I got my hair cut . the satff is great and I loved my haircut and color. I got exactly what I wanted . I also bought products that were suggested to me and my hair looks so much better. The owner was friendly and very professional. Thanks so much! helaine rae read more

Five stars because..friendly staff.. Quick service..affordable prices..high quality products..and I got their shampoo..conditioner and leave in conditioner for colored hair for 20 bucks! That's just 2 good!!! The Albanian lady who dyed my hair was the bomb. Very helpful since I wasn't sure of what color I wanted to choose.. Thanks Yelp I found my new spot. :) read more

I've been here twice now and both times have been a GREAT experience. Just a little perspective, I've been super spoiled when it comes to haircuts. My family back home is close with a stylist that owns her own business and she has done my hair (for free, too) ever since I was in high school. So when I moved to this area I was very nervous about finding a place to get an affordable haircut when I've been getting salon treatment for about a decade. Fantastic Sams has been too good to be true--both times I have left with the EXACT haircut and style that I wanted. They use the same high end products that my gal from back home uses too! Best part, completely affordable. Without a doubt, I will be a regular here. read more

Excellent service! Men's haircut is $12 all day on Thursdays! I went in and the manager greeted me and alerted me that it would be about an hour wait. I told him I would be at starbucks and would return. However, her personally came and got me when it was my turn! Whoa. Amazing. Haircut was great. Thanks! Sign up and take the survey, you get $5 off your next cut. That's like 2 gallons of gas! Hehe this will be my place from now on. read more

I've been coming here for yeeeears....even when they were on the other side of Madison. I've always come during the day...now I know why. It's a hot mess at night and the woman who cut my hair (don't even remember her name) and the woman who is allegedly the manager were ridiculous. I told the stylist that I didn't want a shampoo, just a cut. She rung me up full price and when I asked if it should be cheaper, she laughed. She then asked the manager to "tell this lady" that it was full price. The manager basically called me a liar when I said haven't paid full price in the past, and when I told her that I usually see Kevin, she stated that he's not a stylist. Ummm...I knew that and further knew there was no point in arguing with these two over five dollars. But, they clearly don't know how to talk to people and I won't be back. read more

SUSAN IS A F***ING GENIUS!!!! I'm only willing to share this bc I am moving to the West Coast in 2 weeks & can't take her with. For the edgy creative cut I love I would trust NOBODY else in Chicago or Oak Park. I've spent $80+ at supposedly amazing places in the City that couldn't cut half as well as Susan. read more

I switched to Fantastic Sams after moving from Wheaton a little more than 3 years ago now. I was skeptical as I had a wonderful hairdresser there who would do great things to my hair while saving me money. I love everyone at Fantastic Sams, and also have had many stylists; all who did a great job on my hair. So - here it is, my one complaint. I've had stylists who just do things without asking, or telling you how much it is going to cost. I find this very sneaky, and just unfair. Once the manager went ahead and did the conditioning treatment on my hair without asking, when I had exactly enough money to pay for my touch-up and tip. Others met me and got it right away, Sydney was one - most recently Katie. Today I was excited to go in for the $36 dollar touch-up special and left spending $70 (without tip, and Im a generous tipper, or like to be). Elena pulled the ends through and charged me saying "im going to..." which made me think it was included. No! This is not right and I left with beautiful hair (I LOVE the way she does it, and she is a nice nice person as well), but upset. You cannot tell a customer "you deserve it". Reality is some of us only have a limited amount we can spend on this luxury. I just wish the stylists could be trained to understand this and communicate effectively. Im not fond of yelping either, but just needed to say this this one time. No reply is needed. I will be coming back again often. read more

I can't believe it took me so long to write this review. My family has been going to Fantastic Sams for many years now. They provide great service and have a convenient location. Jocelyn and Kevin have an amazing attentive staff that really takes care of the clients. They are very friendly and always accommodating! I always love how my boys (& husband too) haircuts look. It is pleasant environment where you can sit and relax or talk to neighbors. It can get pretty hectic on the weekends, so call ahead! Keep up the great service!! read more

Peggy has cut my hair a few times now, and I don't think anyone has done such a great job! She simply knows what she's doing and has given me styles that work perfectly with my wavy, somewhat coarse hair. I went to FS because of the affordable price and convenient location, but I return there for the friendly service from the whole staff as well as Peggy's great work! Highly recommended! read more

