Growing up in South Florida, Alli Webb, learned first hand how perilous humidity could be to a blowout.
Back then, she depended on her mom to straighten her curly hair. Today, Webb has made the art of the blow dry her business.
Drybar, a specialty salon featuring $35 blowouts (with wash included), opens Tuesday in Atlanta. The ten locations nationwide include seven in California, and one each in Dallas, Scottsdale and New York City.
The concept for the salon was born in 2008 when Webb's side gig -- a business that provided in-home blowouts in the Los Angeles area -- blew up. "I went to my brother and said, ‘Hey, I think I'm on to something.' He looked at me like, why?," said Webb. Her brother, Michael Landau, is now the company co-founder and CEO.
Webb knew that if she could offer women a quick, affordable yet quality blowout, they would come.
"There is something about your hair looking good that makes you feel good," said Webb. "It's about boosting your confidence and there is just no way, no matter how good you are at doing your hair...when a professional goes through section by section, that is just something you can't achieve at home."
Conceived as a bar for hair, the menu at Drybar keeps things simple. Six styles, each named for drinks, help the customer determine the exact style they want rather than relying on celebrity images or vague descriptions. The six basic styles include the Cosmopolitan with loose curls; the Southern Comfort with lots of volume and the Shirley Temple for girls ten and under.
"It's kind of like hanging out at a bar except they come out with fantastic hair," Webb said. "Once they come in the shop they are like, ‘Oh, I get it.' "
The idea of streamlining the salon experience has appeared in various incarnations over the years. The metro area has several examples including The Weave Shop and Weave Express where clients can get hair extensions sewn in for a base price of $50. There are also Dominican salons, a New York export, that charge $30 to $40 for a wash and style using a method of roller setting textured hair then blowing it out section by section. And of course, there are the discount chains.
But while these salons may heavily advertise one particular service for a set price, unlike Drybar, they are, for the most part, full-service salons and they may tack on additional fees for the discounted services advertised.
"What I found as a consumer is that there are two bad choices in the marketplace, the salon where you get your hair cut and colored and they charge you $60 to $100 bucks. Or the discount salon...where you don't really know what you are getting," Webb said.
She was adamant that Drybar blowouts -- regardless of a client's hair texture or length -- would cost $35. Period.
"We don't upcharge," she said. "My whole life, that is what happened to me. The window would say $45, but they would say, for your hair it is $65. I would rather lose money on someone who takes us longer but give my clients the satisfaction of knowing that this is what they are going to pay...no matter what."
The salon does offer a few extras at the client's request. There are rejuvenating treatments called Hair Shots ($20), updos known as an Uptini ($70) and Dry on the Fly ($75), the in-home blowdry service that started it all.
Volume (of customers) is the name of Drybar's game, and not only have clients come in droves, they've come back often. Some make weekly visits, said Webb, while others come as many as three times per week.
"We have a lot of clients who don't wash their hair anymore because they just come to us," Webb said. "I like to consider us experts in blowing out hair. It's all we do."
Drybar
102 West Paces Ferry Rd NW, Suite B
404-382-5310.www.thedrybar.com.
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