Back in March Jessamyn excitedly sent me an email…The Dry Bar was coming to
After...who cares about before
Manhattan Beach. “It’s so great, they do you your hair, wash and blow out, no cuts or color, serve drinks, very cool décor. Great. Cheap. You could even have a party there.”
Yeah. Yeah. I thought. And gave me a big chuckle that while they call it Dry Bar Manhattan Beach, the actual location is across the street in El Segundo. But…Manhattan Beach is cool. El Segundo, not so much.
I’ve been going to Maria for years, love how she does my hair, and it’s chatting with a friend at the same time. But I had an important meeting early in the morning and so I thought, what the hey.
As Jessamyn predicted: loved it. They’ve got the cutesy atmosphere DOWN. The set up mimics a bar, there are matches in a big bowl when you enter—though don’t you dare smoke. Some of the promo materials look like coasters, the chair set-up is bar reminiscent and the lamp made of twirling yellow hair dryers, cute as Bugs Bunny. Franchise ready! The feel of luxury and cool, without luxury pricing.
And while I didn’t know the color scheme of neutrals with pops of yellow everywhere, managed to mimic it on myself with my yellow bag and beads. Karma.
Whole deal, $35. Plus tip.
Knowing me as you do by now you know I’d have to poke a bit into the concept, right? Dry Bar, not the first in concept. “Blo” started in Vancouver in 2007, a year before the Dry Bar, and was cash positive the first month. A 20 year-old did the biz concept for school, her mother thought it was a great idea and they’ve been running since, with cheeky décor and 
cheekier verbiage, “Blo Me” is all a part of their lingo. And before that, in 2005, Julie Flakstad started “Blow, The New York blow dry bar” in New York’s meat-packing district in 2005. In the first year she had served 10,000 customers and earned 15% on a $300,000 investment.
Couldn’t care less who was first, just find it interesting that certain concepts are “of the moment” and affordable luxury seems to be very much of this moment.
And wish I’d known at the get go that drinks are included at the Dry Bar, making your $35 service, with champagne, an incredible deal.
But then again, my appointment was at 8 a.m. A little early for champagne.