Great service, clean salon. I have been going here for 12-18 months and have always been pleased with my haircut. I really recommend Laura. read more

Ok so admittedly I was going to only give 2 or 3 stars. Only because I was unhappy with the last two of MY haircuts. What's the adage.. "Fool me once"? My son however does receive a great haircut here. Every time . The last two times for me have been the same person... Not good. Luckily I'm a guy who likes short hair and can go elsewhere to get it fixed. Ok... That said, where here today for my son. I'm sitting in the waiting room and strike up a conversation with the owner. I had to tell her about my experience. She was all ears and eager to make it right. Super cool! She made a note to provide some guidance to the employee and provided me with the name of three other employees and a free haircut! Fantastic! All employees I have interacted with have been very pleasant. I guess I can't hold the whole establishment responsible! Kudos to Jocelyn the owner! I will be back. :-) read more

Fantastic Sams - They have coffee and tea! - Hair Salons Near Me - Forest Park, Illinois

I had the best haircut here a week or so ago. Victoria is amazing at cutting curly hair!!! it looked exactly the way i wanted it too!! shes also great at waxing brows!!! read more

I was visiting family from New York and needed a hair cut. The service was impeccable. I loved my cut and spend way less than I normally do. The staff was attentive and listened to my requests. I have a bob with wavy hair. The stylist cut it to my requested length and did a fantastic job straightening it. Would highly recommend. read more

You can get a decent enough men's haircut for a fair price pretty much anywhere. This location will keep getting my business because of the customer service. When I've called in the past and they haven't gotten to the phone because they're busy, I've gotten a call back shortly from the manager to get me on the schedule. I tried to walk-in yesterday, but the timing wasn't going to happen and I left. This morning I got a call back from the manager apologizing for the confusion and working to get me on their schedule today. That's impressive and a really good way to create loyal customers. read more

My family members have been going here for years. We followed a stylist, Joyce, because she had been cutting my haircut-aversive son's hair since he was four. She would talk him through her it and the cut would turn out great. Sadly, she moved on, but since son is older now and salon is conveniently located with easy parking, we stayed. I asked for someone who was good with squirmy boys. It was hit or miss; I'd find someone who was okay, then the next time she'd trim very little or give a bad haircut, like chopped before picture day even though I explained, just a trim for school pictures. So I switched stylist, got a couple of good haircuts before a fail, like make us wait 1/2 hour because she squeezed in an extra customer, knowing we had an appt. I should point out in FS defense, there are no appts., but will try to accommodate you near an available time. My son is impatient and has a very difficult time when he has to wait for anything. Or we'd get someone we really like, then she'd leave. Once I got fantastic color with a coupon, then three months later, with same stylist, I had color disaster Plus she charged $150 when she quoted $134. She added charges for conditioning, all over color, and extra colors, a haircut, (trimmed the ends) and a blowout, in addition to highlights. I was going to bring it up with the owner to complain about the upcharges, but did not. I should have because the colorist was gone a month later. This happens to me regularly; I take a chance, spend a boatload of money on color, and am left traumatized. Then I don't get my hair serviced for years. Overall, it's an adequate, lower cost hair salon. I've seen some nice work done on customers by stylists. Maybe it depends on what you have to work with, aka good hair. I wish once I found someone I liked, she would stay for years, but that's not how it is in the hair world. Let me say, most everyone is pleasant, service-oriented. On special ocasions, there are adult beverage for customers, which is a nice consideration. P.S. Let me add that I am a good tipper, 30%++ on a $15 hair cut. read more

Excellent experience today with Karlla. She was friendly, professional, and gave me one of the best cuts I've had in years! I feel fortunate to find someone with the attention to detail to do a short men's cut so well. Thank you Karlla! read more

I love Pamela Proctor! After a long drought in the quality hair stylist department; I've found The One! Pamela gets it. She's your go-to girl if you're looking for a hip, trendy, and just all around beautiful cut. I wanted a pixie, and I knew it had to be with someone who knows what they're doing. I started with a graduated bob, and it looked unbelievable. My second visit we did the pixie, and I'm never going back to long hair. She is the best! read more

