WICKER PARK — It's not just doughnut places and coffee shops moving into Wicker Park.
Add hair salons too.
G Spot Hair Design plans to open in October at 1397 N. Milwaukee Avenue, at Wood Street.
G Spot Chicago's Wicker Park salon will be an outpost of an Iowa City, Iowa-based company and operated by owners Erin Green and Alyse Anderson, who live in Ukrainian Village.
The G Spot company, started in Iowa City 14 years ago, is owned by Krista Goldsberry.
Goldsberry has said she drew the inspiration for her salon's name from "G," the first letter of her last name and Green's name, Green said.
Green, who was Goldsberry's first employee, said Wicker Park was chosen for the salon's first location outside of Iowa because "there are so many great businesses that cater to the professional as well as the young edgy crowd" and because many of her clients already live in Wicker Park.
"You can be professional and wear dreads. We are specializing in dreads and extensions and can still give you a nice professional and polished look," Green said.
Green said installing dreads can take three to four hours and costs range from $150 to $400.
A sign in the window of the Wicker Park location asks, "Have you found the G Spot?" and lists services such as extensions, dreadlocks, eyelash extensions and makeup along with the traditional gamut of salon offerings such as coloring and cuts.
The storefront, in a 685 square-foot space on the southeast corner of Milwaukee Avenue and Wood Street, counts a sushi restaurant, art gallery, bar, and Divvy bike station among its neighbors.
The salon is also just a few doors south of Floyd's 99 Barbershop at 1409 N. Milwaukee Ave. and Fringe Salon at 1437 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Environmentally friendly, the dread lock installations at G Spot are chemical free, said Jason Villarreal, a stylist at G Spot's Iowa City salon.
"Some people cake a bunch of wax on it and it turns into a mess, then you end up with a rat's nest and one big knot. There are clean, natural ways to do it," Villarreal said.
Dreadlocks are matted coils of hair that in some cultures symbolize expressive, alternative ways of living and in recent years have been adopted by rap stars such as Lil Wayne, Chicago's Chief Keef, and Lil Jon, as the Tribune's Dawn Rice Turner details here.
A controversy between a semipro basketball player and a sportscaster Bill Simmons, who was dismissive of African-American hair styles and culture, recently erupted over dreads, too.
Green said Wicker Park's G Spot salon will feature products from Davines, an eco friendly family-owned brand out of Italy.
Additionally, Green said Wicker Park's G Spot will also offer eyelash extensions, certified through JB Lashes. Down the road, Green said she and Anderson hope to develop an education platform and training for hair stylists interested in learning more about dreadlocks.
The online site for the Wicker Park salon, GSpotChicago.com, goes into more detail on services offered here.
The unusual name and its usual reference to a female erogenous zone didn't seem to be raising many eyebrows ahead of the salon's opening.
Outside the future G Spot storefront, a man who was walking his dog early Wednesday said he merely thought the name was "funny."
G Spot Hair Design, 1397 N. Milwaukee Ave. Hours will be 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday - Saturday.
