Nail Salons in and near Chicago, IL

If you need to find a new nail salon in Chicago, we can help you. We’ve created a list of our favorite mani-pedi places all over the city, from the North Side to the South Side. We can also help you snag a deal at some of the best nail salons in Chicago to get fancy paws without the fancy prices:

Bliss Spa at the W Chicago

Location: River East/Near North Side

 

Bliss Spa is one of our absolute favorite spas in Chicago (you may have seen it on our list of The Most Beloved Salons and Best Spas in America). That’s because Bliss pampers clients with luxury spa services, such as oxygen facials, and fancy amenities, such as a steam shower and brownie buffet. And the view of Lake Michigan and Navy Pier in the spa lounge is gorgeous.

 

Even a simple mani-pedi is elevated at Bliss, which boasts four movie-while-you-manicure nail stations. If you’re visiting in the winter and suffer from dry, peeling feet, go for the Heel-lelujah! pedicure. It soothes cracked skin with an oatmeal foot soak, foot mask, and moisturizing massage.

Urban Spa Nail

Location: Lakeview

You may recognize Urban Spa Nail even if you’ve never been here before. The nail salon was featured on the Chicago season of Married at First Sight. It’s a popular place, perhaps because it smells so good, like the essential oils used in the foot massages. Clients also seem to love that Urban Spa Nail uses a 100% organic and vegetable-based product line for its treatments. Here’s what some of our customers have said:

 

  • “Great service. Bought as a gift and we both loved it!!! Really clean and pretty space too— you walk in and it smells like essential oils.” – Mary
  • “One of the most amazing pedicures i've ever gotten. they were so nice, amazing service, new fave spot.” – Chelsea M.
  • “Literally the best mani & pedi I’ve ever had! Will definitely be coming back!” – Andrea M.

File Away Nail Spa

Location: Far Southwest Side

 

File Away is a classic nail salon without any frills, but with a good reputation. Its nail artist, CeCe,  specializes in wearable art, particularly bling nails decorated with crystals, rhinestones, and or pearls. And a lot of our customers really like her work:

 

  • “Awesome service, my no chip lasted longer than any other nail place.” – Rheanna J.
  • “The Nail Room was exactly that - a nail room! And it was so intimate, cozy and relaxing! It was such a pleasant experience! CeCe was absolutely the BEST!! She has excellent nail salon skills, but also has such a pleasant demeanor. The whole experience was just awesome! Everyone should treat themselves to the experience at the Nail Room!” – Rita B.
  • “Awesome person and great nail lady. Will be back.” – Kenyonda P.
  • “First time going but it wasn’t anything less than amazing!! Cecelia was very professional, she takes her time, and you are her priority. I will be going back to visit her.” – Nadia P.

Diana’s Nail & Spa

Location: Downtown

 

If you’re easily tired by the same old polishes, this BYOB nail salon in Downtown Chicago is for you. It has more than 1,000 colors to choose from and carries such brands as Essie, CND Vinylux, and OPI. It has more 300 vegan-friendly Zoya polishes, which are all 5-free. And it rounds out its collection with more than 800 gel colors from such brands as OPI, Gelish, and Jessica.

 

Diana’s also follows strict hygiene practices, including sterilizing tools in an autoclave and, if requested, giving the nail file, buffer, and pumice stone to the client they were used on (otherwise, the salon will discard the one-time-use tools).

What Are 5-Free Polishes?

 

The term 5-free refers to nail polishes that are free from five potentially hazardous ingredients:

  1. Dibutyl phthalate
  2. Toluene
  3. Formaldehyde
  4. Formaldehyde resin
  5. Camphor


Brands such as Zoya, OPI Infinite Shine, Jin Soon, and Chanel have 5-free polishes. Some brands take it even further and are 7- and 8- or 9-free, eliminating even more potentially harmful or irritating ingredients. These include Deborah Lippmann Gel Lab Pro (7-free), Smith and Cult (8-free), Butter London (8-free), and Londontown Lakur (9-free).

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