I had a great experience working with Bona. She asked me all the questions she needed to in order to know what I wanted out of my cut. She gave a really great scalp massage and did a nice treatment in my hair. She gave me exactly what I asked for (basically a trim) and then styled my hair in a really cute way. I only wish she was a bit more chatty because I enjoy talking with my stylist and she didn't initiate any conversation. I plan on coming back because the location is great for me and the price can't be beat. read more

The staff is super nice and friendly. Karla is my stylist. She's awesome. I'm always pleased with her work. Thank you. The store owner Kevin is a really nice person. Excellent service. I love it. The prices are affordable and reasonable. read more

Karla rocks. Super friendly staff, professional, and most importantly quality work. The best cut I've had in some time.

Great haircut for my boys from Lori and Bona! Great style and working with thier unusual hair.

My hair isn't as light as I wanted it to be for highlights and being there for a long time because the color wasn't lifting. The staff was very nice though. read more

Please, if you value your appearance at all, DO NOT be seduced by the affordable pricing and be foolish enough to enter this excuse for a "salon". You will get what you pay for. Take your valued business elsewhere. My color was atrocious, my cut uneven, jagged, and hideous... and the owner's response to my complaint? (which was via phone because he seems to not actually be present in his place of business very often)... "I'll be happy to call the police." Apparently this man, Kevin is his name, does not value word of mouth business in a crumbling economy. read more

I called last-minute as a walk-in desperate for a fix and they told me to come in 20 minutes. I was seen within 10 minutes of arriving. I went in with a specific look that I wanted - a long bob, just below shoulder height, styled wavy, colored closer to my natural color. My hair was VERY thick, curly, long and was frizzy from being damaged from recent highlights. I was totally washed out and looked like the walking dead when I showed up to this place. Things I loved: -The cut and color look fabulous - very close to the celebrity pictures that I showed her without the expensive price-tag. I was so nervous about cutting my hair short after years of it being long (it's such a gamble when you have curly hair), but it turned out great. I asked for low-maintenance sexy and that's exactly what I got. -Bona was really sweet, took time for a consultation and listened to what my needs and wants were before jumping into things. She checked everything she was planning on doing before jumping in. -She also gave me a heavenly scalp massage - I'm super pregnant so that extra effort was definitely appreciated. -My hair is so much softer than when I walked in. It doesn't look or feel damaged at all. She told me about coming in for maintenance deep conditioning treatments every 4-6 weeks in between cuts to keep my hair fresh. Love this idea to prolong a look. -Bona took time at the end of the appointment to explain how I can style my hair quickly at home using the tools that I own. She gave me quick styling tips for daily wear as well as more involved tips for when I want to doll up and switch up my look. -You can't beat the price. I always get insane up-charges for having thicker/curly hair and they always seem to come at the end as a surprise when I'm checking out. I was understandably charged extra for the additional color used, but not for other things like "you have thicker/longer hair" and, more importantly, the upcharge was discussed from the time of consultation and again once she was mixing more color. I really value transparency. Things I would change: -The appointment took a very long time (3 hours) - I have had stylists cut, color, style my hair in 1.5-2 hrs. I attribute this to our consultation at the beginning, so I'm okay with it as a first-time client. I'd rather her take an extra hour and do my hair properly. Hopefully, the next time will be a little faster since she has worked on my hair. -The cut is a little shorter than I had wanted. It's at/above shoulder height after being blown out and I wanted it a little longer than my shoulders. Not a big deal - my hair grows very fast. I'm just a little worried about it being too short on the days I wear it curly/natural. -The interruptions were a little much. I know that when you get your hair colored and treated that it is totally normal and expected that the stylist will take other walk-ins. I do, however, think that the appointment lasted much longer than necessary because of some of the interruptions. Overall, I'd definitely recommend them. Just be honest about your needs/wants - they are very receptive and courteous. It's clear, based on other reviewers, that if you are unsatisfied they will go the extra mile to make things right. read more

Bona did a great job! I told her how I wanted my hair to look and she cut it exactly the way I wanted. She asked questions before she cut like "do you want your bangs thicker" and "layers shorter?" Looks so cute. Reasonably priced. I will definitely go back. read more

