Blow-dry bar: what is it, and who is it for?
One thing only, done with care: the blow-dry.
By Manel, M BRUSH5 min read
N° 06
The appointment
The essentials
A blow-dry bar is a hairdressing place centred on the blow-dry: you come to leave with your hair styled, with no cut or colour on the menu. You choose your length and your finish, sleek, soft, volume or curls, then a slot. It is made for an occasion as much as for the simple pleasure of a beautiful week of hair.
A blow-dry bar is a place that does one thing only, and does it well: the blow-dry. You do not come here to change your look, but to leave with your hair styled, falling, shining or moving the way you chose.
The principle is simple, the menu is short, and that is precisely what makes it worthwhile.
A single craft on the menu
In English, they call it a "blow dry bar". The idea fits in one sentence: separating the blow-dry from the rest of hairdressing. In a classic salon, the blow-dry is often the final step of a longer appointment, after a cut or a colour. In a blow-dry bar, it becomes the appointment itself.
This specialisation changes several things.
- The menu reads at a glance. No list of treatments or packages to decipher: a length, a finish, a slot.
- The time is devoted to the gesture. The whole appointment goes into the blow-dry, strand after strand.
- You book for a result. You know on arrival what your hair will look like when you leave.
In a blow-dry bar, you do not come to change your look: you come to find yourself, at your best.
What you book
At M BRUSH, booking rests on two choices.
The length
It is determined with three markers: the nape, the shoulders, the bottom of the ribs. Short, at the nape, above the shoulders. Mid-length and long, from the shoulders up to above the bottom of the ribs. Extra-long, from the bottom of the ribs and beyond.
The finish
There are five, presented side by side on the menu.
- Sleek: clean and glossy, with a straightener option to tick when booking.
- Soft: a light movement through the ends.
- Volume: lifted roots, ends in motion.
- Brush curls: curls made with the round brush and the hairdryer, without an iron.
- Iron curls: a voluminous blow-dry, then curls worked with the iron, more defined and longer lasting.
The two curl finishes take a little longer than the others.
If you are hesitating between the two most requested, our comparison sleek or soft blow-dry will help you choose.
For who?
There is no typical profile. A blow-dry bar serves very different moments.
- Before an occasion: an interview, an evening out, a photo, a wedding where you are a guest. You want to be sure of the result, without going back to the mirror three times.
- For a gentle week: a well-made blow-dry, protected at night and revived in the morning, can last several days.
- For those who cannot manage alone: drying the back of the head with a round brush, arms raised, remains a difficult exercise. We talk about it frankly in our article on doing your own blow-dry.
- For the pleasure: to sit down, decide nothing for a while, and leave with hair you want to touch.
All hair types are concerned, from fine hair that lacks hold to thick manes you want to tame.
What a blow-dry bar does not do
The strength of the concept is also what it leaves aside. Better to know before booking.
- No cut or colour on the menu. Manel, a qualified hairdresser, knows the whole craft. The blow-dry is our signature blow-dry; she also offers, in other bars, natural curls, a smoothing treatment and a hair botox treatment.
- No Brazilian smoothing or treatment on the menu. A blow-dry is a temporary styling: it does not change the nature of the hair.
- Shampoo + treatment as an option. At M BRUSH, shampooing is offered on site: you can add it to your booking (shampoo + treatment, +15 min), Manel washes, applies the mask, then takes care of the blow-dry. Otherwise, come with clean hair, without oil, serum or styling product.
This last point sometimes surprises. It allows the whole appointment to be devoted to the gesture. And there is a technical benefit: clean hair with no product takes the shape given by the brush better.
M BRUSH, a blow-dry bar in Lausanne
M BRUSH is a blow-dry bar run by Manel. She welcomes clients in her private studio, in Lausanne, by appointment only. The address is Avenue d'Yverdon 4, 1004 Lausanne. The email confirmation gives the directions. To discover the spirit of the house, go to the page that introduces it.
A session in four steps
Every blow-dry follows the same order.
Detangling.The lengths are freed of every knot.
Sectioning.The hair is divided into sections.
The finish.The style takes on the chosen look.
Setting.A light veil rather than a shell.
A moment for yourself
The only effort of the day: sitting down. That is the spirit of the place: a moment for yourself, not a race against the clock.
Booking your first blow-dry
Online booking takes two minutes: you choose your length, your finish, then a free slot.
Nothing is paid online, and no deposit is required. You can cancel or postpone by giving at least 24 hours' notice. Everything is settled on site, in cash or by TWINT.
To know exactly how a visit unfolds, from booking to setting, read our article on how a blow-dry at a private studio in Lausanne works. More short answers await you in the frequently asked questions.
And if the urge is already there, book your blow-dry in Lausanne.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between a blow-dry bar and a hair salon?
- A salon generally offers cuts, colour, treatments and blow-dries. A blow-dry bar focuses on the blow-dry without shampoo, with a short menu and an appointment entirely devoted to styling.
- Should you wash your hair before going to a blow-dry bar?
- It depends on the place. At M BRUSH, shampoo + treatment is an option on site; otherwise, you should come with clean hair, without oil, serum or styling product.
- Is a blow-dry bar suitable for short hair?
- Yes. A blow-dry on short hair works mainly on the root and the line of the ends, and the short length, at the nape, above the shoulders, is one of the three categories offered.
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