Two trades stand out among the 480 businesses we read around Des Plaines, IL: bakeries and dermatology. We read 20 of each, and not one had answered any of its recent reviews. Neither trade is short of reviews to answer. The median bakery we read carries 227 Google reviews and the most-reviewed carries 4,777; the median dermatology practice carries 276.5 and the most-reviewed 2,279. Those are whole-listing totals. The reply figure covers only the most recent handful, and in both trades it is 0.
In other trades, some named owners answer most of their recent reviews. Among the nail salons someone searching in Des Plaines is shown, V Nails & Spa and Luxe Nails & Spa each answered 10 of their last 10, and White Pearl Med-Spa & Nail Lounge 8 of 10. Among weight-loss clinics, Medi-Weightloss Elk Grove answered 10 of 10, Olivera Weight Loss 9 and Advanced Practice Health Institute 8. Among orthodontists, Graber and Gyllenhaal Orthodontics answered 10 of 10, and Orthodontic Experts Arlington Heights and First Class Smiles 9 each. In plastic surgery, Dr. Speron Plastic Surgery answered 10 of 10 and Warner Aesthetic & Reconstructive Institute 9.
Food and drink shows how far apart businesses in one trade can sit. The median restaurant we read carries 955 reviews. Restaurant Mehanata answered 10 of its last 10; Paradise Pup answered 4 of 10 and Countryside Saloon 1 of 10. Among bars, Countryside Saloon and Beacon Tap each answered 1 of 10. Among cafés, The Olive Brunch Restaurant and Cafe - Niles answered 10 of 10 and Brunch City Cafe 9 of 10. Brunch City Cafe appears among both the cafés and the coffee shops named here.
The benchmark measured here, across 53 businesses whose replies we could measure, is 65%: the share of recent reviews a typical measured business answered. Among tattoo studios, THE TAT CAVE answered 8 of 10. Among pet groomers, Splash and Dash Groomerie & Boutique answered 10 of 10 and Pet Supplies Plus Des Plaines 9 of 10. Among barbershops, Cut n shave barbershop answered 10 of 10. Among day spas, Allure De Vie Day Spa & Med Spa answered 10 of 10, and it appears among both the day spas and the med spas named here.
What to do about it
If you run a bakery or a dermatology practice, the finding is plain: of the 20 we read in your trade, not one had answered any of its recent reviews. A reply is the one part of that exchange you write. Open your listing, answer your last 10 reviews one by one, and then answer each new one as it arrives.
In any other trade, count how many of your own last 10 reviews carry a reply, and set that number beside the figures named for your trade above: 10 of 10 at Restaurant Mehanata, V Nails & Spa and Cut n shave barbershop, 8 of 10 at THE TAT CAVE. The benchmark measured here is 65%. A short, specific reply to each review, written by you, needs nothing but access to your own listing.
Food & drink in Des Plaines, IL
Of the 20 bakeries we read among the businesses someone searching in Des Plaines, IL is shown, not one had answered any of its recent reviews. The median bakery we read carries 227 reviews over its listing's life, and the most-reviewed carries 4,777. Their median rating is 4.6.
Restaurants look different. Among the restaurants we read, Restaurant Mehanata answered 10 of its last 10 reviews. Its listing holds 1,720 reviews in total. Paradise Pup answered 4 of its last 10, and Countryside Saloon 1 of 10. The median restaurant we read carries 955 reviews, the most-reviewed carries 4,777, and the median rating is 4.65.
