"Oh my god, I have babe hair!" Was what my freshly coiffed neighbor exclaimed when she experienced her Drybar reveal. Prepare yourself for fast ultra-girlie times at Fillmore's newest bar: Drybar, a blow dry bar. Combining the a la carte style of a bar bar, with a luxurious salon-style blowout, you'll be tickled yellow after your reveal, too.
A self-proclaimed, blowout cynic (I much prefer the scalp massage), I was curious to see if the blow masters could sway me — especially since I have a short bob, unlike the long-haired babes on their menu. I ordered a Mai Tai (textured, beach, volume), while absorbing the sunshiney white and yellow space, watching "The Devil Wears Prada." You watch chick flicks — not yourself — while getting your 45 minute makeover. There's also complimentary wine and champagne, but the Mai Tai was enough for 11AM.
Short success story short: In 2010, a sister and brother team launched Drybar in Brentwood, CA, after Alli, hair pro and mother of two, couldn't keep up with her thriving at-home referral based blowout business. She expanded, nixed the traditional color and cut concept, created a charming brand, and opened many, many doors.
A door opened in San Francisco last Friday. With a $35 flat fee, you're in-and-out in 30 to 40 minutes. If you find yourself hooked, there are monthly memberships and "Bartabs" where you can buy packs that don't expire. You can add on an updo, a repair treatment, a 10-minute scalp massage (yes please), a gift coaster, and even treat your mini-you to a "Shirley Temple."
And my babe reveal? It bounced, it shined, it passed the helmut head test hours later...and through the next day. My add-on was a few pieces of gold tinsel — to match the custom vintage ConAir Pro1500 chandelier. Let's just say I was sucked in, and blown away.
Drybar, 1908 Fillmore St., 415-347-8908
Samantha Durbin (sami.7x7@gmail.com) is a lifestyle writer who honed her blogging skills as Editor of FabSugar.com. Samantha graduated from The Fashion Institute of Technology, also writes for San Francisco magazine and Gilt City, and shares her musings via her poly-blog network, led by SFonFire.
