Maxine Salon

What Maxine Salon does

Maxine Salon is a privately held, full-service premium hair salon founded in 1986 by Maxine Kroll in Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood at 712 N. Rush St., one block off the Magnificent Mile. The salon serves an upscale individual consumer base in the Chicago metro area with haircuts, hair coloring (single process, highlights, balayage, ombre, and corrective color), hair extensions (Bellami, Great Lengths, and Malia techniques), Keratin Complex smoothing treatments, special occasion styling, and nail services. The business also retails professional-grade hair care products from Oribe, Kérastase, and L'Oréal Professionnel. Operations are delivered from a single two-story physical location with a sophisticated, modern interior design, supported by online and phone booking plus a digital eGift card channel.

The salon operates a tiered "platform" staffing model organizing stylists into three experience tiers (Platform 1 starting stylists through Platform 3 senior stylists), enabling clients to self-select price points ranging from $60 for a Platform 1 haircut to $160+ for named senior stylists (Liell Hilligoss $160, Shelly Aguirre $145, Dani Hauflaire $125). Services are delivered by a team of approximately 22 stylists and 11 colorists, supported by management (Founder/Owner Maxine Kroll, Manager Tracey Moran) and reception staff (Rick Hernandez, Carlos Moreno). The salon holds two notable brand designations: it operates as the Chicago flagship for L'Oréal Professionnel Haircolor Center and is one of only four Kérastase Treatment Institutes in the United States, granting access to proprietary product lines, training pipelines, and exclusive treatment categories.

Revenue is generated entirely through per-service unit pricing (pay-as-you-go) and in-salon retail product sales, with ancillary eGift card revenue. Distribution is restricted to the single physical location plus online and phone booking; geographic scope is the Chicago Gold Coast market only. Marketing relies on earned media (features in Vogue, Allure, Elle, Michigan Avenue Magazine, Chicago Magazine, Self, Behind the Chair), Instagram and Facebook accounts, email newsletters, Yelp reviews, and individual stylist social profiles. The business has no parent company, no outside funding, no subsidiary structure, and ownership has remained with founder Maxine Kroll since 1986.

Name

Maxine Salon

Legal name

Maxine Salon

Website

https://maxinesalon.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Maxine Salon is a privately held premium hair salon founded in 1986 in Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood, serving upscale individual consumers with haircuts, coloring, extensions, keratin treatments, and retail products delivered by a tiered team of 22 stylists and 11 colorists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hair Salon Services

NAICS

Beauty Salons (812112)

akta.pro primary industry

Unisex/Family Hair Salons (HSALAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Haircutting & Styling Services (HSALAAAD), Professional/Salon Haircare (Backbar & Retail) (CRABABAK)

Keywords

• Hair salon services
• Professional hair coloring
• Hair extensions
• Keratin treatments
• Haircutting services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Hair Services: One-time service fees for haircutting, coloring, extensions, straightening, and special occasion styling. Pricing varies by stylist platform (experience level).
2. Professional Hair Care Products: Sale of retail hair care products including Oribe, Kérastase, and L'Oréal Professionnel lines. Clients can purchase in-salon during visits.
3. eGift Cards: Digital gift cards available for purchase, allowing clients to gift salon services to others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Maxine Salon is a premium Chicago hair salon that sells haircuts, color services, extensions, keratin smoothing treatments, and special occasion styling delivered by 22 stylists and 11 colorists organized into experience-based platform tiers. It also retails professional-grade hair care products from Oribe, Kérastase, and L'Oréal Professionnel to clients visiting the salon.

Product overview

Maxine Salon offers a comprehensive suite of hair services centered around expert haircutting and coloring. The salon's core offerings include haircuts for women and men (organized into three platform tiers based on stylist experience), hair color services using L'Oréal Professionnel products (including balayage, ombre, highlights, and corrective color), hair extensions using certified techniques (Bellami, Great Lengths, Malia), Keratin Complex Smoothing Therapy treatments, and special occasion styling. The salon also retails professional hair care products including Oribe, Kérastase, and L'Oréal Professionnel lines. Services are delivered by a team of approximately 22 stylists and 11 colorists across the platform tiers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• L'Oréal ProfessionnelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaxine Salon serves as the Chicago flagship for L'Oréal Professionnel Haircolor Center. The salon uses L'Oréal Professionnel color products exclusively and staff receives ongoing training from L'Oréal. Colorists have studied at L'Oréal Professionnel Color Academy in New York City.
• KerastasecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaxine Salon is one of four Kerastase treatment institutes in the country, offering specialized Kérastase hair therapy treatments. The salon uses Kérastase products for professional hair care and retail sales.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Frederic Fekkai: Iconic New York luxury salon brand with both salon and product lines, founded around a single celebrated stylist. Comparable to Maxine in its premium positioning, signature-stylist identity, and editorial pedigree, though it operates at larger scale.
• Julien Farel Salon: Premium New York City hair salon and spa serving a luxury clientele with a similar brand-partnership model (L'Oréal Professionnel) and tiered senior stylist pricing. Closely comparable as a high-end, press-featured, single-location independent salon anchored by a flagship relationship with a major beauty conglomerate.
• Rossano Ferretti Hair Spa: Ultra-premium hair salon with US presence in New York and Beverly Hills, known for proprietary cutting techniques and celebrity clientele. Comparable to Maxine as a press-driven, technique-led, ultra-premium independent salon serving a national/international luxury market.
• Warren Tricomi: Celebrity-frequented high-end salon operating in NYC and LA with strong editorial press features and premium pricing. Directly comparable to Maxine on target customer (celebrity/luxury), service mix (cutting, color, extensions), and reliance on named stylists for brand draw.
• Oscar Blandi Salon: New York City celebrity hair salon known for premium color and editorial work, with tiered stylist pricing and a strong press footprint. Closely mirrors Maxine's combination of high-end pricing, celebrity clientele, and color-led service mix.

Emerging players

• Drybar: Multi-location blowout-focused salon chain that scaled a single-service premium concept into a national brand. Relevant comparable for understanding how a premium salon operator could evolve from a single location into a multi-site platform business.

Regional players

• Sine Qua Non Salon: Long-established Chicago Gold Coast/Streeterville premium salon with a similar high-end positioning, editorial press pedigree, and well-known senior stylists. The closest local competitor — comparable on geography, price point, and service mix.
• Studio One Salon: Independent Chicago premium salon with a reputation for cutting and color and a celebrity/editorial clientele. Comparable on city, premium positioning, and color expertise.
• Trio Salon Chicago: Multi-location Chicago-area premium hair salon with a tiered stylist model and strong focus on color and editorial work. Comparable regional premium operator competing for the same Chicago affluent and stylist talent pool.

Broad incumbents

• Ulta Beauty: Large national beauty retailer that stocks many of the same professional product lines Maxine retails (Kérastase, L'Oréal Professionnel). Adjacent incumbent on the product-retail side rather than service competition; useful for understanding retail channel dynamics and vendor leverage.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SalonMaxine
• Instagraminstagram.com/maxinesalon
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maxine-salon

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Maxine Salon