Perms · Portage Park, Chicago
Perms, done the way they are supposed to be.
Classic perms and body waves at a neighborhood salon on North Central Avenue. Fewer places still do these properly — Andante does, by appointment, without rushing you through it.
What you are getting
Curl and body that stay put
A perm reshapes the hair itself rather than sitting on top of it. That is the whole appeal: you wash it, you sleep on it, and the shape is still there in the morning. No round brush, no wand, no thirty minutes in front of a mirror before work.
Two things people usually mean when they ask for one:
A classic perm — defined, lasting curl. Best when you want a real change in texture and are willing to learn how to dry it properly.
A body wave — a looser, softer version. It does not read as curly so much as thick. This is the one for fine or flat hair that will not hold a blowout past noon, and it is what most people actually want when they say they wish their hair "did something."
Which one suits you depends on your hair's texture, length and condition, and on how much effort you want to put in afterward. That is a conversation, not a menu selection, which is why it starts with a phone call.
Before you book
Worth knowing first
It takes a couple of hours
Hair gets wrapped rod by rod, processed, neutralized and rinsed. How long depends on how much hair there is and how tight a curl you want. This is not a lunch-break service, and the chair gets booked accordingly — another reason Andante works by appointment rather than walk-in.
It grows out, it does not wash out
"Permanent" means the curl stays until the hair grows. Most people get several months before the straight new growth at the root makes it worth revisiting. A soft body wave will relax sooner than a tight curl.
Color changes the answer
Perming and lightening both stress the hair, and stacking them too closely is how people end up with damage they did not sign up for. If your hair has been colored, highlighted, bleached or relaxed, say so on the phone and say when. You will get a straight answer about whether to go ahead, wait a few weeks, or leave it alone — including if the answer is no.
Afterward
Leave it alone for the first couple of days: no washing, no tying it back, no clips. After that it is ordinary hair care, with a gentler hand than you are probably using now.
Not sure a perm is the right call for your hair? Say so when you ring. Talking someone out of one is a normal part of the job.
Getting one
Where to get a perm in Chicago
Andante Hair Studio is at 3451 N Central Ave #1, in Portage Park on Chicago's Northwest Side — a few blocks north of Belmont, right where Portage Park meets Belmont Cragin on the Belmont-Central corridor. Convenient from Dunning, Jefferson Park, Irving Park and the surrounding Northwest Side.
Open Tuesday through Saturday, 10am to 6pm. Closed Sunday and Monday. Everything is by appointment, and perms especially should be booked ahead. Cash and cards are both fine.
Tuesday – Saturday, 10 to 6
Ask about a perm.
One phone call, and you will know whether it is right for your hair before you commit to anything.