Drybar Pacific Heights

Not exactly sure what I expected for my first blowout, but this definitely was not it. It started out fine, if a few minutes late. I had asked for the Mai Tai, which is messy, beachy waves that I thought would be formed through, you know, blow drying my hair with a round brush… After the actual blow-​dry, my hair looked smooth and voluminous and I wrongly assumed it ended there. However, the stylist then went through my hair and curled small pieces so that the end result was sticky, stringy prom curls with more hairspray than I had ever used in my life. I certainly don’t want something to «last four days» when I can’t even put my fingers through it. I ended up having to brush all the «curls» out because they were so garish and stiff, then ended up with a limp, sad wave. If I ever return, I would only get the straight looks, but then I’m not sure exactly what I’d be paying for…

Wow. Waited 52 minutes for my blow dry. Was given $ 10 off. Kinda laughable. Called and sent two emails to corporate. Heard nothing back. Cancelled membership. If you have somewhere to be after your blow out, I would suggest booking another salon.

I have had very inconsistent service at dry bar at this location since they opened. I started writing a poor review back in February and after speaking with management decided to give it another try and hold. I have given this same feedback directly to management when called and had agreed to try again after canceling my membership in February. After very little change I am moving on.
I love getting my hair blown out, since drybar opened near my house I have gone 7 – 8 times per month and they last 4 – 5 days. It’s become a necessary indulgence for my life.
This location has consistent issues with being on time, (now a running gag) of asking what I would like to drink and never brining that said drink and not having a sense of organization or leadership onsite. More times than not, there is no one at the front desk to check in and sometimes the music is so loud you can’t hear your stylist.
The blow outs have all been from good to great, I want to be clear that my issues are not with the actual end result of how my hair looks when I leave. Another note is I always wash my own hair and come in just for the blow dry. So imagine, coming in for my scheduled time with wet hair and then having to wait usually more than 10 minutes, then 20 and last time 27 minutes.
These delays are significant because I assume like me, that anyone who books a service before 9:00 AM during the week is doing so with a plan to get to work on time. I have had 30 minute wait times 3x in the past 3 months which has caused me to miss commitments at work.
I feel if the franchise focused a bit more on their customer service and think of their patrons as their number one priority they have a chance to make a real difference and boost their business in countless ways. A great example is a small nail salon close by, the owner is there and during your service she walks around to each customer and checks in to make sure all is well. Its simple and costs her nothing.
For now, i will be driving a bit further, paying a bit more for a more customer focused experience. I hope things improve and will be back in a flash if it happens.

I have used different Dry Bar branches in SF and was impressed by great blowouts and professional service. Including once in Pac Heights which was also a positive experience. So, I had no hesitation about choosing the Pac Heights salon which is right across the street from my apartment for my wedding day! You can imagine how important professional hair styling is for this day, and I scheduled an appointment for me an my bridesmaid. However, what I consider simply bad management led to me walking out and having to do my own hair in order not to be late for my own wedding ceremony. I understand several stylists didn’t show up on the day and there were about 5 people in front of us also waiting for their appointments already when my bridesmaid walked in. No hope to get the hair done on time, but even after we found a way to switch the time for hair and makeup and got makeup first (relying on the promise that at least me, the bride, will be accomodated as soon as we come back) we still returned to all stylists being busy and another 10 min wait after which I had to walk out just to be able to make it to my most important life event (the manager knew what I was trying to prepare for). This is the worst experience ever I must say.

I got my hair done there last Saturday. I asked for a loose Cosmo with a braid. The girl that was helping me didn’t know how to do braids so the manager came to help. She was obviously in a hurry so after I asked to do a fuller braid (like the picture I had shown her) she said «well I have another customer waiting». Then I mentioned that I had asked for a braid when I booked the appointment so they should have booked me with a hairstylist that knew how to do them and she said that all of them do but I asked for something special. This was the «something special»:
After she redid the braid she sent me back to the original hairstylist. I asked her if she could add some paper flowers pins to the braid and she agreed happily to do it, though she still couldn’t figure out how. I had to go through that step by step with her. When she said «oh my god, you are teaching me so much!!» I knew it was time to leave.
I paid $ 60 (including tip) for this experience and I am certainly never going back.

