Drybar – Midtown East

Update: I really appreciated the follow up and follow through to help improve the situation. I wasn’t looking for this but appreciated the genuine kindness. I’m adding a star for that. Thank you!
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Had a very disappointing experience here on Sunday. I’ve used DryBar many times, in three different cities, and have always had nice blowouts. I decided to get an Updo before my friends wedding and brought a photo of Kate Middletons hair, which is quite similar to mine and the pre-​set Updo styles that DryBar offers.
I came in with wet hair to help cut down appointment time. The woman who did my hair didn’t blow dry it at all and went straight to Updo. She also braided the sides so tight that it hurt. The amount of hair spray caused my hair to look dark, wet and completely smacked down on my head — in fact, I had to shampoo and condition my hair three times the next day to get it all out. There was also an odd part of the left side of my head where the bread and the rest of the hair were separated and a large part of my scalp could be seen.
Needless to say I did not feel beautiful and honestly felt a bit ripped off since this cost $ 94.00 plus I paid $ 12 in cash tip. Like everyone, I work hard for my money and this was a waste. I looked greasy and flat/​matted down instead of classy and elegant.
What made it all even worse was that my friends and I met up before the wedding to get a cup of coffee before the ceremony. As I was sitting there talking, my hair unraveled. One of my friends let me know that something had happened and it looked like I had a «rat tail.» Luckily all of my friends dug into their purses and found 5 bobbins and one girl helped me roll/​loop the hair back up.
Again, I’m crushed that I wasted so much money and don’t look the way I thought I would in the photos. I flew across the country for this wedding and was so excited for the look I had in mind.

An amazing experience. Visiting NYC from CA for work. I have been to Dry Bars in Boston and San Francisco but bar none, this is my fav. The service was top notch from the time I checked in till the time I left. I had Stephanie as my stylist and she was great. I got a long lasting blow-​out, had a nice glass of wine after a long work day and it lasted till I returned home. I will definitely return upon my next work trip.

This was my first time at drybar and it was disappointing. I got the Cosmo and was done in less than 30 mins. I have really long hair and just a straight blow dry takes about that much time for my length usually. My hair didn’t look shiny and smooth like it always does after a blowout and didn’t hold up even a full day. She did a poor job. Hair wash in 5mins and I wasn’t even offered water. Although there were other stylists I can’t say the same about. So it all comes down to which stylist you get at this place. Could be a hit or miss unless you find your perfect match.

This place is consistently at least 30 minutes behind schedule. If you have any intention of getting your hair blown out for something you would like to be on time for, do not go here unless you have at least 45 extra minutes to wait around prior to your shampoo and dry. The front desk has poor customer service, and this was the second time they were extremely delayed because a number of their stylists had called out that day.
I once came for a 7 a.m. appointment, and at 7:05 the person opening up the store had not even turned the lights on yet. I very much prefer the Upper East Side location. It has its kinks too, but the customer service/​organization is much better. The DryBar concept is great, but this particular store is poorly managed.

i’m only giving this 1 star bc the girl who blew my hair out did a nice job. The 2 women at the counter did not look at me until i said hello first when i walked in last Friday. they were not very pleasant & even though i was a walk in, i was not given the same courtesy as other clients, who were offered a beverage upon arrival. my shampoo was very short & not comfortable & the fact that its called «Drybar» & you’re paying for a service that includes a «bar like service» and i was not offered anything to drink (not even water) is pretty sad. I was really disappointed.

Drybar is my go to staple in NYC and is a twice monthly event — but Midtown East will not have a repeat guest from me. We had two appointments booked — one of our appointments took exactly 5 minutes for the stylist to complete. 5 minutes and frankly looked like nothing had happened. To top off the horrible experience, during that 5 minutes we asked for a cup of coffee and a champagne, when both drinks arrived, the same stylist handed over the coffee and took the champagne away.

This review is specifically for Carmen. She gave me an excellent blowout (with Cosmo Tai style) in less than 2 hours, which is fast for the amount of hair that I have!
I arrived @1:30 (for my 1:15 appt, yes I was a bit late), waited about 10 – 15 mins
during which I was provided with a nice hot cup of peppermint TEA.
I was then greeted by the friendly Carmen who took me to her chair and asked what style I wanted. We then went to the washing room where she kindly hung my coat in the closet, then patiently and efficiently washed, conditioned and detangled my hair. Back at her chair, she added product (oil and a conditioner?), then blew my hair out WITHOUT PAIN! I was impressed how PAINLESS AND QUICK — WITHOUT FEELING RUSHED — my blowout by Carmen was!
Wash
+ blowout
+ flat iron on the hairs framing my face
+ curling iron
= less than 2 hours (finished @ 3:30p).
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND CARMEN for your blowout/​style! Her hours are Tuesday — Saturday from 7a — 2p.
BTW, the shifts change @ 2p so if your appointment is in the 1 o’clock hour, you may have someone from the morning shift stay late for you (as Carmen graciously did), or wait for someone from the afternoon shift to come in early. Ergo depending on how long your hair usually takes, schedule your appointment accordingly.
Also, blowouts are $ 45. No haircuts, only blowouts, including wash + style from their cute bar menu. Add a braid for $ 10, a Floater (10 minute scalp massage) for $ 10, and more.
Movies play on flat panel TVs, magazines are provided, and drinks are provided.
This is the 3^rd Drybar I’ve been to and I shall return, especially for CARMEN! Gracias, Carmen!