| Trade | Median reviews | Median rating | Answers reviews best | Answered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants | 955 | 4.65 | Restaurant Mehanata | 10 of 10 |
| Cafés | 245.5 | 4.8 | The Olive Brunch Restaurant and Cafe - Niles | 10 of 10 |
| Coffee shops | 300.5 | 4.7 | Brunch City Cafe | 9 of 10 |
| Bars | 223 | 4.5 | Countryside Saloon | 1 of 10 |
| Bakeries | 227 | 4.6 | — | |
| Food trucks | 58 | 4.8 | Paradise Pup | 4 of 10 |
Hair, nails & barbering in Des Plaines, IL
Among the nail salons someone searching in Des Plaines, IL is shown, V Nails & Spa answered 10 of its last 10 reviews, on a listing of 559 reviews, and Luxe Nails & Spa answered 10 of its last 10, on a listing of 385. White Pearl Med-Spa & Nail Lounge answered 8 of its last 10, on a listing of 534. Among the nail salons we read whose replies we could measure, those three answered the most. We can't see how the other nail salons we read handle their reviews, so these three are credited by name rather than taken as a picture of the trade.
Among the barbershops we read, Cut n shave barbershop answered 10 of its last 10, on a listing of 524 reviews, and Cut "n" Roll answered 1 of its last 10, on a listing of 413. Across the whole listing history, the median barbershop we read carries 205 reviews at a median rating of 4.6, and the three most-reviewed carry 724, 663 and 563.
| Trade | Median reviews | Median rating | Answers reviews best | Answered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbershops | 205 | 4.6 | Cut n shave barbershop | 10 of 10 |
| Hair salons | 103.5 | 4.75 | Anasa Salon | 8 of 10 |
| Nail salons | 246 | 4.6 | V Nails & Spa | 10 of 10 |
See every hair, nails & barbering business we read in Des Plaines →
Spa & aesthetics in Des Plaines, IL
Of the 20 dermatology practices we read among the businesses someone searching in Des Plaines, IL is shown, not one had answered any of its recent reviews. That is the clearest point in this section. The median dermatology practice we read carries 276.5 reviews, the three most-reviewed carry 2,279, 1,923 and 1,260, and the median rating is 4.75.
The weight-loss clinics we read name three owners who do answer. Medi-Weightloss Elk Grove answered 10 of its last 10 reviews, Olivera Weight Loss 9 of 10, and Advanced Practice Health Institute 8 of 10. Their listings carry 175, 201 and 157 reviews; the median weight-loss clinic we read carries 49. In IV therapy, Rejuvii IV Therapy & Wellness answered 10 of its last 10, on a listing of 166 reviews. The median IV therapy business we read carries 89 reviews and a median rating of 5.
| Trade | Median reviews | Median rating | Answers reviews best | Answered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day spas | 140.5 | 4.9 | Allure De Vie Day Spa & Med Spa | 10 of 10 |
| Med spas | 161.5 | 4.9 | Allure De Vie Day Spa & Med Spa | 10 of 10 |
| IV therapy | 89 | 5 | Rejuvii IV Therapy & Wellness | 10 of 10 |
| Weight-loss clinics | 49 | 4.9 | Medi-Weightloss Elk Grove | 10 of 10 |
| Dermatology | 276.5 | 4.75 | — | |
| Plastic surgery | 106.5 | 4.9 | Dr. Speron Plastic Surgery | 10 of 10 |
See every spa & aesthetics business we read in Des Plaines →
Fitness & wellness in Des Plaines, IL
The chiropractors someone searching in Des Plaines, IL is shown carry a median rating of 4.95, on a median of 32 Google reviews. The gyms shown in the same kind of search carry a median of 171.5 reviews and a median rating of 4.65. We read 20 businesses in each trade, and those figures describe the middle listing of each set only. They say nothing about how the other listings are spread around it.
Among the gyms we read, FFC Park Ridge answered 7 of its 10 most recent reviews. Steel Fitness Club answered 1 of its last 10. Those are the gyms we can name as answering; we can't see how many of the other gyms we read replied to anything, so we do not count them. On the whole history of their listings, FFC Park Ridge carries 415 reviews and Steel Fitness Club carries 537. The three most-reviewed gyms we read carry 600, 544 and 537 reviews.
| Trade | Median reviews | Median rating | Answers reviews best | Answered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gyms | 171.5 | 4.65 | FFC Park Ridge | 7 of 10 |
| Chiropractors | 32 | 4.95 | Park Ridge Chiropractic | 2 of 10 |
See every fitness & wellness business we read in Des Plaines →
Dental & orthodontics in Des Plaines, IL
First Class Smiles appears among both the dentists and the orthodontists named here, and it answered 9 of its last 10 reviews. We read 20 dentists and 20 orthodontists among the businesses someone searching in Des Plaines, IL is shown, and neither trade is one where nobody answers: in both, the practices named below reply to their reviewers.
