best, she always try to help me find color based on my request. I haven't been here for a little while and I am writing this review is because I miss doing my nails here. They have a tv always play some romance movies. read more

I consistently have great experiences at this nail salon. It's a very clean, relaxing, enjoyable environment. They always have a good movie playing and I look forward to the amazing neck massage you get at the end. Katie is so sweet and gentle and her no chip manis last for 2+ weeks! They also honor the Northwestern student wildcard discount. read more

My usual place was busy so I walked here on my lunch break to get a quick no-chip. Usually, I can get two weeks out of a no-chip, and this was a $40 base cost, so I thought it was a good investment, but they started to chip almost immediately. The manicurist also used moisturizing gloves on me the whole time, which was kind of okay until the UV light was setting the nails, and the plastic gloves sort of started to melt and burn. read more

I've been here a handful of times and always feel good about the splurge on my beat-up hands and feet. Today was a different story. I got Kelly for a no-chip mani and regular pedi. She was very aggressive with the scrubber on my feet -- and that's when I remembered I'd had her before :-( When we got to the mani, she was rough with the sander on my nails, the cuticle pusher, and the cuticle cutter. I asked her to be gentler with the pusher, which she was, but I didn't like having to ask. Then, after a few rounds of polish, for some reason she decided to pick up the cuticle cutter again. I said "Please, no more cutting", and she said, "Your nails are in really bad shape, which is why the polish keeps sliding around." It seemed from that point her attitude changed. I did complain to the owner at checkout, and she was nice about it. I'll go back, but I hope Kelly gets some training on how to be gentle, because not all customers have easy hands and feet. read more

I have had many gel manicures over the years but my girls at Bien Assorti have lasted the longest. I typically pick them off after a week because they start to curl at the base. Not these. Two weeks and going strong. Great atmosphere and well with a few extra dollars. read more

love this place. my manicures last longer, and the service is great. Parking could be better but that's Evanston not the salon. Katie is great. One of the recent technicians was too aggressive cutting my toe nails, but the truth is, I've been going here for 6 years straight for a reason. they do a nice job! read more

Dead quiet when I went in on a weekday morning. There's a language barrier (Korean or Mongolian nail techs), so they aren't chatty which is great, in my opinion, but they are still very service-oriented. They don't really post their prices anywhere - maybe on a small flier inside their salon. I got the upgraded pedicure for $45 which includes a scrub, heel wax, and a 10 minute leg massage, and I timed the massage - it was exactly 10 mins! Not the most detailed pedicure I've had (didn't clip all my dead skin, and my heels weren't super smooth), but I felt pampered during and after. And they give you an additional quickie neck/shoulder massage while your nails dry! read more

Bien Assorti is now my new favorite nail salon in Evanston. I booked a Bachelorette party of 6 a week prior, and they were able to accommodate, in addition they allowed us to bring in Champagne and mimosas with out a problem. The pedicures and manicures were impeccable - from the massages, customer service, and polish application. Highly recommended - we made our appointments the same day for the wedding weekend. read more

I have found my nail place, finally. Service: Great. They do a thorough job, they are friendly, they take reservations or walk ins, and the BEST part is the warm towel and mini massage while you are drying! It's like the icing on the cake and just a couple minutes of massage really makes a big difference. Only thing I would change is ask for a little extra massaging of the hands and forearms and legs during the service itself - that's always my favorite part. Atmosphere: Clean, organized, and decorated in a cute way. They play DVD's all day with subtitles on nice flat screen TVs. Location: Convenient in downtown Evanston with many food options if you are making an afternoon of it. Parking: Street parking, some meter Price: Not bad at all. (Student discounts available if that applies to you). They offer a punch card, too. As most of these salons, they always ask if I can pay cash for tip. It's not a requirement here, though. read more

I do not even want to give them a star. Horrible experience. My niece asked for gel/ acrylic nails , and they said that they didn't do them in the middle of doing "gel nails for her." On the wall behind us , there was a plaque of acrylic nails..and gel nail styles. So with student discount I just paid $36 for a natural regular basic manicure with gel polish. Also they were super rude to her and I don't want to drop the race card but I think it came into play as well. Attached you see a photo that I'm sure I could do a better job. So disappointed. read more

We enjoyed this nail shop on our first visit. They work efficiently and gave very good service and insured that we have beautiful nails. Not sure if they are use to having men here but that did not impact them and in fact may have given us better service. Thanks Ladies read more

I made an appointment for a gel manicure over a week in advance, and was the first of the day. When I arrived, I was the only one in the salon, yet the tech working on my nails seemed to be in a huge rush and was very rough on my nails. She was so aggressive with the cuticle pusher and cutter that I bled on three fingers! This to me is unacceptable and left me in pain and susceptible to infection. I understand they were busy from graduation, but bleeding is never ok. I'm only giving three stars because I love the color of my manicure, but wouldn't return from the pain experienced during the manicure. read more

I have gone here probably 5 times at this point, and have always been impressed with their service. They pay attention to detail, and are very polite. They take me at the last minute, 10 minutes before they closed but continued to work as if they had all the time in the world. They're open relatively late for a mani/pedi place, I was there at around 6:30. The gel manicure lasted FOREVER, i was so happy with it! The prices are decent, but the student discount makes it great and the punch card is pretty cool. Overall, I think it's great but the parking is frustrating since the street parking is always full and the parking garage is a little walk away. read more

Thank you, Bien Assorti team, for staying open for my last minute pedicure. I really appreciate your service and the results!