Best. Blowout. Ever. This is the first Unilocal review I’ve written for Drybar though I’ve been a customer for years.
I like this smaller location. I’ve been to busier locations (SF Kearny, multiple Manhattan locations), and I appreciate the more personal attention I received at this Drybar. It felt more like a salon and less like a factory. I have been greeted with smiles and offerings of beverages. My appointments always start on time as well!
There is a lot of variance of blowout quality depending on your stylist. I think that once you’ve found an amazing stylist, you should stick with him/​her. I like my Cosmo, and keeping my Asian hair curly and bouncy is the ultimate test of the Drybar stylist.
My stylist Alyssa recommended conditioner only to the ends of my hair and this has been a game-​changer for me. She is very patient and uses product and curler to make my hair super pretty. My blowouts last 7 days. I put my hair in a top bun to sleep and workout, and use all the Drybar products in between– Detox dry shampoo on the roots and the dry conditioner at the ends. See my pics for evolution of my blowout. You need to put some work in to make the blowout last. Worth it!
I will keep coming back!

I notice they turn down the volume when I walk in now. I’ve been in five times at least! Great service and very sly! I was so happy I could enjoy a fab blow out with ambiance to boot. My chair mate mentioned liking the volume decrease too. Thanks DryBar. Xo Also, no error at checkout since.
Aw, man! The music has become astoundingly vibrant loud here, especially in the am, which is a bit of a conflict.
It seems that stylists are pumping up with techno a la 9am and throughout the day to puff tresses overtime and I’m wanting to zen out in my mojo beauty relax time per my usual beauty appointments to find comfort in my «me time.»
This also poses a problem when I’m shouting my requests, my friendly banter and checkout pleasantries with the receptionist as well. I’ve had two register mess ups and one product mess up at check out and believe the loud music at the register is the main issue for errors.

Updating my review as Drybar’s customer service team took the time to call me, voice my issues, and offer a new blowout free of charge. Though I went to Drybar Burlingame for my free blowout I really appreciate the thoughtfulness and care that went into contacting me. I loved my blowout at the Burlingame location and think all girly girls should check out Drybar! It’s tough not to fall in love.

I gave two star not because of the stylist but for the young guy who works as receptionist there. He is the queen diva there.
Been there more than three times when he was on duty and the experience with him were never pleasant.
First, he never smile. When I told him my name and appointment, he gave me a look made me feel sorry that I showed up there to interrupt what ever he was doing.
He has no hospitality. Zero!
He wouldn’t offer you a drink unless you asked and reminded him (!). And when he served you the tea, he made sure (again) to make you feel you were a trouble to him. I tried to say thank you to force a polite communication. He gave me a quick and cold «welcome» as response .
He was never helpful to his colleagues. My stylist asked him for a small curly iron. He pretended never heard of him until my stylist had to ask for three times.
Then he gave the stylist the iron tangled and it could not reach me. He pretended not to see it and kept chit chatting with someone else.
My stylist had to ask for his help again and he gave him a cold look. Untangled the iron, he turned his cold shoulder to us and ignore my stylist’s «thank you» completely!!!
I noticed he is the same way treating everyone else.
People work there talked to him in a carful manner. You know like you are taking to a diva…
He also spends LOT of time online shopping rather than doing his duty. (no wonder he felt bothered when a client walks in)
I took a photo of him shopping online while working.
I am amazed he still has his job.

I’ve been to drybar before in other locations and have been happy each time, but NOT this time. Not only was my hair stylist super slow, she did a terrible job straightening my hair! If I wasn’t in a rush to leave I would have asked for a better press– I got the Manhattan but you can’t tell because it’s already so poofy. Waste of money, waste of time.

After waiting 35 minutes had to leave since I was heading to a wedding and didn’t want to be late. So now I’ve wasted two Über rides getting there and home and don’t have clean hair for the wedding. Receptionist wasn’t helpful. I had a great blow out last week, but 35 min late is just unacceptable.

