Merchant & Rhoades

Chicago, United States

3.8

Open now

17 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards
By Appointment Only

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 312-337-2525
Website:
www.merchantandrhoades.com
Address:
900 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL, 60611
b/t Walton St & Delaware Pl
Near North Side
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
80 ftMichigan & Delaware
140 ftMichigan & Delaware/Walton
420 ftMichigan & Oak
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Bussiness info

Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Parking
Garage
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
By Appointment Only
Yes

Today

Today 7:00 am – 7:00 pm
Open now
Local time (Chicago) 17:36 Tuesday, 3 June 2025

Business hours

Monday 7:00 am – 7:00 pm
Tuesday 7:00 am – 7:00 pm
Wednesday 7:00 am – 7:00 pm
Thursday 7:00 am – 7:00 pm
Friday 7:00 am – 7:00 pm
Saturday 7:00 am – 7:00 pm
Sunday 7:00 am – 7:00 pm

Description

Specialties

Experience true Luxury Barber Services in an atmosphere unequaled by any barbershop in the country and a retail store with a unique selection of fine and imported Gentlemen’s Grooming Products.

We offer the city’s finest traditional barber services: Haircuts, Shaves, Head Shaves, Beard Trims, Scalp Treatments, Facials, Manicures, Pedicures, Hand Massages, Foot Massages, and Shoeshines.

We also carry wide selection of gentlemen’s grooming products including: Penhaligon’s, Floris, D.R. Harris, Geo F. Trumper, St. James of London, Castle Forbes, Molton Brown, and many more. We also carry a wide variety of shaving brushes, razors, double edge razors, and straight razors from the likes of Simpsons, Edwin Jagger, Dovo, and Merkur, as well as Mason Pearson and Kent combs and hairbrushes.

Gift Certificates Are Available.

History

Established in 1989.

Merchant & Rhoades began in 1989 as «Truefitt & Hill Chicago». In 2013, the Merchant family decided to honor the late founder of the barbershop, Kirk Merchant, by renaming the shop after him. «Merchant» is the family name, and «Rhoades» is the maiden name of Kirk’s wife Patrice.

Meet the Business Owner

Kirk M.

Business Owner

Son of the founder, and second-​generation barber, Kirk Merchant has been actively involved with the business since his father’s passing.

Merchant & Rhoades also recommends

Andre’s Barber Shop

27

reviews

Barbers

Kirk M. says,

«If Merchant & Rhoades is too fancy for your taste, try Andre’s. It’s a simple, inexpensive neighborhood barbershop also owned by the Merchant family.»

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17 reviews of Merchant & Rhoades