So disappointed in my experience here. Though everyone was nice, the result was terrible. Worst blowout I ever received. And my hair is very, very easy to work with. It has a lot of volume. I asked for big voluptuous hair, and the result was limp (not even sure how they accomplished this) view pictures for reference. For $ 47 + 10 tip, I’d go elsewhere for sure!

A good blow-​out and fruit-​infused water is my new cure for a hangover. And to remedy bad hair days. And to look and feel my most sench.
Throwing in hip-​hop music and personable stylists, Drybar has found a fan in me!

Absolutely the worst blow out of my life. I go to dry bar once a month in LA. This was REMARKABLY bad. The guy behind the counter and gentleman with the nose ring were lovely humans, sadly neither of them did my hair. I couldn’t have been more specific about exactly what I wanted my hair to look like and she kept asking (over and over again) what I wanted. I am a very patient person but I mean this was RIDICULOUS. I could have made my hair look this bad for the event I have tonight for free on my own. I didn’t need to wait for 30 minutes for my appt and pay 45 $ for it. It’s a blow out, not rocket science. I promise I showed up with a positive attitude knowing exactly what I wanted, but after the 5 or 6^th time I gave up trying to explain it to her any longer.
Pass on this one, kids. It doesn’t live up to the dry bar name.

The place is well kept and employees are professional. However their products are not sulfate free. I was told when purchasing the conditioner, it was in fact sulfate free. And lo and behold the keratin in my hair disappeared and my curls came back! I returned the product for a refund.
(1) pros — nice cookies at the desk, professional employees
(2) cons – products not sulfate free. Read the label! All sulfate free products state it on the front of the product. Employees not as knowledgable as u think!

I never get my hair done. I cut and dye it myself. I «style» it as best I can. But if there’s one thing I hate, it’s washing my hair on vacation. I’m picky with water pressure and bringing my shampoo/​conditioner with me on a plane. Therefore when a friend had a blowout at DryBar, I knew I needed to give it a try.
Booking an appointment online was incredibly easy. When you first walk in, you immediately see stylist’s stations and front desk area. I only waited 5 minutes past my appointment time, which isn’t bad at all. The area where they wash your hair is separate from the rest of the salon. The music is a good mix of old and new, and there are TVs to watch movies while you get your hair styled.
The shampoo/​conditioner they use smells amazing and I find myself still sniffing my hair hours later. My stylist was super nice and listened to what I wanted. From the menu options, I went with the Straight Shot but mentioned I wanted more volume and less waves. They also let you speak up when it comes to how much product is used. They used a bit of mousse and very little hairspray, which is exactly what I wanted. My hair never retains curls or waves so I’m not surprised the flips at the bottom of my hair have already become undone. However my hair BOUNCES when I walk. It feels so light and fluffy and I’m happy it will have volume for my trip.
The whole process took a little under an hour. Everyone is super nice from start to finish. I’ll probably try another style next time around but ask for more hairspray. If you’re looking for a place to relax for an hour (they also serve booze, yes really) as well as a great blowout, DryBar is the place for you.

I had such a terrific experience here! I went as an impromptu trip before a Fashion Week event. I had a simple blow-​out with the «Cosmo» hairstyle. The team was REALLY nice and let me stay and do my makeup at an empty mirror. I was really happy with how my hair came out and felt like I fit into the Fashion Week scene!
The setup of the salon is really cute! I love the color scheme! Everyone who works there seems really passionate about what they do and it really elevates the experience overall! Also, the glass of chardonnay helped too :)

What’s better than having a fabulous blowout and style in Manhattan? Perhaps lack of humidity might be the one thing that would make this experience better. New York I had forgotten you’re far from perfect! Dry bar has become a national phenomenon and there’s a good reason why. Upon entering one is greeted and take into a wash station where 1 to 2 washes are offered. This is followed by conditioning. After this your stylist will take you to her station and show you a menu of different hair blow out options. The menu is cute and fun. The process takes about 45 – 55 minutes. Don’t be surprised if you turn heads and cause whiplash while walking the streets of Manhattan afterwards.