I have never left a review on Unilocal because I’m not a review person, but I feel compelled to share my experience with this company. I became a Drybar member the day they opened on Fillmore Street in July of 2011. Since then I have been coming once a week to get a blowout, although for the past year or so I’ve been very disappointed with the service.
The first year that Drybar opened, the service was excellent. The membership pricing was $ 120/​months for 4 blowouts plus two free head massages and a discount on products. The stylists were experts and well-​trained, and the receptionist/​manager Aaron was competent and friendly. When I came in, they greeted me by name and checked me in quickly. I started to request a few different stylists regularly and developed a friendly relationship with them, although all the stylists gave consistently great blowouts.
The beginning of the decline coincided, ironically, with the Fillmore location raising its prices. Without notification, I noticed that my membership had been changed to $ 75 per month for two blowouts and no free head massages (so an increase in $ 7.50 per membership blowout minus the perks). I don’t have a problem with a company raising prices due to demand and increasing overhead, but the quality of the service decreased on every level at that point.
I learned from one of the stylists I saw regularly, who was their top-​performer by far, that he was grossly underpaid and undervalued and was unhappy working there. The stylists were mostly dependent on tips to make a reasonable wage. That was not a surprise to me, being that Drybar aggressively pressures customers to leave a $ 10 tip per blowout (which is 35% of the service), which they requested in signage placed all over the salon, along with the receptionist now loudly asking how much tip you would like to leave on your card at checkout.
Eventually, their top stylists quit and the rest quickly followed suit. From that point on the turnover was so frequent that I hardly had the same stylist twice. The new stylists were less skilled and the blowouts were subpar at best.
At the same time, the receptionists become increasingly incompetent and rude. Now the wait time with a scheduled appointment is consistently 15 minutes or more. They don’t pay attention to which customers come in first, so they will often let customers cut in line– the ruder and more aggressive the customer, the more quickly she is seen. They still ask if you would like a drink, but they almost never bring it. A majority of the time my blowout is so bad that I wash it out immediately and go back to having curly/​frizzy hair.
Their mobile application also crashes constantly. They don’t have phones in the local Drybar stores, so the only way to make an appt is on the mobile app or to call the main company line and wait on hold for a while.
I should have quit my membership a long time ago, but Drybar is convenient, and it is worth it to me to pay someone to blowout my hair because it is too curly and thick to do myself. Once you’ve had a great blowout, it’s hard to go back.
Today was the final straw. I had an appt this morning to do my hair before a wedding. I had to wait 30 minutes to get seen, and they let a woman who arrived 20 minutes after me to go first because she had «requested a particular stylist in advance». My blowout was terrible as usual (although I still tipped the $ 10 out for guilt), and I went home to try to fix it. I spent an hour on it and burned my neck with a curling iron, which is why I pay someone to do this. I got on the phone with the a customer service rep for the company and told her I wanted to end my four year membership. She said fine, and didn’t ask why. I offered feedback, and she wasn’t interested. So there you have it.

Yuck. This place has gone unbelievably downhill. I used to love my hair every time I walked out of here, along with the complimentary mimosas, but both are unheard of now. My hair has fallen or been a huge tangled dread lock (and I have long thick hair that usually hold a curl even without hairspray). The desk people are unprofessional and rude, and, not to mention, their outfit choices of belly shirts and graphic tees are not professional whatsoever. I can understand a stylist maybe wearing something like that, but not someone behind the desk. All of my stylists have been very unwelcoming and seem to be in bad moods. Also, all other locations of DryBar serves champagne or wine, which, in my opinion makes me happier spending 45 dollars on getting my hair styled if I at least get a glass of bubbly with it. Nope, that’s unheard of at this location also. Lastly, this place is not kept clean. The side tables in the waiting areas are dusty and sticky and the bathrooms always need serious attention. Now that SF is booming with other blow dry options, I rarely come here anymore unless I have a random gift card from a friend given to me. I add one extra star for them because I have called a few times after horrid blowouts and they have given me a comped one each time to try again, but those comped ones have also turned out just the same as the last. Nonetheless, I do appreciate that customer service. I also do like their dry shampoo, it’s the only one I use. Please pay attention to the details DryBar Pac Heights!