I've been going here for years and established rapport with their previous stylist Vince. Really cool guy, great work-- he left and since his departure, I've been trying out different hair stylist.. it seems that once I get a decent hair stylist to come by, their gone by the next time I'm due for a hair cut, which is really freaking annoying. I have curly hair, styling it is not the easiest thing to do, and finding a stylist that's really good at styling my hair type and texture is not an easy task as well. I knew it was time to go when I made an appointment for an eyebrow waxing (because once again, the person who use to do my eyebrows left-- so I made an appointment with someone they recommended), I got there 2 minutes late because they had construction going on and had to circle around the back parking lot, and when I came in, they told me the girl I made an appointment with started doing highlights and asked if I wanted someone else to do it or come back at another time. I left and never came back. Thank goodness I found Vince working at another salon! read more

Returned for the 2nd time to do my hair. I was happy to get Bona once more because she is a genuine sweetheart. However, my hair didn't turn into what I expected. The thing is there was a multitude of things that weren't her fault and I don't want to pin it on her because I know she did what she could. But at the end of the day I paid $100 to dye my hair and now I have to go get it fixed. I asked for an overall lighter brown color and the ends to be a lighter, since she had done a beautiful bayalage before. But that isn't what I got. The top of my head is very light. It looks red in the sunlight. My roots are extremely light. It isn't what I asked for. The bottom is beautiful, it's just my roots are so light while the rest of my hair is more of a chocolate brown! The thing is, she didn't specify what the overall undertone would be, I wasn't aware red would be the undertone. Also it was very busy Sunday morning so she left the dye in for a little longer than she should've, and my roots obviously lifted a lot quicker than the rest of my hair. ALSO, I didn't tell her that I didn't like it because I wasn't aware of how light my hair was, I also thought it would fade once I washed it but it hasn't :( I just want people to be aware that of what the undertone of the color will be once dying so you don't end up with red hair when you wanted a light brown. Once again, I want to reiterate, Bona was a sweetheart and proved to me the first time I came to FS that she is an amazing colorist, however, I didn't get what I wanted/paid for. read more

I've been here a couple time and my most recent visit was to get an up-do for a friend's wedding. I just wanted something simple as I was not in the wedding party but just wanted my hair up off my neck and it didn't work out quite as well as I wanted. I got a simple french twist with the ends curled a bit. The hairdresser put my shoulder-length hair up using wide bobby pins - big mistake. It looked great and felt tight so I paid, tipped her and left. I went home to put on my make-up and wasn't home for more than 10 minutes and the friggin' pins started falling out! I was in a rush for time so I raced back (3 blocks away from my apt), showed the girl what happened and she was so surprised she stopped what she was doing and pushed a few more pins in my hair and sent me on my way. Well, long story short, I ended up taking out ALL of the bobby pins halfway through the wedding reception. I was beyond mortified. I've learned my lesson - don't expect a lot from a salon chain. I may go back to get my hair trimmed but I will never go back to have it styled. read more

I've been here about 4 times in the past 6 months and Sydney is without a doubt the best hairstylist I've ever had. She always knows exactly what to do with my hair and is very friendly and personable too. read more

Pamela is thebomb.com. She is an amazingly talented hair magician. Pamela is extremely professional and provided much needed TLC for my messy hair. Can't wait to come back for my next cut. My hair looks FANTASTIC!!! Tell your friends! Bring your fam! read more

Bona treats her guests like long lost friends. She did exactly what I wanted and had a wonderful recommendation for continued good health of my hair. Sam's is lucky to have her! My adult kids thought I looked great on vacation. Thanks for completing my look Bona! read more

I love Fantastic Sams. The service is always top notch and friendly. I've always had a good experience and good haircut here. Just as good or better than higher priced salons I've been to. Highly recommended. read more

Totally unexpected place to go to, but they did a last minute updo on me for my rehearsal dinner. It was simple but incorporated everything I asked for. Very cheap compared to a regular salon, was only 35$! read more

