Count Chicago in on the ever-growing action with StyleSeat, an online marketplace for booking beauty and wellness services. The platform added the Midwest hub to its list of more than 15,000 cities across the U.S. who use it. 

"We are so excited to really amplify our business in Chicago," says Melody McCloskey, founder of StyleSeat. "Though we have thousands of stylists and professionals already using StyleSeat to run their business here, this is the first time we're focusing on clients. We are seeing amazing growth here, and local clients are increasingly using StyleSeat to discover, book and pay for style services online."

The platform makes for fast connections between stylist and client and also provides myriad tools for both to be successful in their beauty endeavors.

For beauty professionals, StyleSeat has tools to run, manage and grow your business. Nearly 20 percent of appointments are booked within 24 hours of the appointment time, so you don't have to bend over backward to fill holes in your book anymore. More than 260,000 stylists in the U.S. use StyleSeat, and on average, professionals using StyleSeat up their revenue 70 percent in the first year with the platform.

For clients, it's easy to search for the kind of stylist required and make an appointment quickly. In 2013, more than 5 million beauty appointments were booked through StyleSeat. Many of these appointments are being booked after business hours, which means your appointment book is open 24/7. 

StyleSeat celebrated its launch in Chicago at The Belt Room inside Soho House Chicago on Nov. 5 with beauty professionals, media partners and McCloskey on hand to share all that StyleSeat has to offer. 

"Whether looking for a barber, stylist, nail artist or esthetician, StyleSeat is a great way for them to find the best Chicago professional who's available when you need them," McCloskey says.

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