I went there last sat to do my hair and I chose Mai tai option for my full Persian hair ;-) and I did really love it .
I got in time for my appointment and i asked for drink and he start on my hair.
He was very nice guy and very patient I have so much hair full and Persian kind I thought he might get tired but opposite he was very friendly and did AWSOME job on my hair I forgot his names :-(
Highly recommended

Hey! So my first Drybar moment wasn’t wonderful, but the company reached out to me to ask me to try them again. Yay, customer service.
I wasn’t sure, but they promised me an experienced stylist, and so I went back. I felt a little like everyone was looking at me, there’s the girl that low-​starred us on Unilocal,but maybe that was in my head.
Anyways, the stylist was so nice, so thorough and my hair looked super shiny and glossy. And it stayed in. And in. I managed to make the blowout last four days (dry shampoo and careful sleeping) and am really happy with it. So they’re a four star, as long as you get a good stylist, so I’d suggest making sure of that when you book.
Plus, they have this gold lotion thing they put in your hair which smells wonderful, enough that the oblivious boyfriend noticed ;-)

Made an appointment for a blowout at 3:45 today.
On walking in I was greeted and asked for what I needed. Waited for 10 minutes before my stylist came and got me. The wash was very quick compared to other salons I have been to and this one being focussed on blowouts I would have expected them to clean up real nice and condition well which didn’t quite happen.
The actual blowout was alright. I asked for straight with a bit of curl but I got all loose curls instead. All in all not worth 46 dollars plus tip.

Upon walking in, all you can smell is burnt hair. This DryBar was extremely underwhelming due to all the hype I’ve heard about coming here. The front desk guy ignored me for a good 20 minutes and every blow dry technician working had a sad look on their face. It seems as though people do not enjoy working here.
The blow dry itself was also underwhelming– it left my hair EXTREMELY brittle and was not what I expected in terms of volume, curl, and texture. Although the blow dry lasted two days, I was more excited to deep condition and wash my hair to style it myself than keep it in the shape DryBar put it in. If you want a great blow dry experience, try another salon.

HORRIBLE! My hair looks like it was done by a 1^st week cosmetology student. The stylist wasn’t friendly. No small talk, «no how are you?» «what do you do for a living?» nothing, zilch, nada! Made zero product recommendations in fact I had to ask HER to put thermal protectant spray in my hair to prevent heat damage. My appointment was scheduled for 2 PM finished up by 3:00/ 3:15 And by 3:45 my hair was completely flat. Waste of time and money. PLEASE do yourself a favor and walk the two blocks down to Grant Ave and head to Patrick Evan Salon where you’ll be treated well and you’ll get an amazing blowout!

I’ve been going to Drybar ~3−4 times a year before any major galas or events for the past 2 years and can safely say that I’ve always had an overwhelmingly positive experience.
The hair stylists are friendly, insightful and just simply get it. They are able to cater to both decisive and indecisive clients as I’ve been both before. Sometimes I went in knowing exactly what I wanted (big hair, don’t care or sleek and smooth) and other times, I went in with absolutely no direction. The stylists are great with understanding exactly the look I’m looking for with the former and they are incredible at suggesting recommendations during the latter case.
I have quite lengthy hair so it takes about an hour to get the full blowout from hair washing to hair spray. And the whole service is only $ 40 ($ 50 with a 25% tip). An extra $ 10 gets you a scalp massage too! They used to serve champagne but now they serve lemonade and other non-​alcoholic libations so it’s still very spa-​like and cute.
All in all, if you want to get glammed up before an event, definitely consider a blowout from Drybar — totally worth it!

I came here this weekend for a friend’s surprise birthday party. As we were a group of 6+ I booked in advance with Morgan — I was pleased with her response times and working around our schedules to find us the best times; ultimately we settled on the Fillmore location vs. Union Square due to better availability.
Staff was friendly enough upon arrival. I do wish that they allowed you to bring in alcohol (I suppose they want to make their money off of the «private» parties though that charge you an arm and a leg). It seemed like they stuck to their schedule quite well despite it being a busy Friday evening.
I sat down and told my stylist that I wanted a hairstyle with volume and curls since my hair is generally very flat and thin; boy, did I get volume: O Literally my hair looked like I should be in a Texas beauty pageant. I was ok with the extra volume though because I knew once it flattened out that it would be perfect. The curls however were a different story: I stayed in Drybar about an hour after my blowout was finished to wait for the rest of the girls in my party and the curls were already starting to fall out. I get that I have thin hair but there really should have been more hairspray or tighter curls. When I woke up the next day it definitely didn’t look like I had gotten my hair done the night before.
Bottom line: I think that blowouts are highly variable depending on the style you get and who your hairstylist is. Generally I feel Drybar is better at teasing, straightening than curling.