Blow, The New York Blow Dry Bar

I would give this place 5 stars if it were just based on the work Sonya (Sonja) did. She made my hair look like a trillion dollars. And she got me out in under an hour. She has talent!!!
But, I give this salon 3 stars because I busted my $##$$ to arrive on time because the website says «all we ask is that you arrive on time.» Well, I did. I ran all the way up 14^th street for several blocks-​sweating and gulping air– only to find 6 girls (ahead of me) sitting around in the lobby with frowns on their faces. Apparently the salon was slow this morning so a bunch of stylists were sent home. I had to wait an extra 30 minutes to get seated for the blow out that I had scheduled online the day before. That’s not good. And I saw 5 or 6 women waiting, looking pissed off– after I had been seated. Apparently this was going on the whole afternoon. People will stop coming to your salon if they can’t rely on you to be on time. WE got stuff to do… ain’t nobody got time for that!!!

I have been coming to Blow Styling Salon since I moved to NY. It is the best around. I recommend Nancy. Nancy is the best! She gave me one of the best haircuts of my life. The only negative is the front desk staff it is not too friendly sometimes.

Genius idea, cute idea (cocktail menu), very decent price. great blowout. Lasted a week.
PLEASE OPEN A BLOW DRY BAR IN BROOKLYN!!!

Horrible experience. I’m a Dry Bar customer and there is just no comparison.
I waited 20 minutes, the place was FREEZING, the blow out only lasted an hour and the general experience was completely unappealing. And… its more expensive than Dry Bar.
I will never stray again!

I got a pretty good Signature Blowout, but my hair stylist was not able to manage my natural hair (I’m African American with natural hair that’s been relaxed) that was around my extensions well enough for me to return. Had I known about Jamie, I would have requested him — but at this time, I’m unlikely to go back because I wasn’t impressed. The price is too steep for this to be even an occasional habit — I did hear that from 11 AM to 3 PM during the week they have 25% off all services, but for an after work blowout or pick me up before an event, I think Blow needs to step it up — other blow dry bars in town offer better prices and menu options.

All in all a good blow dry, looked great for a full day & evening. But far too expensive to be a regular habit.

UMMM ALL I CAN SAY IS JAMIE!
He IS the best there. I have VERY curly hair 4a. I’m biracial and I’ve been in Black hair salons my whole life. I know what a blow out is supposed to look like. I have NO relaxer on my hair. AND JAMIE worked a miracle. I honestly can’t comment on the other stylists, but I know if you have ethnic hair go to him.
I adore his personality too. We talked all day. Took me 1 hour and 45 minutes. He’s incredible you won’t be sorry. He grew up with lots of sisters and women from DR so he knows kinky hair, I mean knows it.
It cost $ 70 plus I tipped him $ 20.
I will be back to JAMIE!!! Blow should cherish him, I’m serious, they have a gem. I could see him being a pro stylist one day. He’s going to be mine! haha

Overall, I did not enjoy my experience at Blow. There is a reason DryBar was booked full but we were able to get 6 girls into Blow same day! I thought the price ($ 50) was unreasonable given the final result, and I thought the person doing my hair was highly unprofessional. She made a rude comment about my hometown, and then asked my age and made a few unnecessary comments about me being married in my mid-20’s. They were also running behind schedule and kept me waiting without explanation while the other 5 people in my group were almost done.
Would not recommend Blow, and will not be back.

Too pricey in my opinion for what it is. I prefer Dry Bar… they are MUCH nicer, give you free booze and about $ 15 cheaper… what do you have to lose?

My friend booked us appointments during our visit to NYC so we didn’t have to fuss with our hair that weekend.
Met my stylist, she first asked what I wanted, took me back to get shampooed and proceded to give me a bangin’ blowout. My hair rocked waves for 3 straight days. I usually wash my hair daily and shampoo every other (I know, so bad!) and was surprised that it wasn’t necessary by the end of the next day!
Tacked on a mani for an extra $ 10. Only thing I didn’t love was that I felt there was a lack of professionalism at the reception area… girls giggling and whispering while I was checking out.

