The New You Starts Today!

  Absolutely love getting services here.
I've been here for a balayage  as well as a cut.
Services with a student may seem intimidating but at this place there is no need to... read more fear as there are amazing teachers always supervising.
It is a learning process for them so please budget some extra time and patience but get ready for the best deal and beautiful results.
I tend to panic when it comes to doing much of anything with my curly, unruly, fine and generally annoying hair, especially since it takes FOREVER to grow due to a thyroid condition. The phrase "it'll grow out" may be true for some people's bad hair choices but mine stick around for a lot longer.
That's why I'm so happy I found this gem and am so thankful for the wonderful care and coaching the teachers give their students so that everyone feels confident and happy with the results!

  Our whole family has been coming here and working with Lourtes for over 6 years and this place is awesome and everyone is so wonderful! We really can't say enough... read more good things about them!

We started coming here in 2010 before my husband and I got married and now we bring our whole family here including our 2-year old (boy) and our 4-year old (girl). My husband and I have been loyal customers for years; our kids also love coming here for their haircuts! They get so much attention from everyone and our daughter always gets her hair styled whatever way she wants! They are patient, take their time, and always make sure we are 100% satisfied! And you really can't beat the price!

I would highly recommend this place to anyone!

  So a couple of years ago I decided I wanted to make a drastic career change. I was in a rut and I knew I wanted to do something creative... read more with my life. I realized I LOVED to do hair so I decided to go to hair school. I went to Paul Mitchell, Aveda and Mario Tricocci and I was very disappointed. While doing research I found Steven Papageorge Hair Academy. I had never heard of this school but I decided to make an appointment. At the appointment I saw that this was a boutique school. One of the major reasons I decided to go to this school was because of the teacher Mrs. Lourdes. She is an overachiever that expects nothing but the best from all of her students. She told me while I was trying to decide if this was the school for me that this was the school she received her teaching certificate and she told me her experience. Her honesty is what made me take the plunge and choose this school. When I started school I love that teacher and then I fell in love with Mrs. Carol! Seriously the student teacher ratio is amazing and the educational opportunities are abundant. I have worked on commercials, paid photo shoots, short films and even a tv show thanks to this school. I recommend this to anyone looking into an amazing hair school.

  This is one amazing school. They make sure you have the fundamentals to move on forward with your career. They will not let you fail. They prepare you for the... read more state board exam and also for classroom tests..
They will work with you one on one if you need to. These educators are awesome.
Mrs Carol is amazing at what she does. I wouldn't be where I'm at today if it wasn't for her.
Mrs Analie is a badass. Her color education is spot on. I understand it better because of how she taught it.
All of the educators work with you on the floor to learn the cutting techniques or the foiling techniques.
This is definitely the school to go to. Give this school a try and I promise you I won't be wrong!

  I have platinum blonde Asian hair that requires monthly maintenance (double process + toner). I've gone to other salons that charge me upwards of $400. No joke. That's more than... read more half my rent!

I went to Steven Papageorge Hair Academy several weeks ago for a haircut. The instructors encouraged me to return for color services because they thought my hair was very damaged and poorly bleached.

I went on Tuesday morning and brought a drink, lunch and reading material. It takes at least three hours every month to bleach and tone my hair. I always come prepared! I had a student work on my hair under the supervision of several instructors. After a few hours, my hair came out a silvery gray with absolutely no brassiness, breakage and damage!

The cost for double process plus toner was $60. Amazing!

Everyone at Papageorge Hair Academy is super sweet and the instructors are very knowledgeable. I will definitely return later this month for a touch-up!

  TL;DR
For an in depth, personalized, and truly local cosmetology education; attend this hidden gem of Chicago.

If you are looking for a hair school, look no further! I am a big... read more proponent of shopping local, but for an investment like my education I was a bit nervous and did consider going to a school with more name recognition. But the level of personalized education you will receive at Steven Papageorge is better than anything else I have seen or heard from graduates from other schools in the area.

When SPHA was recommended to me, flexibility was the main selling point and that highly appealed to me as someone that had to work and take care of 2 kids while in school. I soon learned flexibility is only the tip of the iceberg.

Steven, the owner, is a caring and only wants the absolute best for his students. He is a constant presence at school and is always looking for new ways to practice our skills. (Hair cut vouchers with a local shelter, styling fashion shows, etc.) Alex works on the office side and will help with applying for loans or financial aid. How I was going to pay for school was never a worry.

