Morton Grove · Korean hair salon
47 of our 50 Google reviews are five stars.
Billy and Nan have been reading faces and cutting hair on Dempster Street for over thirty years. Walk in, or call ahead. Korean and English both spoken.
No app, no account, no booking fee. The phone rings on the counter and Billy or Nan picks it up.
Forty-seven people gave the full five stars.
Across fifty reviews on Google.
Billy has cut hair for over thirty years, and taught technique at a beauty school.
Monday to Saturday, 9:30am to 6:30pm. Closed Sunday.
What happens in the chair
Four things that keep people driving back here.
Regulars come from Skokie, Niles and Lincolnwood — and a few from a lot further than that.
They read your face first
Before the scissors come out: a couple of questions, your head tilted back and forth, and then a cut proposed for your face shape rather than the one you walked in reciting.
They tell you, then they stop
You get the professional opinion once, plainly. No pressure on the style, and none on the products either. What you do with it is your business.
Difficult hair is the normal case
Curly, coarse, fine, thick, or growing out a cut that went wrong somewhere else. Tough hair is the everyday work here, not the exception.
You get shampooed after
Not an upsell and not a package. At the end of the cut you are walked to the sink, washed and finished before you leave.
The window on Dempster Street
Open six days a week
Monday to Saturday, 9:30 in the morning until 6:30 at night.
Closed Sunday. The hours are painted on the glass and they have not moved in years — if you can get to Dempster Street between half nine and half six, there is a chair.
Walk in whenever you like. It is two people in one room, so on a Friday or a Saturday it fills up; a phone call an hour ahead almost always gets you seen on time. (847) 581-9775.
Their name on the counter
Two people, one room
A husband and wife, and no one else to hand you off to.
Sessions is Billy and Nan. Not a rotating chair, not a booth rental, not a stylist who left last month. When you come here you know exactly who is holding the scissors — which is most of the reason people who moved away still come back on visits.
Customers have driven in from St Louis and from Iowa to sit in this chair. One of them made the three-and-a-half-hour trip a habit.
Bring a picture
The wall is there for a reason. Use it.
Billy and Nan are Korean, and English is their second language. Bring a photograph on your phone and the gap closes in about five seconds — it is the fastest way to land exactly the cut you came in for.
Say the number of inches out loud as well, and ask them to repeat it back. The wall of pictures by the mirrors is there for the same reason: point at one.
What they do
What Billy and Nan do.
Cuts, perms and styling for women, men and children — Asian hair, curly hair, fine hair, and hair that has been cut badly somewhere else.
For prices, call the shop.
Ring (847) 581-9775 and ask — it takes twenty seconds, and you will get the number for the cut you actually want rather than a range.
"His prices are so low for his talent." — Abelina K., Morton Grove
Inside the shop
5707 Dempster Street.
One room, a neon sign, a wall of pictures by the mirrors, and more houseplants than most salons have chairs.
Who cuts your hair
Billy and Nan.
Customers have been naming them in reviews for fifteen years.
Billy
Owner · Master stylist
"Billy is an intelligent man. Has a perception of beauty and symmetry like no one else. He is my favorite nation wide. His prices are so low for his talent which I am glad to have."Abelina K., Morton Grove — Yelp
Nan
Owner · Master stylist
"She definitely was knowledgable with the asian style of cutting hair. She also suggested a few things that would look good with my face shape, including side swept bangs, which I agreed to try."Karen C., Chicago — Yelp
Both of them
Thirty-plus years, same two people
"I'd drive all the way from St Louis to get my hair done at Sessions. The couple (Billy and Nan) are just wonderful. Just leave your hair to them, don't have to say much, then you will come out happy. They seriously know what they are doing and do a wonderful job."Myung-Sin Song — Google
In their own words
Fifty reviews. Forty-seven of them are five stars.
"This is one of the best hair art studio in the area that will not break your wallet. They are the most skillful people with your hair, they will style you anyway you want. Very friendly people. Well known in Korean American community, easy to communicate in English with them. Highly recommended."