No registration required
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
be careful if you’re giving this as a gift… sent my husband as part of a Christmas gift in 2014 and now he won’t go anywhere else. :)
they’re prompt, professional, and polite.
Place rating: 1
Los Angeles, CA
Very disappointed! This place ruined my beard! I take great pride in my personal appearance and explained to the barber exactly what i wanted. Well he must not have been listening because he clipped my beard down to almost nothing! It literally looks like i have 3 days growth and forgot to shave over the weekend! You would think based on what they charge that they would know what they are doing! I will not be back!
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
A little overpriced but not unexpected based on the location and style of service — great quality products and ambience. Very professional. However the shave doesn’t have anything out of the ordinary — nothing memorable or different from anywhere else.
Place rating: 5
Bloomfield Hills, MI
Fabulous ! Was in town for the weekend and was given an Astor package for my birthday. In and out in 1 hour, haircut shave, manicure and pedicure. Great treatment from Sam the barber and Monica the manicurist! Excellent experience and amazing shave ! Thank you! I will be back!
Place rating: 5
Norman, OK
I am moving to Japan today but if I wasn’t this is where I would want to get my haircut every time. I’ve never received so many compliments! On top of the perfect haircut I received the most relaxing and enjoyable shave. The staff were all friendly and professional. The whole experience was great.
Place rating: 5
Silver Spring, MD
I walked into Merchant & Rhoades this afternoon for a haircut and my first ever professional beard trim. I’d never let it go as rampant as it had gotten, and I wanted to look a little more presentable next week when I go back to work. So I walked in and asked them to «make me look like I have a job!» They obliged.
My barber, Sal, is a real craftsman. He takes care to go through complicated routines and methods for shaving and trimming, cutting hair and so on. All around professional guy. He was so rapt in the process that we barely spoke. I just lay back in the chair and let him transform me into a respectable member of society once again.
Note: cell reception in the shop is awful. You should put your phone on airplane mode while you’re there or log into their wireless or you’ll burn up your battery.
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
Fantastic! Best place for Haircut and Shave. Very old school and extremely professional. BEST in the city!
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
My partner gave me a gift certificate to Merchant & Rhoades for Christmas and it was the best ever experience! I’ll admit to being somewhat apprehensive to go into such an upscale environment (pretty low-​maintenance here), but the staff there — especially barber Tomas — were wonderfully warm and talented. It’s perhaps not something on a regular basis for most of our wallets, but it’s certainly a wonderful experience when we want to pamper ourselves. Best haircut I’ve ever had!
Place rating: 1
Chicago, IL
This was my worst experience at any business ever. I spent $ 75 on a shave for my wedding day and when I returned home to see the results I had numerous cuts and a lot of irritation on my neck. I know it showed up in pictures even though most people did not notice it. When I called back right away, their only help was telling me to put lotion and a cold towel on it which I did. A week later, I still have some irritation and pimples from ingrown hairs due to the shave. The only reason I went here is because when I use my electronic razor normally there is one spot that gets irritation so for my wedding day I was hoping to avoid that. I would have rather paid hundreds of dollars to avoid even coming here. When I asked for my money back they said they «could not do that». Are you serious? Of course they could, they just did not want to. I work at a top chicago restaurant and on the occassion when someone is not happy, we refund the money, and that is just good business. They also messed up my appointment time which is normally not so bad, but you do not want to lose an hour on your wedding day. When I made the appointment months ago I even asked if I should do a trail shave to see if there would be any reaction, the receptionist said no, there should be no problems. Even though they have good reviews and I’m sure they do good business, they do not know how to handle mistakes. Avoid.
Place rating: 1
Washington, DC
I had appointment at 7 and the barber was a no show…“stuck in traffics” and was told I had to wait an hour but give you a free cut? I left and can not recommend going here:(
Place rating: 5
Fairfield, CT
Simply the gold standard of barbershops. As a client of over 15 years I look for any opportunity to return — I live in Connecticut now. Since the days of Judy, the shop has run like a fine watch. Tomas & Ilia are top of the class here. Hot lather shaves, cuts, even the shoe shines are handled with professionalism.
Validated parking at 900 N Michigan. Counting down to my next visit. Yes, it is no longer Truefitt & Hill but close your eyes and you’ll never be able to tell the difference.
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
This long existing barbershop and shaving supply store is the best in the city. It was formerly called Truefit and Hill, but the name change is the only thing that is new. The owners, staff, and service have all remained.
They carry a large array of high quality shaving and personal grooming supplies in a number of hard to find brands.
Additionally, their hot lather shaves are the perfect pampering. I highly recommend them for bachelor parties, wedding days, or just your man’s birthday. He’ll feel like royalty. My husband has had three shaves by them over the years and each time comes home wishing he could afford to see them weekly.
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
Alex has been cutting my hair for years. He’s a pro — does a consistently good job, and is a very nice guy to boot. I am not the type of guy who gives a lot of instructions to whomever is cutting my hair. Alex doesn’t need much guidance – I trust him completely. This isn’t the cheapest haircut in town, but it’s excellent value for money.
The location (900 N Michigan/​Bloomingdale’s building) is convenient (validated parking available), and the shop itself is very comfortable. No gimmicks like beer, ESPN or cute young female stylists here — it’s just a classy place to get your hair cut, shoe shine (during the haircut, if you like), shave, or manicure. It’s your old school barber shop taken up a few notches, if you will. The reception/​schedulers are good and the little shop at the front, which features shave creams, cologne, bow ties, etc. is fun to check out.
Place rating: 1
Naperville, IL
I called and spoke with Dennis to schedule a surprise appointment for my husband that included one of their swankiest packages. The very next day, a M&R staff member called my husband and ruined the surprise, telling him every detail about his appointment even after she had realized her mistake. I called this evening and spoke with Casey to share my disappointment and frustration, only to receive the response, «Yeah, that’s no good. He’s (my hubby) out of our system.» Not even an apology for their mistake or an attempt to make amends and retain our business. You would think a place that charges this much money for services would provide unparalleled customer service. Not so, and I’m glad my hard earned money didn’t make into the register of this poorly run business. We will NEVER return to this establishment.
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
The most classy barbershop I have had the pleasure to get a haircut. The space is soothing as there is no loud music, television and everyone speaks softly. It is truly relaxing. They also do manicures and pedicures. I’ve also had my shoes shined while I was getting a haircut which was a plus. Price is on the high end but you get what you pay for.
Place rating: 1
Elgin, IL
My cousin and I decided to give our fathers the gift of a visit to Merchant Rhoades for Christmas this year. We had an appointment scheduled for 3:00 pm this afternoon. Unfortunately, my father got stuck in traffic which resulted in us arriving 10 minutes late for our appointment. Upon arriving they informed me that the barbers no longer had time for both of us, so I naturally insisted that my Dad take the open spot. I wasn’t upset until Arwen (the worst receptionist in the world with zero computer OR customer service skills in the world) informed me that they would need to charge me for both appointments PLUS the gratuity! I paid $ 144.00 for my Father’s haircut! Arwen never offered a small store credit, a refund of one of the gratuities or ANY kind of concession for the service they never provided. Buyer beware!!! If you make an appointment… DON’T BE LATE! They’ll bend you over and stick it to you! I will NEVER return and suggest that this establishment be avoided. Over priced, unaccommodating and unreasonable! Three thumbs DOWN!
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
This is the shop that was formerly «Truefitt and Hill.» Still the best barber shop I’ve gone to in the city. It might be the only barber shop I’ve ever gone to that’s allowed me to relax. It’s a neat space, with lots of marble and antique barber chairs. The price is a little on the high side, but they’ve never let me down.