Drybar – Dupont Circle

I was invited to a black tie event and needed a classy look. Although I have a regular stylist I thought I would try out Drybar for a simple elegant day of hairdo. When I came in for my appointment everyone was friendly and I was offered something to drink. After wanting no more than 5 minutes I was greeted by a woman who washed my hair. Let’s pause… so since my hair is natural (fine and curly) I’m always a little apprehensive letting just anyone do my hair especially if I’m getting it straightened. Trust me… I’ve had some bad experiences! Unless the stylist has specific knowledge about how to work with natural African American hair I normally keep it moving… Ok back to the story… so the woman shampoos my hair and she’s doing a pretty good job but I don’t think she really knew how to get a deep clean. After a few minutes my stylist came in and took over. She ended up taking maybe an hour to do my hair with me giving a simple description of how I wanted my hair (loose curls). I was a bit worried at first but pleasantly surprised by the outcome! I loved it and I got compliments on my hair all night! I can’t remember my stylists’ name but she was great! I am amazed! The price was only $ 45 and I was in and out within an hour! I will definitely be returning!

I have been to many blow dry bars, and was DYING to go to a «Drybar», since I love their products and heard they had a great reputation. I followed Drybar on Instagram and would see all of the gorgeous results — and wanted some nice beach waves for a big DC gala I had to go to… bad choice.
I use a wheelchair and called ahead to ensure it was accessible for my chair. They said yes and were kind when I called, so I came in for my appointment.
When I came in, there where several employees talking right by the door, were staring at me struggle to open the door, and just were laughing and laughing. It was so weird and unkind.
I had to wait over 15 minutes, even with my appointment being pre-​booked a week beforehand.
Then, the stylist I got just complained about having to work that day and her low wages and complained about having to deal with my extensions… great.
She showed me a booklet with the styling options and I picked out my preference. When she did my hair, she rushed and didn’t even use a curling iron –she said rollers would give me my beach waves.
My hair was flat almost as soon as I stepped out of the door.
I wish the staff had less focus on time and more focus on the quality and results. $ 65 (with extensions) is a LOT to pay for something that you’re unhappy with that doesn’t give the advertised results.
I still love Drybar, but I’ll probably never go again unless I get better costumer service and results.

This place is called drybar meaning blow outs are supposed to be their specialty. You know a blow-​out with a round brush? The girl that I went to was sweet but certainly did NOT know how to use the round brush properly. She does known how to use a flat iron and curling iron (but who doesn’t?) My hair has no volume and I just noticed that my scalp isn’t clean. I am not sure if it is the location or the stylist or the franchise. I assume there is a class on the round brush technique that must be passed before working here. I hope this isn’t a reflection on the entire franchise but the Unilocal reviews don’t lie and none of the locations are excelling.

Heed the reviews and skip this location, unlike me and arrive late, pissed, burned, and ugly to your date/​gala/​etc. Somehow, the manager and stylists here have managed to stain Drybar’s brand. It’s also $ 5 more at this location. The irony is unbelievable; pay more and get way, way less.

Terrible experience, would not recommend to anyone. I wish they had a no star rating.
Everything was bad, from the front desk being rude, to the location being sweltering hot, to being miss-​charged, taken late, and bad hair.
One of the girls I went with already reviewed, so this will sound similar… I scheduled an appointment about a month out for myself and two friends for hair for an event later that day. We were on a pretty tight schedule, so I wanted to book plenty in advance to make sure we were all taken together and on time. We all showed up on time (at least 5 min before the scheduled time) and checked in. We were all taken separately (none on time) one person wasn’t even sat near us — though there were two empty seats near the other two of us, and a whole back area that was empty. When they took the first person they didn’t even advise the other two of us how long it would be, and when I inquired they acted like I was being a diva for suggesting we be taken on time/​together/​or generally be informed of what was going on. I get there being a delay, and I understand not knowing exactly when a stylist will be ready… But it’d a hair appointment, and pretty expensive, I expect to have a good time and be treated well/​have good customer service. Though I asked for something to drink I never got anything (and it was no hot, I was really thirsty by the end.)
The worst part for me by far was the end product. I will deal with a shitty experience as long as the final product is good, and it wasn’t. I asked for one of their signature looks and the end product looked nothing like it. I clearly told the woman I have difficult hair because it falls out of styles easily, and asked her to consider that, and the style was so loose that it was almost gone before the event even started. I clearly said I don’t like a messy look, but she used sea-​salt in my hair… I have a lot of layers and they were completely ignored for a one dimensional look that didn’t work because the short layers came out of it. And I didn’t even have an idea of what was happening because I couldn’t see my self in a mirror, and she didn’t have me look at it until it was done. Which, at the time, I didn’t think mattered because it was one of their looks… should come out pretty much like the picture. But it didn’t at all.