John Kim — Google"Amazing place for good price. Would recommend to anyone. Very nice couple works there, they clearly know what they are doing."
Habud Plfws — Google"Of all the places I've been to in Korea, LA, Chicago, Atlanta, etc., the couple at this shop know hair best. And this gives me enough reason to drive 3.5 hours to get my haircut here."
Paul S., Brookfield WI — Yelp"He knows exactly what type of hair style would/would not work for your face shape and suggests a cut for you. Even though he knew what he was doing, he was not at all pushy… Not pushy with his suggestions and even less pushy with products."
Jiyoun B., Atlanta — Yelp"Beautiful people and talented!"
Naty Crisan — Google"He proceeded to quickly cut my hair with a quiet sense of confidence and experience that gave me a sense of ease almost immediately. 15 minutes later, he walked me over to the sinks and he washed and shampooed my hair… Honestly, the entire experience really perked up the rest of my day."
Sam S., Chicago — Yelp"Prices are reasonable, you end up looking great, and they also have a cute little pup running around. There is some street parking in the front as well as on the side of the building."
Hannah H., Yelp Elite"Our family have been customers for years."
SC Chicago — Google"Quick and easy."
John Park — GoogleThe full breakdown
Fifty reviews, in full.
Every rating the shop has on Google, not just the good ones.
The three that are not five stars all say the same thing: the hair came off shorter than expected. Bring a photograph, say the number of inches out loud, and ask Billy or Nan to repeat it back before they start.
Come in
5707 Dempster Street, Morton Grove
5707 Dempster St, Unit B
Morton Grove, IL 60053
(847) 581-9775
Just west of the Edens overpass on Dempster, in the row of storefronts before the highway. Street parking out front, more on the side of the building, and a large lot down the sidewalk. It is a small shop — if you drive too fast you will miss it.
Opening hours
Walk-ins are taken all day. The shop gets busy on Fridays and Saturdays — a phone call an hour ahead usually gets you seen on time.
Before you come in
Questions people actually ask.
Do I need an appointment at Sessions Hair Art?
No. Walk-ins are welcome all day. It is two people in one room, so Fridays and Saturdays fill up — call the same morning and you will usually be seen within a couple of hours.
Do Billy and Nan speak English?
Yes, and Korean. Sessions is well known in the Korean-American community around Morton Grove, Skokie and Niles, and Korean is the fastest way to get very specific. In English, bring a photograph on your phone and say the number of inches — that settles it in seconds.
How much is a haircut at Sessions Hair Art?
Call (847) 581-9775 and ask. You will get the price for the cut you actually want rather than a range, and it takes about twenty seconds.
Is Sessions Hair Art good for curly or difficult hair?
It is one of the things the shop is known for. Curly, coarse, fine and thick hair are the everyday work here, and customers with hair that other salons struggled with have driven hours to sit in this chair.
Do they cut children's hair?
Yes. Kids are welcome, and nobody here rushes them.
Is a shampoo included with a haircut?
You are walked to the sink at the end of the cut, washed and finished before you leave. It is not sold as an add-on.
Where do I park?
There is street parking directly in front and more along the side of the building, plus a large lot a short walk down the sidewalk. There is bike parking too.
What should I bring to get exactly the cut I want?
A photograph. Show the picture, say the number of inches, and ask Billy or Nan to repeat it back before they start — that is the whole trick.
Which card do they take?
Visa, Mastercard and Discover. Cash is fine too.
Where exactly is Sessions Hair Art?
5707 Dempster Street, Unit B, Morton Grove, IL 60053 — on the north side of Dempster just west of the Edens Expressway overpass, a few minutes from Skokie, Niles, Lincolnwood, Golf and Park Ridge. It is a small shop; if you drive too fast you will miss it.
Come sit in the chair.
Mon–Sat, 9:30am to 6:30pm. Walk in, or call and Billy or Nan will pick up.
(847) 581-9775