These days gorgeous hair via affordable blow outs has become the norm but when I first moved from NY to LA one of the hardest things to get used to was not being able to get those weekly blow outs. I can deal with a lot of things; bad traffic, bad driving, even bad attitudes but a bad overpriced blow dry is not one of them and I got a lot of those my first year here. It was not fun. Thankfully the newly renovated and revived Fred Segal Salon and Blow Dry Lounge by Phyto, helmed by Matthew Preece, opened its doors yesterday in Santa Monica with $35 blow outs on the menu. In NY I’d spent years going to the raddest Dominican gals this side of Avenue A where the blow outs still cost $20 and take 20 minutes but in LA I could barely find a capable hair stylist for $50 until recently. When the blow dry bar fad started a few years ago I leaped for joy and the Phyto bar doesn’t disappoint. They had me come by for a blow out with Matthew himself and I loved the whole vibe of it! I also loved everything they did to my head… the treatments (I had the “Thirst Quencher” and “Get Down To The Root”) felt amazing, and Ashley, who applied them all, could not have been sweeter. Along with blow outs and various hair and scalp treatments they also have a yoga studio in the back and if you’re feeling inspired (or just need a good soul cleanse on top of the scalp revival) blessings and Buddhist monks are yours for the asking. Talk to Matthew, he will guide you in the right direction.