Katie is amazing. She always does her best to accommodate when I don't make an appointment and has a smile for everyone. The shoulder massage is the bonus that keeps me coming back! read more

I don't know why everyone is hating on the young man who works here. He did my manicure the day before my best friend's wedding and it lasted FOREVER without chipping. And he was very gentle and professional! I would definitely go back if I lived in Evanston. One of the best manicures I've received. read more

Came back for a pedicure over the weekend and am happy to bump it up a star. Still not fantastic, but the wax they used on my heels (without charging extra) was amazing and it's they were showing Pretty Woman, which was also pretty amazing. And now my toes are pretty, which makes me happy. Might be an ok deal for students (I don't know what the discount is), but for the rest of us, it's still a bit pricy for what you get. read more

Stopped in again, this time for a regular mani and pedi. I was handed off to a high school aged boy, which is OK but I had to wonder about his skill. I hadn't gotten a pedicure in over 5 months so I knew I needed a polish up. The pedicure lasted around 25 minutes from start to finish. There was no attention to detail and his "massage" killed. Was sent to what I believe was the owner of the shop for my manicure. That alone lasted the same amount of time as the pedicure. I then was asked, just like everyone there, to pay my tip in cash (even though there is a tip section). When someone spends $50, I believe they shouldn't be asked to do anything. I was very unimpressed after this visit. Probably won't be back. read more

My sister and I visited the salon recently after reading positive Yelp reviews. We arrived early and were seen very promptly. I had (regular) polish on and the woman working on my nails were really disgruntled that she had to remove it (even though I paid the extra fee fro polish removal). She was rolling her eyes at me and even said 'fuck it' before then taking to my nails with a metal object and scraping the polish off. Both technicians worked really hastily and we were out of there in 20 minutes. Three days later and my manicure has already completely peeled off one finger. Not super pleased - especially considering the total bill was $40. Never returning again. read more

I didn't get the name of the woman who did my no-chip mani and regular pedi. She was very rough and rude - seemed to be annoyed with me the entire time. Didn't cover the tips/edges of my fingernails and left polish on my skin. And it was expensive - $70. I've had far better mani/pedis for less money. First time here, and my last. read more

Got a manicure today. Manicurist was incredibly detail oriented and also efficient. Salon has a nice clean warm vibe. Massage was very short--but may be that my home salon just goes extra long! Would recommend for a quick mani or pedi. read more

I am really disappointed. I had a great mani/pedi and when I gave her a tip ($8/17%) on $46 mani/ped, I overheard the woman managing the money to tell my technician not to give me a chair massage. The girl next to me gave her technician $10 and they gave her a massage. I won't return. Sorry I didn't give you 20%. read more

Haven't visited this business in person, but they were very accommodating for purchasing a last-minute holiday gift certificate. I called to inquire about gift certificates for a family member who lives in Evanston, because they don't seem to have a website or online way of purchasing. Over the phone, the process was a breeze! I provided CC info, service, and address of the recipient. The woman assured me that the holiday gift certificate would be mailed tomorrow to arrive ASAP to my family member. I love that my family member will be able to pamper themselves at a local salon and will receive the hard copy of the gift certificate in the mail. No printing it out, emailing it or running in person to the salon. Painless holiday shopping. Thanks, Bien Assorti! read more

The tech broke two of my nails and took off a lot of the layers of my nail (more than normally) removing the gel. They ask you to pay in advanced and then stare at you to see how much you're going to tip. I would not have tipped if it wasn't for her looking at me. read more

I've been a loyal customer here for years, so it's very disappointing for me to have to write this review. I came in for a no-chip mani and an eyebrow wax. The tech started with the wax. When I informed her that I wanted my brows thinned, she responded with a very frightened "I'll try." Not exactly a vote of confidence, and I should have walked out right then. Instead, I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. When she finished, I looked in the mirror and saw that my brows looked exactly the same as when she had started. I told her this in a very polite way. Since she seemed so fragile, I thought it would be too much for her to ask her to keep going, so I just told her it was fine. Well, apparently, my one polite comment that my brows looked the same was extremely offensive to her. She was obviously quite angry when she started my no-chip. She was not only very abrupt (i.e. spending 15 seconds on a step of the manicure that regular techs would spend several minutes on), but she was also very rough. It was one of the most painful manicures I've ever had, and I'm a veteran. She also skipped certain parts of the manicure all together, like the lotion at the end. And, of course, there was the obligatory bad-mouthing about me to the other techs. The end result is a complete joke. I'm still scraping off cakes of polish from my skin and from under my nails. The tips of my nails are totally uneven, and it's clear I will need to go to a different place to have the whole thing removed and fixed. What a disappointment - if you're so fragile that you can't handle a single, polite criticism of your work, then you shouldn't be in the business. I will be staying away in the future and will advise friends to do the same. read more

Had a gel manicure removed and it was really unpleasant. The lady buffed my nails way too much and did not respond when I told her it was hurting. Really destroyed the quality of my nails. I also believe they charged me more than what they said it would be for a gel removal. read more

I can see why the reviews are so mixed. Cute salon, convenient location. But the language/cultural barrier is significant, and the women who work there seem unfriendly if not downright rude. I think it's just because they have trouble communicating with clients. I felt they were rushing around, switched manicurists in the middle of my session (without explaining why), no eye contact, basically uncomfortable interaction. OTOH, the manicure itself was REALLY good. I got a gel ("no-chip no-chip!!" she said) manicure, and I'm usually reluctant to get them out of town with an unfamiliar shop. I got a dark color and she was super careful to make sure the shape was perfect, then carefully layered on the polish (better than my usual manicurist at home) and then expertly made sure the edges were perfect. I was pretty impressed. I'll probably come back (I'm in town a lot) but I'll just watch the movie and assume we won't have much of a conversation. read more