On February 23rd I went to Fantastic Sams for a trim and color. Since I wasn't looking for a style, and I wanted a simple color concept, I thought it might be nice to check it out for a lower price. After I made the appt, I was told by Nahla that she would be cutting my hair. I was skeptical because of her own hair and outfit, but I needed the cut/color badly. I told her I only wanted 3/4 of an inch taken off and she laughed at me. Then we picked out the color; I told her "I want red, like Irish-red, not crayon-red." When I pointed to the color swatch, close to the idea of what I wanted, she said "no." So we picked out a mixture of two colors to tone down the bright orange. Then she "brushed" my hair. She slammed the brush down on my head and when I screamed out she said I must be sensitive. When she came back with the color she parted my hair in four sections and then proceeded to glob Vaseline all over the edges of my face where it met my hair. I realize why she did this, but I have NEVER in my 30 years of having my hair colored had to have that done before (clue #1). Then she parted my hair in 4 sections and took the color to each of the parts of the sections; again, never having had that done before should have been clue #2. She then proceeded to paint the roots where she parted the sections and at the front, combed it all through my hair (which was painful) and said she would let me sit for 10 minutes. She took another customer for a trim. The way then colored the rest of the hair should have been clue #3, but things really hit a sour note when after she was starting on section #2, she told me that she didn't even mix the two colors we picked out, she went with the straight red/orange. EXCUSE ME? It occurred to me later after this horrific experience that she probably had no idea how to mix colors. Then, the unimaginable. She finished coloring my hair with the same color she used for my roots, that had now sat there for over 15 minutes oxidizing. No one has ever done that to me. And, because she never mixed up new color (I have A LOT of hair) she ran out of color at the last section, so she didn't have enough to finish, so she took the left section and WIPED THE BOWL with my hair!!! I said are you kidding me? Then she scraped some excess color off and tried to rub it onto the less-colored section on the left. Then she rubbed my scalp? She said I had to sit for 10 minutes. Unfortunately, for me, a man came in and wanted a trim and she took him. After 10 minutes went by, then 15, and finally 20, she said hurriedly, that she HAD to wash my hair!! She was so brutal on my head while she hurried up and washed and tried to tell me she let me sit for 20 min. on purpose!? I then had to sit for 5 min (which turned into 10) with conditioner on my head while she finished with the customer in her chair. When it was finally my turn again, I knew immediately that the color was bad. It was so bright on top - I looked like Bozo. I told her it was too bright. And that it didn't match the bottom. Her response was that it looked good and that at least it covered the gray hair! When she was finished cutting, I told her the color was too bright and it needed to be toned down. She told me I would have to come back tomorrow because the shop closed at 8:00 p.m. Well, I paid $89.00 for horrible hair color, and alousy cut because legally I think I had no choice, but there was NO WAY she was getting a tip. I went home and washed my hair with Dawn Dish Soap, and then again with Aussie shampoo, because there was no way I could go to work the next day. DO NOT go here, because if they hire someone like her to do people's hair, they cannot possibly be a good shop. In small defense to the owner, I did not call him to complain, because I had already seen in previous reviews that he would only try and FIX the hair and I wasn't taking the chance. Please, if you are the owner, get rid of Nahla and quickly. read more

I have been a client of Laura's at Fantastic Sam's for over two years She is an amazing stylist and more importantly a wonderful person. I highly recommend her, You won't be disappointed!!!! read more

Laura rules! She has been cutting my hair for 10 years. I followed her to her last three locations. Sam's is the best place of the three.

Great place to get a solid haircut. I have been going there just about every other Wednesday for over a year. Very friendly atmosphere from Kevin (owner) to all the stylists. I am proud to say I do not have a stylist preference because they all do quality work and just all-in-all great. I highly recommend this place! read more

Found my new stylist today! Go see Karlla, she is amazing! I give her 5 stars as she is thorough and gives you exactly what you want. I give the salon 4 stars as the stylist are hit it miss. I have had a few bad ones in the past at this salon. I have been going there for 4 + years. read more

Susan is fabulous!! Used to pay $$$$$ for both my daughter and myself and NEVER got haircuts that we liked as much as what she can do. Anyone who wants a great haircut and/or color, call and ask for Susan!! read more

I get my haircut around once a month. Sydney is fantastic and would highly recommend her. She's great at understanding how a guy, explains what he wants, while also being extremely fun to talk to. The prices are very affordable, they however are getting quite popular, so definitely call for an appointment and get it on the books. read more