I decided to try Blow Pro salon since I am still looking for a salon that can do a blow out on my natural 4a hair. The blow out process when I do it on my own takes hours since I do a lot of deep conditioning and pre-​treatments to infuse moisture into my hair. If my hair is not properly moisturized, it will suck moisturize from the air and get frizzy. I can blow out my hair in about 25 minutes and flat iron in about 35 minutes but the deep conditioning process and heat protection treatment can add several hours. Sometimes I deep condition with a moisturizing conditioner overnight.
I thought I found the spot when I came across Gregory at Blow Pro. He is a stylist and trainer for the salon. I found photos of him doing very curly Caucasian hair on Facebook and I thought he would be able to handle my tightly coiled hair. Yeah, I was wrong. If I had made a bet, I would have lost big time.
The usual appointment is 45 minutes but for first time customers it’s a one hour appointment since they build in time to assess your hair. The price is based on texture and length: $ 40, $ 50, $ 60. My blow out was $ 60 .
Gregory came over to greet me and grabbed my heavy hand bag to walk over to his station. He took my jacket to hang up and we talked about my hair, which was in a twist out. I warned him that it was a manipulated style and my curls were much tighter. He asked if I was all natural (I am) and said he specializes in curly hair. I was a little excited by this point but since I had heard this before at several salons, I was reserving judgment.
We went to the sink at the rear of the salon where my hair was washed and conditioned. Gregory gave me a nice head massage while the conditioner was on my hair and we talked a little about other curly hair salons. Once the conditioner was rinsed out we went back to his station to start the blow out. He started with a vent brush and it was snagging my hair as he brushed from the ends toward the roots. I asked him to use a different brush and he did. We talked a lot about what I use on my hair at home and my own blow out process… which does not include a comb or brush. I use my hands and tension to avoid snagging my hair. I appreciated this since some stylist I have tried did not ask me anything, they just presumed they knew my hair care routine and what would work best for my hair.
The blow out process was fine, but it was obvious that Gregory was not used to handling natural kinky hair. He seemed to be struggling with my curls. Caucasian curls are very different from my curls. He used a lot of products to relax the curl, some things that are being tested at Blow Pro, but they did not seem to work on my hair. He was very careful to not snag my hair. I was able to read a magazine which is not normal for me since I have to keep telling the stylist to stop tugging on my hair or to be more gentle. My one hour appointment ended up being nearly two hours (15 minutes shy of 2 hours).
My hair was not moisturized well such that my hair started to get frizzy as soon as I left the salon. By the time I got home about 30 minutes later (took the subway) my hair was a frizzy mess. I pulled out my Maxiglide and redid the flat iron and added some coconut oil for shine. I had high hopes for all of the blow out salons that I have tried; however, to date I still do my own blow out better than the salons.
Check out my blog (link in profile) for photos of the blow out.

So I got a pretty decent blow out here. The price was not bad at $ 40 + tip. I just kept thinking about all of the differences between Blow and DryBar which is why I downgraded it a star. They do not have the amenities that DryBar has such as: complimentary snacks, champagne, etc. I also like how DryBar has the look book where you can choose what style you want. However, the staff is nice and the blow out was good so I really can’t complain much. If you need a quick fix, this is a good place to go.

Blow has a great location, right near the A/​C/​E/​L trains.
The atmosphere is chic, the place itself is very clean and modern, however the tiered pricing system is something I’m not very fond of. You can pay $ 40, $ 50, or $ 60 depending on hair length and texture and if you want anything other than a straight blow out (flat ironing or curling, you pay $ 10-​$ 20+ extra!)
My stylist was great, listened to me, and gave me enough volume (but not too much).
If I’m in the location, I may go again, but I love drybar and think they have a better pricing structure.
$ 52 (with tax) + tip = $ 62 for a 60 minute wash and blowout.

Went in for a standard blow-​out. Tiffany did an all-​right job, and my hair looked great that day. I wasn’t expecting it to look as good on the second day, but it surprised me how much less stellar it was. I figured I could at least get three days out of a good blow-​out.
I had to wait 15 minutes past my appointment time, and none of the front desk girls asked how I was doing or checked to see what was going on.
Also, one of the sinks broke, so there was a line for girls to have their hair washed.
The facilities just seemed dirty and dingy to me. And if I’m going to pay $ 50 for a blow-​out (no style, etc.), I most certainly expect more from my experience.

I was here to be an apprentice’s hair model. Got there after an hour subway ride, and was told to go home because all the stations are full…
It was a same day appointment and I was asked to come in after a few text message exchanges. Everything was confirmed about 3 hours before the appointment. I arrived in the salon 10 minutes before the appointment time. When I told the receptionist I was there for the apprentice, she didn’t say anything to me, and I was kind of weirded out by her silence. Soon enough, I found out that I wasn’t paranoid. The apprentice came up to me and said she was just informed that all the stations were full, so she can’t do my hair anymore. I checked my phone, and there was no text message from her canceling the blowdry. I assumed she really literally JUST found out.
From observing the attitude of the receptionist and the apprentice, I concluded two possibilities of my wasted trip.
1. There is no communication between the salon and its apprentices. Maybe because the apprentices are not earning money for the salon yet, so they could care less?
2. The salon might have warned the apprentices about possible overbooking, but the apprentice forgot to check in with them.
I do hair modeling frequently in the city, and this is far the WORST experience I’ve had. Just because I was there as your practice model, it doesn’t mean I won’t be your future customer, or recommend you to other valued customers.
Never again!

Do not go here!
I was in New York recently for an event and I wanted to get my hair done. I decided to give Blow a try since DryBar was completely booked. I would have done myself a huge favor by doing my hair myself. Not only did the stylist not listen to a word I said she attempted to send me on my way after merely just blow drying (not styling/​curling) my hair.
I consider myself lucky because my hair is somewhat long and coarse and very easy to style, curl, etc. In just three short hours my hair had fallen out and I had to recurl it using a curling iron once I got home.
I could have saved myself the time, trouble, and the money by doing my hair myself. I have been to DryBar before and the experience I have had there is completely– 100% different. This is definitely the worst experience and service I have ever received at a hair salon and I will never go back!

