My work pal Megan and I started talking about our week in New York months ago. Since Megan works in Pennsylvania, we only get to see each other once a year at training. We came up with tons of ideas of what to do when we were there, but the one nonnegotiable was a visit to Drybar to get our hair done!
Drybar is a blow dry bar for hair, designed around this simple concept: no cuts, no color, just blowouts for $40. Appointments are available all day, starting nice and early for us 9-5ers, and typically take 30 minutes unless you have very long or thick hair.
Megan and I popped down to their Flatiron District location for a quick appointment before diner at Eataly!
After checking in at the front desk, your stylist comes over to greet you and offer you a beverage-of course Megan and I went for a glass of champagne! (Complementary for every customer; they also have water, coffee, etc). Drybar has such a fun concept; they give you a “menu” of different hair styles to choose from for your blowout, named after popular cocktails. The Manhattan, Straight Up, Mai-Tai…so cute!
Now I don’t have the easiest hair to deal with. It’s naturally curly, so much so that it’s impossible for it to be pin straight. EVER. Trust me, pros have tried. My hair is also fine, meaning that it will shy away from volume and bounce. Going into this experience my plan was to tell my stylist all of this and just say that they should select a style option that would work best for my hair. However my stylist simply gave me a very trustworthy smile and said that it was absolutely not unusual nor a problem, that she has styled every type of hair, and that I definitely could go ahead and pick my favorite look. Feeling happy and not like an outcast with difficult locks, I decided on the “The Cosmo-Tai”. Part loose curls, part messy beachy hair, it was pretty from the look book they give you and something I had never styled myself.
My stylist led me over to the shampoo station. A stool is placed next to your chair for you to put your feet up and your hair is washed efficiently, yet with a pleasant scalp massage. Clients can select to add on conditioning treatments or a legitimate ten minute scalp massage for an extra $10-20. Your hair is squeezed tight to remove all excess water (a crucial step in a good blowout) and wrapped in a towel before returning to your style chair.
Then the fun begins! Each chair has a convenient hook for your purse. There is wifi if you want to work (or play) on your computer/phone, as well as outlets for power cords, and there are tons of magazines to flip through. Alternatively, you can take selfles of yourself mid-blowout.
And then of the person you are with.
Drybar has it’s own line of hair products, all of which smell amazing and work wonders. I personally have their 100 Proof Treatment Oil and Chaser Shine Pomade, which I mix together for post-styling. Megan swears by the Texas Tea Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner, as well as their Buttercup Blowdryer which she adores. You can buy their products at Drybar locations or at Sephora.
One small thing that I really appreciated; my stylist asked if it was ok to put product in my hair before she got started. If you are particular about styling products or have any other qualms about it, it’s really nice to know that your stylist will ask before just going ahead with it.
Megan went with The Cosmo; all curls which looked amazing on her!
My stylist did a great job with the Cosmo-Tai; it definitely was a different look for me and one that I want to figure out how to replicate at home!
We snapped a few pictures before heading out for dinner.
The “after”….and a great shot of Megan’s adorable pink flats!
We may have raved about the experience many, many times…much to the dismay of our male coworkers. Megan and I loved it so much we decided to go back (this time to the Midtown East location) before work on Friday! I chose the Cosmo this time and think it’s a perfect work look!
Drybar is absolutely worth the splurge for some pampering and a great hair style. They have locations popping up all over the place, including one in Chicago (1611 N. Sheffield Avenue) that I have to check out sometime soon!
