New Blow Dry Bar Brings New York Fad to Huntingdon Valley

If you're looking for a cut and color, Huntingdon Valley's new niche salon——is the wrong place to visit. The trendy salon only shampoos, drys and styles hair.

Founder Avi Shenkar was about to embark in a partnership to create a high-end full-service salon, but a friend from Miami told him about a new salon fad that stole his interest.

"She said she was addicted to blowout bar concept," Shenkar explained. "She referred me to a Wall Street Journal article, and it sold me."

After doing a little research, Shenkar said that he realized no one had set up a blow dry bar in the Philadelphia area. He said the closet location is in New York.

"That really took me," he said. "So I got out of the full salon partnership and went full on for the blow out."

An entrepreneur for the last 20 years, Shenkar said he is always in search of unique concepts, and a blow dry bar is just that.

"We don't cut. We don't color. All we do is blowouts," he said.

The concept materialized for Shenkar pretty fast. It's been a two month process to bring the salon to fruition, he said. He had an interior designer from New York come in, he hired about five stylists and opened the doors for a soft launch in mid-March.

"We've been open a week and it's been a very successful week," Shenkar told Patch on Friday, March 16. "The response and reaction we received has been tremendous. The clients love the quality... and love the place because of how beautiful we made. I have no complaints."

The Blo/Out Experience

For those who have never had a blow out before, Shenkar said it's a fun and relaxing experience. There are several styles and packages to make the experience available to all ages no matter the length of hair.

Upon entering the salon, the guest will be "greeted by our wonderful customer service blo-litas," Shenkar said, and taken to the shampoo room for a wash and skull massage. You're then given an iPad to choose a style as a foundation, unless you already have a style in mind.

"It's a foundation because not all hair types can replicate an exact style," he said.

Once the customer has chosen a style, the "blo-lita" stylist will dry and style until the final result is achieved. During the process, since conversation with the stylist is limited due to the volume of the blow dryer, guests can hang on to the iPad and browse the Internet, play games, check facebook and twitter and more.

The base rate for a blow out is $35. For that price, customers can choose from nine standard styles. The rate is $55 for a custom style, $65 for an up-do, and other packages are available.

For example, if a group of three come in for the "Blo/Out n' Go/Out" Sunday through Thursday, the rate is $32. Blo/Out also has packages for mother and daughter, home and office visits and other special events like weddings and parties. For a list of available styles, visit Blo/Out's website for the menu.

Guests can schedule an appointment online, or call 215-375-7585 to make an appointment. Blo/Out is open Monday-Wednesday, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. - 10 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

The Grand Opening

Though Blo/Out has been opened for a short time, it was only a soft opening. Some finishing touches need to be complete before the salon has its official debut.

, at 4 p.m. Guests can enjoy a signature drink, the Blo/Me Mosa, and hors d'oeuvre catered by . In addition to mingling with the staff and checking out the salon, guests are invited to watch a competition to fill another stylist slot.

Shenkar said that about five stylists are going to be chosen and hired through a social media elimination show.

"Three to four stylists will be competing against each other, like [the Food Network's chef elimination show] 'Chopped,' " he explained.

He hopes to have a celebrity judge and possibly team up with a network to get it shown on TV. For now, the plan is to have it air on social media platforms, like facebook and the like.

Complimentary blow outs will be given during the grand opening, and all proceeds will be donated to a charity. Shenkar said all tips will be donated to The Healing Consciousness Foundation, a Holy Redeemer charity that benefits those at high risk for or diagnosed with breast cancer.

"It's a really cool cause that we want to work with," he said. "We've teamed up with them for other events we will be doing."

In addition to giving back to the community through charity, Shenkar said he also wants to do something for the Lower Moreland community.

His first thought is to work something out with the high school, he said, and offer a promotion for girls going to prom. Nothing has been set up yet, but he has been talking with the parent teachers association to start planning.

A native to Lower Moreland, Shenkar chose his hometown for the first blow out bar location, though plans for expansion are already in the works.

"I grew up here," he said. "There's a lot of resources and networking here. It's central to Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia [counties]. Personally, I love the area, so it was a natural first place to start."

Since the concept itself works, Shenkar said, he's not wasting time before expanding. If all goes as planned, the next location will open in Old City in June and then a Rittenhouse location will open in September.