This review, if I could split it up, would actually be 4 stars for my stylist, 3 for my friend’s stylist, 2 for the price/​service.
To start, PSA: dry bar does a better job at the whole she-​bang (tea and a cookie! cheerful people! $ 10 cheaper!) than blow. However, the schedule at dry bar also fills up way faster so when I wanted to take my bestie to a blowout for her birthday I was left with blow. That being said, my stylist (Erin) did a great job and was really nice. The shampoo itself wasn’t enjoyable but just perfunctory… but the blow out itself was great. My friend’s stylist did not shampoo her as she had just washed her hair, and did a good job with the blowout.
My main issues were that 1) the pricing is to start, $ 10 more than dry bar and 2) they charged me full price for my friend’s blowout, which didn’t include the full shampoo. I’ve been told by dry bar and other stylists that without the shampoo it should have been a lower charge since you didn’t deliver those services! The blow out did last most of the day and evening and I was happy with the products used.

I’ve been to Blow a couple of times now for a basic blowout. The name pretty much says it all — its a place to get your hair shampooed and blow dried. They also offer things like updos and manicures, but most people just get the blowout.
I usually get very embarassed about blowouts because while I do love them, I have thick curly hair and the stylist will usually look at me and roll his or her eyes or audibly complain about the extra work.
I like blow because the stylists are really good at giving you a fast blowout. The shampoo guy was super nice, I was offered water and a magazine, and assured that my hair would be shampooed and done in 60 min tops. The stylist (Daniel) was nice and had a positive attitude about taming my unruly hair.
My issue is with price and overall experience. I think that Blow’s price point is a little bit higher than most places. I usually pay $ 40 for a blowout and Blow charges me $ 50 – 60. Additionally, I have found the front desk staff to be fairly rude and unfriendly. Its been a pain to schedule appointments and they are not forthcoming with additional information regarding styling products etc.
I’ve also had the bad luck of having it rain shortly after my blowout each time. I usually come prepared with umbrella and scarf, but I think it would be awesome if Blow sold those clear plastic old lady rain bonnets. They do the trick in protecting styled hair.

3.5 stars
Although I really loved my hair after walking out of Blow — my overall experience just was not as wonderful as I looked.
As soon as I walked in I felt as though I received those ‘who’s this chick’ stares by the staff and I absolutely hate that! I didn’t receive a good morning, was not offered anything to drink and my stylist was a ‘know it all’ who didn’t stop talking. I really enjoy my quiet time while I am treating myself to beauty treatments — yes I understand we are abnormally close for having just met and you are playing with my hair, but that doesn’t mean we have to talk to one another as if we have so much in common and are besties.
I also don’t love that they have a level for their pricing based on your hair type — I felt like I was getting punished for having curly, below the shoulder hair when my bill came out to be $ 60. That didn’t make me happy.
I will say that I was out of there within 30 minutes, tops — and my hair did look and feel fabulous. However, having recently been to Drybar across town — my overall experience there trumps this one.

Used the Gilt City voucher. Not happy. For someone who is used to getting her hair styled by prominent people themselves rather than a prominent «establishment», I definitely don’t need any stank attitude from novices. The chairside manicure was awkward even though the manicurist was really thorough and professional. Multitasking just doesn’t work in some instances.
The blowout saga: It took them 10 minutes to assign someone even though my appointment was made 3 weeks in advance. The hipsters running the front desk acted frazzled and pretty much ignored me for 10 mins till i started getting impatient. My basic requests like please make sure you shampoo twice or try not to get any water on my expensive Chanel blouse were met with a smirk and a snide remark by the stylist. Also for a place that’s supposedly so high end they don’t even double robe or towel you. You get a hand towel to wrap around your neck and the robe does little to cover your top. Not ideal especially if you have on an expensive blouse or shirt.
I asked for volume but straight. Also a lot of volume at the crown. When she was done I looked like a 40’s pinup with curls galore. The fact I couldn’t see myself getting styled the whole time because i was getting a manicure meant my chair was facing away from the mirror the whole time. So the reveal was even more surprising. She justifies this by telling me «you don’t need to see anything honey. You’re here getting pampered». Yes daahling i get that. I wish you’d have pampered me proper.
I didn’t kick up a fuss because I had to leave exactly in 15 mins. i did get complimented on the streets once i was done but that’s owing to the fact i tend to wear most hairstyles well. Good cheekbones. Regardless, if you can’t give me what I want make sure you warn me prior. 3 hours later the do went flat.
Pros: erm… The manicure was pretty decent, The blowout won me 2 free drinks and 5 compliments the whole night.
Cons: everyone there looks like they’re vying for their 15 mins on a reality show. Very surreal. The chattier friendlier staff (mostly Asian chicks) were tending to grade A douchebags. But the «tending» was limited to plastic smiles, empty compliments, superficial flirting that would have helped ensure their 25% tip. Recommended if that’s your scene. Especially if you’re Jerseylicious looking for an inauthentic taste of downtown Manhattan.