I was so disappointed with drybar after such a great at the one in Penn DC. I went to do a blow dr and left with damp hair :(not going back!

This was my first time at Dry Bar and I was not impressed. My girlfriends and I made an appointment for 3 people at 3 PM. We walked in at 2:50 PM and there were no stylists available. There would be no stylists available until 3:15 and then only one. What the hell is the point of making an appointment a month ahead of time?
I brought in a picture of what, in general, I wanted. Basically, the Manhattan with a little braid on the side to hold my hair back. My stylist’s first comment was to clarify that I wanted a braided crown wrapped around my head. Um, no. Did she maybe just want to be able to charge me the updo price? We’ll never know.
My hair is the easiest to work with (or so my regular stylist tells me… Katelyn at Bella Bethesda, look her up she’s fabulous). It will do whatever you want and hold that style for hours — curly or straight. My Dry Bar stylist somehow gave me the coarsest driest blowout that was not in any way straight or able to hold up to the night’s minimal humidity. My hair felt rough, not in any way silky or smooth, and even a little sticky. What kind of products does this place peddle? In fact, all my stylist was able to do was successfully rip out more hair than I thought was possible with her aggressive round brush technique. When it came to pay there was no one to be found. I stood at the register with my wallet for 10 minutes… my friend, who was done earlier, had been waiting longer. I should’ve walked out. At least I know I’ll never walk back in.

YIKES — this one is so off the train tracks of the concept that actually works. I made a 7:00 AM appointment (1^st one there) and was late getting called back. I finally did around 7:15 (I had to be at work at 8:00 so this late start related to my tardiness and subsequent poor blow out). When I checked the in the receptionist offered the «Shot» said it was only $ 10 bucks extra, I said ok — as long as it doesn’t add time because I have to be at work at 8. She said no problem. Went to my station to get a shampoo and my stylist was pulled in the middle of my shampoo to go blowout someone else because they «name requested her». She was replaced by someone who has only worked there for a month. Super nice, but he has very poor skills in blow outs. It got to the point where I told him that I didn’t like it so he just needed to flat iron so I can leave. He did not add anything in my hair with the exception of the ‘tea”. So my hair was so frizzy. IT was so poorly done that I looked like Tina Turner but worst with sticking my fingers in the socket. As if it wasn’t already bad, I was late to work by 20 minutes so I was there for more than 1.5 hours. My hair underneath had these huge fizzy fuzzy balls and NOT straight at all. My stylist also did not use the same round brush that is part of the DRYBAR experience. It looks like it came from home. To make matters worst — when I got home, I noticed that my card was charged an extra $ 20 instead of the $ 10 as I was told. I called corporate and to only hear back. no the receptionist said she told you $ 20. Ok — so I’m the liar. thank. you. thank you very much.
Needless to say this salon is far from what I have been to in Lincoln Park IL and Los Angeles. I actually could’ve done a better job and I’m terrible at blowing out my hair which is why I pay to get them done.
The salon was clean and everyone was friendly but the services provided were terrible. What a Walmart experience at Louis Vuitton Prices!

Just really bad experience on several fronts. Very unprofessional treatment and sub par result.
Showed up at 7:05 for my 7:00 appointment on Saturday and had to wait almost 30 minutes. When I finally said something (because I was running late at this point), the manager said «oh, sorry, Caitlin!» (Not my name) and took me back to have my hair washed. I could tell she made a negative comment about me to one of the other stylists because they both snickered. Then, as she was washing my hair, they proceeded to complain about some of their customers– how difficult and unhappy with their service they were. Very unprofessional if you ask me.
I was also offered water several times but not given any. I was also never given a menu so when my friends later asked me which one I got — the Manhattan, etc… I had no clue what they were talking about. I just had to tell the girl «straight with body»
As for the result– my hair was a lot shinier than when I do it myself but very wispy and my baby hairs were sticking straight up. The girl barely used any product at the end and the feeling of the whole thing was very rushed. She actually hurt my scalp with the clips and was very rough.
I will not be going back, at least not to this location!

