For me, a creature of habit, moving to a new city is tough. Day to day it’s fun, because I’m free to explore (and often get lost on my way to my destination). But thinking ahead to errands and needs, like removal of gel nail polish or a haircut, I don’t know where to turn. It’s time consuming to research salons, tailors, even just a transit app, and even more time consuming to test them myself – likely several before I can settle on one. I had done all of that work over my eight years in Chicago, and had my go-to service people. Time to start all over in San Francisco.
Before Chicago is too far in my rear view mirror, I’m sharing the research and real-life experiences I had that led me to my favorite industry providers in the city when I needed to take care of highlighting my roots, dry cleaning my wedding dress, whatever the need! These are the people I trusted, felt were reasonably priced and overall liked when I went to visit them. Save this list whether you’re new to the city or just looking to make a switch in your life. Hopefully it cuts out some of the legwork for you. So yeah, I gotta guy for…
- Hair color & cut: I found Ricci Kapricci Salon on Fullerton (formerly Bristle + Grace) through a Groupon years ago. (Yes, I trust Groupons thanks to their review system.) The original stylist I met there moved to LA years ago, and I was paired with Sarah C. when I requested someone else who knows blondes. Since then, I’ve converted several blonde friends to her as well. Not only does Sarah do amazing blending, foils or hand painting, she’s awesome to talk to. I always looked forward to our few hours together. If you book, request the 20% discount for mentioning my name!
- Blowouts: While Sarah is great for a full on ‘do, sometimes you just need the blowout. She can do those too, but I like to go to Goldplaited where styling is their specialty.
- Waxing: I found this spa boutique through friends’ recommendations. Other girlfriends used Courtney at Esthetic Haus before big events – even weddings – and Steve and I did too! (Yes, I got Steve to wax his eyebrows for our wedding.) Courtney is quick and matter-of-fact and knows just what you want. I’ve also used her for eyebrow and eyelash tints, and see the salon gets good reviews for facials.
- Nail salon: I couldn’t write this post without mentioning Mojo Spa as my go-to nail salon. What I love about it the most is that it’s not actually a salon, but a nail spa inside of the Chicago-based beauty company. There has never been nail art the nail technicians couldn’t do, and the spa has ample room for friends and any parties you might want to plan.
- Flower crowns: Perhaps the most random on this list, I do trust Crowing Event for all of my flower crown needs. It could be a DIY crown party or pre-made one for a bachelorette, and she has it handled!
- Dental: I found Dr. Michael Marcus through the referral of a family I babysat for. It just so happened his dental practice was around the corner from my work in the Chicago Loop. He isn’t on any insurance plans, but I was still refunded by my insurance for most of my visits. I really grew to appreciate Dr. Marcus over the years as I tried to troubleshoot my growing headaches and teeth grinding. He made several appliances for me until we got it right, and took several visits to check them or tweak them for free. He really cares about the whole health, not just what he’s seeing in the mouth, so he also helped refer when he suspected there might be an ear-nose-throat issue. I’m seriously sad to not have this dentist in San Francisco for whatever inevitable teeth issues arise. Â
- Dry cleaning/tailoring: I first went to Willow Cleaners when I needed a bridesmaid dress hemmed. Sarah told me there was no one at a better cost or who worked faster than them. I dry clean any clothes that say so on the instructions and tailor a lot of my dresses, so I’ve seen this cleaners a lot over the years. You’ll see the Yelp reviews are a mixed bag, and I’ve even had a few mishaps with them not finishing a tailoring job on time, but never have they messed up my off-the-rack clothes. If you want to know more about the people who run it, read this Chicago Tribune article.
An honorable mention goes to CD One Price Cleaners. I loved their cheap prices and quick turnaround, but unfortunately for the last three years didn’t live near one.
- Roadside assistance and towing: When my car was totaled in the middle of the night while parallel parked on a street, it not surprisingly became a whole ordeal. There were so many people to call and follow up with, I was happy when a towing service wasn’t one. Alex with 24 Hour Towing & Roadside was very professional and made the towing portion of the wreck easy. He also insisted on giving me a ride home from the lot, and I really enjoyed talking to him and his family’s Star War obsession and robot building!