Among the dentists, North Shore Dental Group - Luma Naim DDS answered 9 of its last 10 reviews and First Class Smiles 9 of 10. Parkside Dental answered 5 of its last 10. Taken over whole listing histories, which is a different measure from those recent ten, the median dentist we read carries 116 reviews and the median rating is 4.85. The three most-reviewed dentist listings we read carry 587, 369 and 297 reviews.
| Trade | Median reviews | Median rating | Answers reviews best | Answered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dentists | 116 | 4.85 | North Shore Dental Group - Luma Naim DDS | 9 of 10 |
| Orthodontists | 154 | 4.9 | Graber and Gyllenhaal Orthodontics | 10 of 10 |
See every dental & orthodontics business we read in Des Plaines →
Pets in Des Plaines, IL
Among the pet groomers someone searching in Des Plaines is shown, the most-reviewed listing we read is also one of the owners answering. Pet Supplies Plus Des Plaines carries 813 reviews. Its owner replied to 9 of its last 10. Splash and Dash Groomerie & Boutique, the second-most-reviewed groomer we read at 329 reviews, answered 10 of its last 10, and Forever Friends Dog Grooming and Self Wash answered 6 of 10. The median groomer of the 20 we read carries 63 reviews and a 4.7 rating.
The pet boarding businesses we read sit on bigger listings: a median of 107.5 reviews and a 4.8 rating, with the three most-reviewed at 977, 592 and 229. Among the boarding businesses we read, PetSuites Arlington Heights answered 10 of its last 10 reviews, Carriage Hill Kennels 6 of 10 and Waggy Hotel 5 of 10. Carriage Hill Kennels is the listing at 229 reviews.
| Trade | Median reviews | Median rating | Answers reviews best | Answered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pet grooming | 63 | 4.7 | Splash and Dash Groomerie & Boutique | 10 of 10 |
| Pet boarding | 107.5 | 4.800000000000001 | PetSuites Arlington Heights | 10 of 10 |
| Veterinarians | 238 | 4.6 | Randhurst Animal Hospital | 9 of 10 |
Shops & studios in Des Plaines, IL
Among the businesses someone searching in Des Plaines, IL is shown, the tattoo studios carry far bigger listings than the shops. The median tattoo studio of the 20 we read holds 116.5 Google reviews, and the three most-reviewed studios hold 2,064, 1,074 and 965. The median shop of the 20 we read holds 25 reviews, and the three most-reviewed shops hold 82, 71 and 58. The most-reviewed shop we read carries 82 reviews, fewer than the median tattoo studio's 116.5. The median rating is 4.9 in both trades.
The reply figures below count how many of a business's 10 most recent Google reviews carry a reply from the owner. They record whether a reply exists, not what it says.
| Trade | Median reviews | Median rating | Answers reviews best | Answered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shops | 25 | 4.9 | Margo Boutique | 10 of 10 |
| Tattoo studios | 116.5 | 4.9 | THE TAT CAVE | 8 of 10 |
Method
Every figure comes from public Google listings — the businesses and owner replies any customer can see — read on 2026-09-24. Counts describe the businesses someone searching in Des Plaines, IL is shown, which is the competitive set a customer actually chooses from, not a register of businesses inside the city limits. A business is named only where we read at least eight of its recent reviews, and only the ones answering the most are named; the rest of a market appears as a distribution with its denominator. Chains are counted but never named. Nothing is ranked on star rating. Des Plaines, IL has a population of 59,408 and a median household income of $94,303 (US Census) — context for the town, not a predictor of its reviews.