Had a great blowout! Looked great and lasted an entire week.

I went to Drybar — Dupont Circle before a work party and it was a great experience. The stylists knew exactly what I wanted and I got so many compliments on my hair. Can’t wait to go back during the upcoming wedding season!

I came to Drybar before an event I had for work and I have to say– it was the best $ I’ve spent on my hair! The staff was so nice and the products smell AMAZING. I will definitely be going back!

Last year I went to Dry bar at Georgetown location to get my hair done for my birthday and I left looking fabulous, the staff was great and very professional. So This year I decided I was gonna do the same, since they opened a new location in DuPont circle it was more convenient for me to go there, but I regretted so much!!! Me and my best friend went on a Sunday afternoon, we had an appointment at 1pm and when we got there we were told that our wait was gonna be of 45 minutes at least, when we told the receptionist that we had an appointment at 1pm, she said they were shorted of staff and we were gonna have to wait. I had to be at my birthday party at 2pm and we ended up leaving at 3pm. The whole experience wasn’t pleasant at all … So if you like Dry bar as much I do, I suggest just go to the Georgetown location.

This was my first visit to DryBar. I left very disappointed.
I was attending a gala and needed an updo– I booked an appointment at 5:30. I waited over thirty minutes in the crowded waiting area to be seen. It seemed like there were only a few stylists able to do uptinis, as I saw the receptionist approach multiple stylist with my card, but then it seemed I would be bumped back in line. By the time I was seen by my stylist, I was so anxious about getting home, and being ready on time for the gala. My stylist was helpful, but didn’t have bobby pins and the tools she needed easily accessible at her station. I waited 5 – 6 minutes for her to find them. I wound up leaving DryBar a few minutes after 7:00pm, nearly two hours after I had first arrived. I wanted to ask for the manager at the salon, but at that point I was so late.
This experience was fustrating and not enjoyable, and because of that, I didn’t feel so great about my hair. Not worth what I paid. Will not be returning.

2.5 stars.
Cons:
— Waited over 15 minutes & had to cancel my additional scalp massage since I was short on time
— Water for hair wash was cold
— Wore plastic gloves for the wash so glad I didn’t pay extra for a massage
— Took over the expected 45 minutes
— Stylist didn’t speak more than 10 words to me
— Had to ask for water twice & never offered champagne
— Asked for the cosmo and ended up with a mai-​thai
Pros:
— Nice space
— Cool concept but the staff ruined the experience for me

I don’t know why everyone raves about Drybar. After an hour of sitting in the chair, while she curled every inch of my hair, I left with nearly straight and flat hair. I requested Cosmopolitan with the volume of Southern Comfort.
Epic Fail. I returned to my hotel with only a few minutes to re-​do my hair, do my make up AND get dressed. In the end, I was late to the event (of course). Never again, Drybar.

I’m a big fan of Drybar– I’ve been to several of the New York locations so was happy to see a Drybar opening up in my neighborhood. I went with two friends before a holiday party and the salon was packed. Beautiful interior, spacious, and has TVs to watch while you get your hair done. However, I can tell they have a couple of growing pains to work out, when we checked in the receptionist was very slow and had to bring in someone else to aid the check in process. We were asked if we wanted drinks by three different people, yet they took 20 minutes to bring them out (also, I know this is a diva point, but why don’t they offer champagne or wine like other locations, always a nice treat!).
However, most importantly, my blowout looked great! It held for the entire night and my stylist was speedy and efficient, so I will be back.

I’ve been to other Drybar locations before and I’ve always been amazed at their ability to get my curls to remain fabulous for hours. I was really excited to see Drybar make their way to Dupont circle only a few blocks from my office and finally had a reason to try them out for my Husband’s holiday party.
The staff were friendly but I noticed they left customers waiting for a while at the counter. The shampoo and condition were pleasant enough and it appeared my stylist knew what he was doing during the blowout. My hair looked pretty good in the store, however, he did crimp one curl in the front that looked a little off. I figured it would smooth out a bit during the final styling so I let it go.
As soon as I walked the three blocks back to my office to finish getting ready I noticed just how frizzy my hair was. It had also almost completely fallen out during the very short walk. I was pretty disappointed with the end result. I could have gotten the same results myself for free. I’m not sure what the Glover Park location put in my hair to make the curls stay but it was sorely missing in this blowout and I’m not sure I can justify the price to come back for something I can accomplish myself.

