Vegas Magazine - Niche Media - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
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PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SETH OLENICK YOU, EVEN BETTER battle of the blowouts N o other beauty treatment has the speed-to-impact ratio of a perfect blowout—clients step in frazzled and bedraggled, but leave trans- formed a mere 40 minutes later. So it's little surprise that time-conscious women looking for a polished look have jumped onto the blow-dry-bar bandwagon, causing the number of local salons hawking blowout-centric services to flourish. By the end of this year, with the much-anticipated opening of Drybar on the Strip, there will be five or six bona-fide blowout bars—up from just one only months ago. That forerunner is Platinum Entourage, which opened in 2010 in the southwest part of town with a simple style menu of six blow- dries costing just $35 each. "When I launched, people told me not to do it," says the salon's owner, Todd White, who had noticed the trend gaining speed in LA and New York. "They didn't understand the concept. Well, we've proved them wrong. The demand here is phenomenal—we do more than 100 blowouts a week and are planning an expansion in the next six months that will make us the largest blow-dry bar in the nation." Just as Platinum Entourage plans to be the biggest, each of its competi- tors is carving out a niche. Miracle Mile Shops' Dollheads has made an art of styling hair with extensions in addition to blowouts, while iBlowdry near Decatur and Tropicana, which was founded by two single working moms, has become a go-to for ultra-feminine blowouts, and is open until 11 PM. "Our most requested style is Dandelion, which is smooth but with a soft wave," says co-owner Melissa Bordinhao. It remains to be seen how continued on page 92 LAS VEGANS' PENCHANT FOR SMOOTH, GLOSSY LOCKS HAS KICK-STARTED A BLOW-DRY- BAR BOOM. WE TAKE STOCK OF THE NEW HAIR SCENE. BY VISHAKA ROBINSON 90 VEGASMAGAZINE.COM