Good Hair Day

By
April 2023 View more

Score a sleek style at these local blow-dry bars

Ten Friends Blow Dry & Style House

Ten Friends Blow Dry & Style House

NAPERVILLE & HINSDALE

“We really pamper our guests at the shampoo bowl,” says owner Cathleen Stoelting, who fell in love with the blow-dry bar experience on a trip to California and wanted to put her own spin on the concept back home. “We do two shampoos, and they get a warm towel and a head and neck massage, and it’s just so relaxing,” she says. Blowouts are $55 each or $265 for a five-blowout bundle; frequent visitors can buy into the Smarty Pants membership, which is $99 per month for two blowouts a month, a free birthday blowout, and a 10 percent discount on products. “We exclusively use a product line called Davines, by a small, family-owned company out of Parma, Italy,” Stoelting says. “It’s very aromatic, and we are just obsessed with the quality and the results it creates.” 2720 Showplace Dr., Naperville; 11 E. First St., Hinsdale; ten-friends.com

Good to know: The shop also offers makeup and hair services for weddings and other special occasions. “We’ve done things like where somebody’s going to a costume party and they want glam Hollywood curls,” Stoelting says.

 

Rybell’s Blow Dry Bar

Rybell’s Blow Dry Bar

DOWNERS GROVE

After watching her teen daughter develop a side hustle curling hair for special events, Beth Renchin realized there was a need in Downers Grove for a salon focused explicitly on styling. She renovated a former knitting boutique on Main Street and named the blow-dry bar for her two daughters, Reilly and Bella. With the motto “affordable luxury,” keeping her prices accessible is the goal. “So our basic signature blowout is $40, and you come in, you get your hair washed, blow-dried, and styled how you want it, with curling irons or flat irons, whether you want a beach wave or a bouncy blowout,” Renchin says. For a speedier option, you can skip the wash and arrive with clean, dry hair for a $30 express style. 5221 Main St., rybellsblowdrybar.com

Good to know: The bar does swift business for school dances—it booked more than 50 appointments for Downers Grove North High School’s 2022 Homecoming—and recently added clip-in and hand-tied hair extensions to its services.

 

Amber Waves

Amber Waves

NAPERVILLE

After 25 years in a tucked-away space off Washington Street, owner Shannon Drexler moved her salon business to the spacious, light-filled former Drybar location on Jefferson Street in 2021. “The bonus that came with it is people knew it was Drybar, so we still get blow-dry business from that, which is fantastic,” says Drexler, whose 33 stylists offer cuts and color in addition to blowouts ($50 and up). “But we always have maintained weekly blow-dry clients—and the whole idea is you don’t need to style your hair at home.” Another advantage of the new location is more space for wedding party prep. “They can bring their photographer and grandma and champagne, and we have the room to accommodate them,” she says. 144 W. Jefferson Ave., amberwavessalon.com

Good to know: Drexler keeps things “old school” by booking appointments by phone only (630-961-1108). “That way we can do a consultation over the phone and find out which stylist would be best suited for you,” she says.

 

Photos courtesy of Marcello Rodarte (Ten Friends), Rybell’s Blow Dry Bar, and Alex Bauer (Alex Bauer)