Not Just Hot Air
No excuse for a bad hair day: Blowout bars hit Houston just in time for summerfrizz fest
Blow Out Bar owner Rebecca Tallerine is bringing the affordable blow dry toHouston with six different styles.
Pale wood floors, light granite counter tops and pops of blue accent the BlowDry Bar on Westheimer.
The shampoo room is tucked away from the rest of the salon for a privateexperience.
Houston stylist Cara Crafton plans to open Do Bar in West Ave. in June. On May3, Crafton will open POP at Craft salon, where women can get $35 blowouts.
Well, it’s official.
We no longer have any excuses for bad hair days. The professional blowout is finally getting respect in Houston with the newly opened Blow Dry Bar and the summer opening of The Do Bar. The surge of affordable blow dries that go the distance and other instant coifs are mainstream offerings just in time for Houston’s frizz-inducing weather to raise its unruly head.
The large windows in front Rebecca Tallerine’s Blow Dry Bar on Westheimer let the sun shine in on pale wood floors and granite counters. Girl-centric movies like The Devil Wears Prada plays and at first glance, it looks more like a spot to order a skinny martini than an On the Rocks big curl blowout. Tallerine is obsessed with keeping blow dry and curling iron cords out of sight for a clean uncluttered look.
As a native Houstonian, Tallerine knows a thing or two about the tumultuous local weather. With years of spa experience behind her, she decided the time was right to open the Blow Dry Bar.
“I always enjoy getting my hair blown out and I thought it would be great to have a place where you can get in and out, have affordable service, but be pampered,” Tallerine says.
She opened the doors in mid-April and offers clients an aqua blue menu of six basic options: Smooth, Shaken, On the Rocks, Neat, With a Twist and With a Splash. Each of the styles can be adapted to a client’s needs, but the menu is there for a reason.
The point of salons like the Blow Dry Bar and Do Bar is to get a quick (30-45 minute) hair fix and not pay a lot for it. The Blow Dry Bar’s blowouts are $35 and additional services like volumizing, moisturizing and strengthening treatments start at $10. Stylists use the Kevin Murphy line of paraben and sulfate-free products.
“I wanted to keep a really fresh and clean look, mixing a modern and feminine feel,” Tallerine says.
The salon can also become a party space for a brides, bachelorette soirees and other girlie get-togethers and Tallerine is introducing the concept to Houston Thursday with a grand opening party from 6-9 p.m. Bubbles, bites, music and gorgeous hair are on the party agenda.
Dedicated blowout salons are a new phenomenon in Houston, but in New York (of course) blowout salons are a perk women have enjoyed since 2005 when Blow first opened its doors. Dry Bar in Los Angeles hopped on board in February of 2010 and proceeded to take over the West Coast market with salons throughout the LA-area, in Scottsdale, Arizona and most recently, in Dallas.
Even salons that aren’t branching out and opening stand alone spots are offering a less expensive blowout to clients. Thairapy Salon and Spa, Solution for Hair and Makeup, The Upper Hand and Azur all offer a basic blowout starting at $30.
The sudden uptick in blow dry salons isn’t surprising to Cara Crafton, owner of Craft Salon on Dunlavy and the soon-to-open Do Bar in West Ave. Women want affordable luxury and blowout bars are an easy way to get just that, but Crafton says there’s something else behind the blowout movement.
“Hair is moving back to being more styled again. Women are using rollers and hot tools again for a modern '80s feel and they want help with that,” Crafton says.
Her version of the blowout bar will include not only a menu of blowouts (Big & Bouncy, Sleek & Straight, Screen Siren) and conditioning treatments, but also a full lash bar and makeup application by Sarah Tucker. Expect everything from touch-ups, brow consultations, special occasion applications and lashes to range from $15 to $65.
Until the Do Bar location opens in June, Crafton is launching POP at Craft salon starting May 3 where women can get $35 blowouts. Clients visiting The Do Bar POP will receive a gift card for a free blow out at the permanent location in West Ave.
As with Blow Dry Bar, The Do Bar is making the pricing affordable at $35 for each style session and both salons are keeping unconventional salon hours. Tallerine’s Blow Dry Bar is open Monday through Saturday and The Do Bar is open seven days a week. Knowing the need for perfect hair can happen at any time, both salons are open later in the evenings too.
Regardless of reason, the opening of multiple blowout salons is certainly welcome for so many who resign themselves to ponytails and gobs of anti-frizz products during the summer. Take note humidity. You’ve just been tamed.