I had an appointment at noon, I wasn’t taken until 1220. The girl that was shampooing my hair got soap all over my face and into my ears, I had to ask her to stop so I could get everything out of my ears.
I sat in the chair she never assessed my cut so she asked if I had bangs … when it’s clear I do not. I told her I don’t like poofy hair and I just wanted something more relaxed I’m used to wearing my hair straight. Instead of getting a cosmo-​tai I basically walked out with a southern comfort. I threw my hair in a pony tail and walked out. I won’t be returning to this location, and most likely a drybar.

This place was okay. Everyone there was pretty friendly. I was annoyed I wasn’t offered water and then I saw my friends with mimosas so I wish i was offered one — that would have made the experience better.
The stylist complained a few times that she was hungry and the shampoo/​conditioner portion was extremely painful. I was praying for it to be over.
Also, it was so humid out that I would assume the stylist would use necessary products to keep my hair in check for the next few hours after I left. Within an hour, my hair + everyone I went with, hair just didn’t look good.
In general, I wouldn’t recommend this if you remotely know how to use a straightener or curling iron.

Although I’ve had a handful of blowouts in the past year or two, I am new to the infamous Drybar! A colleague and I came to the Midtown East location before a fancy-​schmancy work event.
To create fun, feminine feel, Drybar nails the details – from the salon chairs that face inward, mimicking the seating at a bona fide bar, to the menu of styles cleverly named after cocktails. The complimentary champagne only sweetens the experience!
My blowout itself was solid but standard. My stylist stayed quiet, leaving me to watch a chick flick on TV (yay!) and check work emails on my phone (boo!). Although the curls in my hair looked unexpectedly tight when I left my appointment, they eventually dropped down into true beach waves – for better or for worse.
Most of all, I was in love with Drybar’s 3-​Day Bender, merging a curling iron and curling wand into one. A few days later, I headed to Sephora to buy one for myself. Makes beach waves almost effortless!
Three and half stars worth rounding up.

It’s a shame I don’t remember who I had but I won’t be coming back. I came here before noon on a Fri, and was seen on time. I asked for big curly hair with huge volume. I had a wedding at 6pm in NJ so I needed the style to hold all day/​night. I had a cocktail, charged my phone, and chatted with the stylist who was very nice. When she was done my curls were a bit saggy so I asked to add volume at the crown and bring them up higher. With enough spray it was OK and she was nice enough to tweak it until I was happy. I did in fact leave pretty happy.
I walked 10min away to my makeup appt at Sephora and it looked like I had day old beach waves upon walking in. I was so stressed and hated how it looked in such a short time. There was nothing I could do at that point and I didn’t have time to go back to Drybar and fix it before leaving. The girls at Sephora were super nice and offered to help but… I didn’t have time for that either!
Overall, this was a total flop. I had an appt 2 weeks later in the MD location for an event but I cancelled it. I can do my hair better myself in 30min. I was looking forward to being done up but I’ve noticed that appt’s at Drybar are hit or miss and it’s just not worth taking a chance when you don’t feel good about yourself.

Made an appointment for my friend to get her hair done. Convenient location, friendly staff, modern décor. The main area is designed like a regular bar where customers sit and have drinks while getting their hair done. They also have a small back room that can accommodate 4 people. Madeline was extremely professional and friendly. She did a great job on my friends hair and also recommended products that would help maintain our hair. She let us try the products in the store which led us to purchasing the drybar triple sec which is a 3 in 1 volumizer, texturizer and dry shampoo. We came at peak time and the place was packed but the service was very personable. They have a menu of different hair styles you choose from. Overall, great service, hair looked amazing, great experience.

I had a pretty decent experience at this Drybar. It’s only my second Drybar experience ever though, and while it wasn’t as good as the first (at the location in Georgetown, D.C.), it was still good.
I arrived WAY late for my appointment (about 30 minutes, thanks to Queensboro Bridge traffic), but they still managed to get me a new appointment about 10 minutes after I arrived.
The shampooing was great. Warm water, nice scalp massage, and a very comfortable chair/​basin combo — why can’t all salons have washing stations like these???
My stylist was good — quiet and efficient — although she did seem nervous about touching my hair at times. It was a little odd… But I appreciated that she asked me what types of products I’d like her to use, if I wanted conditioner on only the ends of my hair, etc. — all important things if I want the style to last more than a day.
I watched a silly romantic comedy while the stylist did my hair, which was pretty relaxing after a stressful evening the night before, and I was done in about 40 minutes. I liked my style, even though it wasn’t quite what I had picked out from the photo book. I certainly looked better than if I had tried to execute this look on my own, and it lasted me two solid days.
My only real complaint is that I was never offered any type of drink. There was a male manager-​type going around bringing champagne to everyone, but I was never even offered water. I kind of felt jipped!