The crown jewel of SPHA is the educators. Not only are they masters of their craft, but are passionate about education. They are supportive, kind, know when you push you, and actually care about you as a person. Their goal is for you to create the best work you can. Each one is so special and truly has a gift for teaching.

As for the state board, they make sure you are beyond well prepared. I am the worst, most anxious test taker you can imagine. They never made me feel bad about my practice scores and helped me focus on what I should study. I took it as many times as I needed and had their constant support until I was receiving near perfect scores. Ms. Carol and Ms. Summer have made sure I am confident and I couldn't be more grateful.

Lastly, it truly is a family. I love my instructors so much and the hardest part about graduating was leaving them. Sounds cheesy, but its true.

Again, best kept secret of Chicago. If you want to learn hair, Steven Papageorge is the way to go.

  If you realize it always grows back and don't mind sitting in the chair a bit longer than at a full service salon, this might be the place for you.... read more Your visit helps the students gain experience but you need to realize perfection takes lots of practice. Be sure to bring CASH for a tip since they won't add it to your card. Prices super low. Conveniently located across from the end of the brown line at Kimball.

  I was a salon owner for about 4 years before deciding to go to cosmetology school. I started at Pivot Point in Evanston but never felt the school cared for... read more me as a student and so I transferred to Steven Papageorge Hair Academy - it was the best career decision I could have made!

The teachers at Steven Papageorge Hair Academy are very knowledgeable, patient, and truly care to teach (plus some of the teachers are still working stylists, and speak Spanish). The school uses professional hair salon products, teaches the latest cutting and color techniques, and always had professional guests going in to teach and inspire us! The school always had enough clients going in allowing the students to get all the practice necessary to apply everything learned!

Steven Papageorge Hair Academy is very involved in the hair industry as the owner, Steven, has several hair salons throughout the city, actually oversees what goes on at the school and has been in the hair industry for a long time!  The school also had a flexible schedule which allowed me to continue working all along.

I have been a salon owner for 12 years now, have worked with my stylists from all cosmetology schools in Chicago, and still believe Steven Papageorge Hair Academy will give you the best education for you money! This academy will give you all the tools needed to expand your creativity, technical skills, and prepare you to pass the State Board Exam in order to get licensed!

  It's a beauty school, so things may go slowly. The students work on you, but they're constantly monitored and may just take longer because they're discussing things with their teacher.... read more If you don't mind that, it's a really good way to get an inexpensive haircut. I just wanted a basic trim and clean up on my very long straight hair, so I called them and found out it was going to be just $14 for shampoo, blow dry, and trim. $14 seems to be the standard price for most basic women's haircuts. I think it's $9 for basic men's haircuts. Not bad at all.

  I went to Steven Papageorge like 6-7 years ago

I had the best educators like Carol , leticia , Lourdes, analie and of course Steven Papageorge

They worked so hard... read more on me to be where I'm today
I'm From Puerto Rico and they have class in Spanish and English

Love love the dedication they gave me , and I'm
Very proud and happy to be part of the family Steven Papageorge  love you and miss you all .
Now I'm working on Michigan Ave and Walton st
One of the best salon in Gold Coast

The harder you work for something , The greater you will feel when you archive it

  The BEST Hair Academy in the Midwest.  Manager Summer has skills and techniques that are unmatched. She treats me like family. She is a massive asset to the Academy.  I... read more have been a client for many years and have always been greeted with a warm friendly hello.  I highly recommend SPHA to anyone (client and students in training)  I am beyond grateful that SPHA was recommended to me by a friend, when they were on Belmont Ave.  Such a high end salon with reasonable, affordable prices and phenomenal results each and every time.  Summer, I love ya and will see you in a few weeks.
Steven, Thank you for your hair academy!!!  I will continue to promote SPHA to everyone I know.  Thank you also, to Miss Carol...such a warm beautiful person. Blessed to call SPHA my #1 salon.

  Choosing the right cosmetology school can be difficult. The moment I walked into Steven Papageorge Hair Academy, I knew it was the right place for me. The location was good,... read more the tuition was fair and the staff was very welcoming. I learned so much during my time at the academy. Steven exposes his students to the industry in such an impacting way from doing fashion shows, to behind the scenes at the American Beauty Show. I learned not only be a successful professional hair stylist; but how to reach my greatest artistic potential. Best investment I have made for myself.