My salon now CHARGES EXTRA for a blow dry?!!

[Anonymous]

I am NOT talking about going in for a wash and blow dry/style. I am talking about getting a haircut or color -- I pay for that service, and now I have the option to pay $35 for a blowdry, or I can leave with my hair wet (or dry it myself with one of their dryers).

This seems outrageous to me. If I'm spending $100+ on color & highlights, shouldn't I walk out of there with a finished hairstyle? I feel like an idiot sitting there blowdrying my own hair in the salon, but I also feel like an idiot paying $35 to have it dried or walking out with it soaking wet and having to go home to dry it.

Isn't blow drying customarily included with a haircut or color or other services like that?

I have never heard of this practice of charging separately for a blow dry before, and $35 is ridiculous on top of $65 for a haircut! My salon just started doing this and I find it really offensive. I'm thinking of going someplace else. What would you do?

[Anonymous]

Yes, it does seem silly to walkout with wet hair after you pay $65 for a haircut. My salon cuts my hair both wet and after it is dried. The second part is for finishing touches. I know that only time they charge extra for blow drying is when customer asks for the blow out, where they take every strip of hair and run it through the large round brush while it is being blow dried... kind of like straightening for african american women.

[Anonymous]

Be glad the blowout is only $35 ... this is a new trend that started a few years ago. I have experienced it at a few salons (only for color, not cut) and those blowouts are $50 and up.

[Anonymous]

I *hate* this charge! I've even seen it at the less expensive places like Hair Cuttery (or maybe it started there and worked its way into the pricier salons?). I thought I'd go to HC to save money on my highlights and it ended up costing as much or more than my highlights at a "real salon".

I've been places before where they even charge for conditioner, but don't tell you. They just ask "do you want conditioner", as your hair is being washed and rinsed. Well, yeah, of course I do... then you see an extra $5 on your bill. GRRRR....

It makes me REALLY appreciate my stylist even more who only charges $90 for highlight (no extra charge for long hair) or $70 for a partial, and that includes full blow-out. Plus, she has some "secret" technique that in 20 years of having my hair highlighted like clockwork, every 4-5 weeks, it allows me to go about 7-8 weeks before the roots really become noticeable. Seriously. She's awesome!

[Anonymous]

WOW, I thought it was just my place. I can't believe this is a trend. I would rather have them raise prices for the other services and include the blow dry. Then it wouldn't feel like such a rip-off, even if the total cost was the same. It just totally irks me to pay an extra $35 for that!

I appreciate the responses but I think I may still look around for someplace that doesn't charge separately for a blow dry.

I'd love to space my visits out farther but unfortunately I have so much gray that I'm pushing it if I wait 5 weeks between coloring. My roots are horrible!

[Anonymous]

that's ridiculous. i'd totally look around for someplace else.

[Anonymous]

what salon?

[Anonymous]

It seems that almost every salon I've been to in DC does that, cheap ones and pricey ones. I thought maybe it was a regional/urban thing, I'm originally from a smaller city in the northeast. But I've got wavey/curly hair, so usually they are fine just putting in some gel and scrunching it with a hair dryer for a couple of minutes -- and then I always bring a barrett with me to pull it back so I don't leave with damp hair on my neck. Of course, that works for trims, but if you got a whole new cut and want to make sure it is what you wanted, then you are pretty much forced to getting the blow dry...

[Anonymous]

I think it's actually pretty normal for the blowout not to be included when you get highlights or color. I've been going to the same person for highlights for several years, at 3 different salons, and that has always been the case. A blowout is always included when I get my hair cut, though. I think it's the difference between color and cut (which usually people do at the same time, so the fact that you don't get a blowout with the highlights is not noticeable).

I have two different people do highlights and cut, so I've learned to deal with no blowouts after my highlights. Am totally not embarrassed to blow dry my hair myself at the salon after the highlights. And I go to a big-name salon in DC and see other people doing it, too. No way will I spend extra money for the blowout when I'm usually going home or back to my office.

[Anonymous]

And the truth is, I usually don't like their blow out. I like having perfectly smooth hair, but it's always something.. not enough body, too flat on my head, didn't get my cowlick right, etc. I almost always have to rework it myself later to get it the way I like it. So, no WAY am I going to pay for it - - I've only had one stylist/colorist (I break my neck finding one person who can do both really well) who could style my hair better than I do. I miss her (it's been 8 years). And I never stick around when the salon charges for blow dry, conditioner, etc. You can find places that don't.

[Anonymous]

How are you supposed to know if they did a good job without it being dry?

I'd be out of there. Find a new salon immediately. They're struggling the economy and starting to nickel-and-dime you. It won't end there, and you can be sure they are making other cut backs as well. Plus, you can find a nicer place that will do everything for less than 65+35.

[Anonymous]

I think salons have been doing this for years, charging one price for a cut, another for a blow dry.

[Anonymous]

i've only seen a charge for a blowout if that is all that is being done - like coming in ONLY for a blowout.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How are you supposed to know if they did a good job without it being dry?

Totally agree. I've liked my experiences at Bang near the Whole Foods on P St. My stylist blow dries my hair and makes additional cuts based on how my dry hair falls.