Best Salons For Blowouts

Official published amounts and what each covers

Everything below was published by a source listed at the foot of this page. Grouping matters: 14 of these 17 lines are actual services and the rest are add-ons, plans or policy charges that should never be averaged together.

Franchisees price within a corporate range rather than to a fixed card. Treat these as documented examples.

How this compares with the wider U.S. market

These are U.S. market ranges compiled from published industry pricing data, not figures published by any single brand. They tell you where a quote sits nationally.

Market ranges are planning estimates compiled from published U.S. pricing data. They are not quotes and are not attributable to any brand named on this page.

Where you live changes the price more than anything else

Before deciding a quote is high, check it against your own market rather than the national number. A $82 quote is costly in a tier-4 market and unremarkable in tier 1.

Your own market may sit between tiers. The point is the 2.5x spread, not the precise figure in any one row.

Six things that decide what you pay

Ranking these matters. Most of us compares the headline price of two salons and ignore the next few lines below it that actually decide the bill.

• Required add-ons+$20–$70

  Some finishes are effectively mandatory but quoted on a separate line.

• Service complexity+$20–$120

  Length, density, area size and condition all add time.

• Tax and gratuity+20–30%

  Neither appears on the menu price.

• Provider experience+15–60%

  Junior through master tiers are priced in bands.

• Geographic market+30–90%

  The same service swings widely between metros.

Exactly what to ask when you book

Ask these at booking rather than on arrival. Once you are gowned and in the chair, declining an add-on becomes socially much harder — which is precisely why they are offered there.

1. "Which provider tier is that quote for, and what does the next tier up cost?"
2. "What is the precise price for wash & blowout at my hair length and density?"
3. "Can you email or text me the quote before my appointment?"
4. "Is there a first-visit offer or a package rate I should know about?"
5. "What add-ons do you normally recommend for this service, and what does each cost?"
6. "If this runs longer than booked, does the price change?"
7. "If I join the membership today, is there an enrolment or annual fee on top?"

And when you pay: read the itemised receipt line by line. Unexpected charges are nearly always fixable at the desk and almost never fixable later.

From menu price to what you actually hand over

Work it forwards once and you will never be caught out again. A $126 service does not cost $126.

An illustration built from the ranges on this page. Your tax rate and add-on choices will differ.

The rule of thumb: add around 46% to any menu price for wash & blowout to get your realistic out-the-door number.

To check a specific quote, do this with your own quote.

Annual cost of ownership

A single $55 appointment is easy to justify. Maintained every other week, wash & blowout becomes a $1,584 annual commitment at the national median — and that is the number worth deciding on.

Assumes 24 visits annually. Change that number and every figure in this table shifts with it.

Before hunting a reduction, check the cadence. Going from 24 to 19 visits annually keeps roughly $317 in your pocket at the same quality of work.

Gratuity, converted from percentages into money

Percentages are hard to judge in the moment. These are the dollar amounts at the low, middle and high end of the market range.

• A tip is for the work performed, not for the price you were charged. Do not penalise a provider for a menu they did not set.
• On a package or prepaid series, tip per visit on the value of that visit rather than once on the whole package.
• Do not tip on membership dues, booth rent, deposits, annual fees, gift-card loads or cancellation charges — no service was performed.
• A no-show or late-cancellation fee is a penalty, not a service. It is not tipped.

Five ways to overpay without noticing

All five are common, avoidable and quantified. None of them require haggling — only a well-timed question.

1. 1Forgetting tax and gratuitycosts $20–$30

   Together they add roughly a quarter to the menu price.

2. 2Not asking what is required versus optionalcosts $20–$70

   Some finishes are effectively mandatory but quoted on a separate line.

3. 3Comparing headline prices across different scopescosts $20–$70

   Two "haircut" prices can include entirely different work.

Worth comparing before you commit

The useful comparison is like-for-like: same service scope, same provider tier, same market. These pages set the comparisons up that way.

Frequently asked - with the maths

Sources and how we checked them

13 sources were reviewed for this page. Official brand pages are used for brand claims only; nothing here extrapolates one location's menu into a national rate.

1. Official services directory
2. Official hair color services
3. Official curly hair services
4. Official blowout services
5. Official pricing help
6. Official Barfly membership
7. Official cancellation/no-show
8. Official membership terms
9. Official membership
10. Official FAQ
11. Official haircut and styling service page
12. Official hair treatment service page
13. Official haircut and styling services

Spotted something out of date? Send a correction and we will re-check the source.