If you feel like having ¹⁄₅ of your hair ripped out of your head, make an appointment here right away.
I just moved here from Brooklyn and they were opening a Drybar across the street from my old apartment, but it wasn’t finished before I had to move. So when I saw one open up right under my yoga studio I was so excited to try it!
Pros:
— easy online booking
— very cute décor
— nice head massage during the shampoo (costs extra with the ‘mudslide mask’)
— stylist was friendly and polite
Cons:
— While the stylist was shampooing my hair, she did not put a towel around my neck, and subsequently drenched my boobs and top with cold water– not just a sprinkle, a thorough drenching. She was just like «whoops! I dropped the hose!» and I had to ask her for a towel– it didn’t occur to her to give me one.
— When she began blowdrying, she ripped out clumps of my hair she was pulling it so hard! I have a very high pain tolerance and do understand that «beauty is pain.» But she didn’t seem to know how to dry with a round brush, she kept wrapping my hair around it in a way that it got inexorably tangled, and then yanking hard to get it out instead of unwinding the tangles. I said «OW!» loudly four times but she didn’t apologize or seem to notice. I had to ask her to take it easy.
— The end result was so bad. I should have realized it was a warning sign when she showed me the look book and aggressively pushed me toward getting a straight style. But I told her I don’t want it straight, my hair doesn’t stay straight anyway, I want lots of volume and big wavy curls.
My hair is long and wavy anyway, so it’s not hard to do and I’ve had it done a hundred times. But when she was finished, it looked EXACTLY like what it looked like when I came in! Straight, frizzy, shapeless and dry with no volume at all, and my natural curls were straightened =(
It was already over an hour and 15 min by this point, so I just wanted to get out of there and go home and redo it with a curling iron. But she could tell I was disappointed, and I just told her frankly «I had asked for curls, but my hair is straight with no volume.» So she said she could fix it with a curling iron and it would take 5 minutes. I agreed since I’d spent $ 60, and specifically asked her NOT to separate the curls when she was done curling, because I knew they’d just turn into a big frizz ball.
15 minutes later she was done and the left side was curly, the right side was flat. I was about to leave, but in one quick move she ran her hands through it and separated/​ruined all the curls! She asked if I wanted «light» hairspray but whatever she put in was like glue.
I only realized after paying and leaving that I left with a bird’s nest. Flat up top, horribly tangled snarls on the bottom. She hid the bird’s nest with the properly blow dried hair on top so I didn’t see it! The next day I woke up and my hair was a DISASTER. It was so irreparably tangled that I literally started crying from the pain and frustration of trying to untangle it with a comb. It definitely wasn’t sex hair either! I had to soak my entire head in olive oil for an hour and painstakingly comb out all the giant dreadlock she had created. My bathroom floor was covered in ripped out hair from the detangling process. I am already losing my hair in my early 30s and I think I lost at least ¹⁄₅ more of it at Drybar.

I really wanted to love this DryBar. 15 minutes from home with no traffic, right near two of my favorite bars and my favorite nail salon, but the entire experience was meh.
My regular stylist/​colorist turned me to DryBar after using me as a hair model for an interview at the Bethesda location about a year ago. I fell in love with the salon, she moved out of state, and I’ve been pretty frequent customer to the Gtown and Bethesda locations ever sense. I’ve only had a not so fantastic experience once– a newer stylist took over two and a half hours to do my thick, curly hair and I ended up being late to an event (but my hair looked amazing). Out of the 20 or so other times I’ve been there, that was the only experience that missed the mark until last weekend.
In a rush to a dinner date with bae, I stopped by the Dupont location. I waited about 10 minutes after my scheduled appointment to be seen. No biggie, but the stylist seemed a bit… frazzled. I get it, we all have our days. But my wash was subpar, she asked few questions about my hair or extensions and seemed all a tad too ready to let me walk out of the door with an extension very visible (seriously?) and frizzy, unblended bangs that didn’t match the texture of the blowout. I asked her to redo the front of my hair twice and she sheepishly did both times. Add that she complained about her schedule (incessantly) and that she was bumping into mirrors all day and it wasn’t the quick, relaxing experience Ive grown accustomed to. I have a high tolerance for complaining and general bitchiness, but two hours of listening to her huff and puff wore me down.
My stylist wasn’t rude to me directly and my hair ended up looking okay for the night (but didn’t stay like it normally does), but I won’t be back. Much faster, friendlier service at the other locations.