Blo Blow Dry Bar vs Great Clips

Documented price lines, service by service

These 9 lines come from published sources and are grouped by what they actually are. Mixing a cancellation fee into a service price list is how misleading "average" figures are produced, so they are separated here.

Published prices change without warning. The review date on this page tells you how current this set is.

How this compares with the wider U.S. market

Use this as a sanity check. Where a quote falls outside these bands, ask what is included before writing it off — scope differences explain most outliers.

These bands describe the national market, not this page's subject. Use them to judge whether a quote is sensible, not as a price you can book.

Where you live changes the price more than anything else

Rent and wages flow straight into the menu. Applying published metro cost bands to the $55 national median for wash & blowout gives the following planning ranges.

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

Why your quote differs from the menu

Ask about these at booking, not at checkout. All of them are easier to decline before you arrive than halfway through a service.

• Stylist seniority+$8–$25

  Designer or senior tiers sit above the base rate.

• Location cost band+10–40%

  Identical franchise menus differ between metros.

• Shampoo service+$5–$15

  Regularly optional and charged in addition to the cut.

• Add-on conditioning+$10–$30

  Offered at the bowl and easy to accept without hearing the price.

• Cut versus cut-and-style+$12–$35

  A finished blow-dry is a separate line on most chain menus.

Related cost breakdowns: Haircut and Blow Dry Cost, Dry Haircut Cost and Dry Styling Cost.

Twelve months of wash & blowout, priced out

Most budgets break at the cadence, not the price. Wash & blowout maintained every other week works out to approximately $1,584 annually once gratuity is included.

Gratuity is included at 20% because it is not optional in practice. Strip it out if you budget gratuity separately.

The lever most of us reach for - switching salons - is usually the weakest one. Moving from the $55 median to the $35 budget end saves $576 per year, but so does simply stretching the interval by a quarter.

What to tip, in actual dollars

Percentages are hard to judge in the moment. Below they are converted into actual dollars at the low, middle and high end of the market range.

• Tip the same on a redo as on the original if the redo was not the provider's fault - and speak to management rather than the provider if it was.
• At a resort or hotel spa, see whether a service charge is included before adding another tip.
• On a package or prepaid series, tip each visit on the value of that visit rather than once on the whole package.
• Card tips may be pooled or delayed to the next pay run. Ask if you want it to reach one person directly.

Mistakes that cost real money

These are the ones that generate complaints. Every one is avoided by asking once asked before the service starts rather than after.

1. 1Assuming the advertised price includes shampoo and stylecosts $12–$35

   Most value menus price the cut alone.

2. 2Ignoring the brand appcosts $5–$15

   Chain apps run standing offers the walk-in counter does not mention.

3. 3Accepting the conditioning upsell blindcosts $10–$30

   Offered at the bowl, priced afterwards.

4. 4Not checking the location menucosts $8–$25

   Franchise prices vary between neighbouring stores.

If you want the policy detail behind these: How To Compare Salon Prices and How To Compare Official And Third Party Salon Prices.

Seven questions that prevent a surprise bill

You do not need to negotiate. You need the price to be stated before the service starts. These questions do that without any awkwardness.

1. "Do you take a deposit, and does it come off the final balance?"
2. "Are taxes added at checkout, and do you have a card-payment surcharge?"
3. "If this runs longer than booked, does the price change?"
4. "Is removal of my existing product included, or is it a separate charge?"
5. "Which provider tier is that quote for, and what does the next tier up cost?"
6. "What add-ons do you normally recommend for this service, and what does each cost?"
7. "If I join the membership today, is there an enrolment or annual fee on top?"

One more at the desk: ask for the itemised total before you tap the card. Every line should match something you were told about on the phone.

From menu price to what you actually hand over

Every line below is routine and expected. None of it is a scam — but almost none of it appears on the menu board either.

Worked at a $30 base with one add-on. Swap in your own quote and the proportions hold.

The rule of thumb: add approximately 62% to any menu price for wash & blowout to get your sensible out-the-door number.

To check a specific quote, work this out for your precise service.

Your other options, and when each wins

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

Common questions, answered with numbers

Sources and how we checked them

Listed so you can check the figures yourself. If a source has changed since we recorded it, the correction form below is the fastest way to flag it.

1. Official membership
2. Official U.S. brand website
3. Official additional services
4. Official Customer Service and FAQs

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