Blown Away
BY EARLY 2015, Clarendon will have two new spots dedicated to getting you glamorous. Smitten hair salon, a favorite among local cog-noscenti (Okay, I’m biased; I’m a longtime devotee of co-owner Melanie St. Clair’s expert cuts), is moving to a new home on North Pershing Drive to make room for sister salon Primp by Smitten (www.primpbysmitten.com), a Bumble & Bumble styling studio that offers blowouts, updos, keratin treatments and makeup application. “We’re really focusing on what’s going on backstage during Fashion Week and translating it to something wearable every day,” says St. Clair, who opened the original Smitten with her partner, Lisa Rittiner Dahl, in 2011. At Primp, clients can browse a menu of buns and braids, beach waves and blowouts, from messy to polished, and for a range of hair types. A basic blow-dry will run you around $55 and comes with a lesson on how to replicate the look at home. Watch for a winter opening.
Across the street, the soon-to-open Cherry Blow Dry Bar (www.cherryblowdrybar.com) promises an “express salon” offering blowouts from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day of the week. “It’s all about convenience,” says franchisee and longtime Arlington resident Jennifer Weiss, who estimates a wash-and-dry will take about 45 minutes. “Arlington women need a place they can go for a quick blowout before work or an event, whether it’s prom or a charity gala.” Cherry’s look book showcases half a dozen styles for a variety of hair types, but styles are customized to each head of hair. Blowouts are $35, while professional hair treatments add an extra $15. Natural, flexible hair extensions run from $210 for a partial head of hair to $395 for a full head, and can last up to a year with regular maintenance.