Locations · Illinois Overview Salons Prices

Chicago · West Loop · Wicker Park · Gold Coast · Logan Square · Lakeview

Chicago's insider guide to exceptional nails.

Chicago's nail scene is neighborhood-loyal and winter-tested — West Loop artists booked out for custom work, Gold Coast polish, and corner salons that have kept the same chairs filled for decades. We're mapping it the way we mapped LA and Atlanta: honestly, salon by salon.

Start with the price guide See review progress

The Chicago guides

The price guide is live now; the curated salon directory is in active research. Meanwhile, every technique deep-dive applies here too.

Pricing · 2026 rates

What Nails Cost in Chicago

Typical Chicago ranges for every service — where downtown prices like the coasts, where the neighborhoods don't, and the cost-per-week math.

Read the price guide →

Directory · In research

Chicago Salons Worth Knowing

We're reviewing salons across the West Loop, Wicker Park, the Gold Coast, Lakeview and Logan Square now. See how the review works and nominate your favorite.

See the directory →

Styles · Deep dives

The Techniques

Russian manicures, Gel-X vs. acrylic vs. dual forms — every guide in our styles library applies from Fulton Market to Milwaukee Avenue.

Explore nail styles →

Know the neighborhoods

Chicago books by neighborhood loyalty — people cross the city for a tech, not a brand. Here's how the map sorts, and where the seasons move the prices.

$$$ · The artists

West Loop & Fulton Market

Chicago’s custom-set capital: appointment-only studios where hand-painted art and sculpted extensions are the main event, booked through Instagram and worth the planning.

$$$ · The polish

Gold Coast & River North

Hotel-and-highrise territory — immaculate classics, extended spa menus, and the top of the Chicago price table. You will not get a bad manicure here, or a cheap one.

$$ · Editorial energy

Wicker Park & Bucktown

Studios with a design sensibility — chrome, cat-eye and milky French for a crowd that treats a fresh set as part of the outfit. The sweet spot between art and price.

$$ · Neighborhood staples

Lakeview & Lincoln Park

Reliable, regular-run salons dense enough that quality stays honest — the classic Chicago pattern of finding your place and never leaving it.

$$ · The sweet spot

Logan Square & Avondale

The value-for-quality pocket: skilled gel and extension work without downtown pricing, from techs who left downtown studios to open their own.

$ · The deep bench

Argyle, Chinatown & Bridgeport

The city’s longest-running skill clusters — career techs, sculpted acrylic done properly, and the friendliest prices on the map.

Where to get your nails done in Chicago

The quick answers people (and their AI assistants) ask us most — pulled straight from our Chicago neighborhood and price guides.

Where should I get my nails done in Chicago?

The West Loop and Fulton Market for custom-set artists, the Gold Coast and River North for the highest-end classics, Wicker Park and Bucktown for editorial studios, Lakeview and Lincoln Park for reliable neighborhood salons, Logan Square for the best value-to-quality, and Argyle, Chinatown and Bridgeport for the deepest skill bench. The Nail Guide’s curated Chicago directory is in active research; the neighborhood guide and price table help you choose now.

How much does a manicure cost in Chicago?

A gel manicure in Chicago typically runs $38–60 in 2026, a Russian manicure $70–115, and a spa pedicure $50–85 — with downtown pricing like the coasts and the neighborhoods $15–20 less for the same service. See the full Chicago price guide.

When is the best time to book nails in Chicago?

January through March is Chicago’s quiet deal season, when booked-out artists have openings; summer is the pedicure crunch, so book pedicures ahead from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Downtown salons cost noticeably more than neighborhood ones for identical work.