What if paying someone to do your hair could give you back hours every week? For Maddie Johnson, a 30-year-old attorney and business affairs executive in Los Angeles, that calculation became worthwhile after two quick promotions left her struggling to keep up with work and life. She now spends more than $300 a month on salon blowouts, treating the expense as a way to buy back her free time.
According to Business Insider, Johnson began getting regular blowouts after treating herself to a professional salon blowout for her birthday last August. At the time, she was trying to balance longer working hours with fitness, wedding preparations, household chores, family and friendships. What started as a weekly appointment gradually became part of her regular routine.
Why does she spend $300 on blowouts?
Johnson now visits the salon roughly every five days. Each appointment takes between 45 minutes and an hour, while she estimates that washing, drying and styling her hair herself would take around two hours.
That difference has become important as her schedule has become busier.
“I’m really buying my time back,” Johnson said, explaining why she is willing to spend hundreds of dollars on the service.
She also plans her workouts around her appointments. If she has an intense cardio session, hot yoga class or heavy leg workout planned, she schedules it around her blowout so that her hair lasts longer.
Her original membership cost $99 a month for two blowouts, with additional appointments available at a discounted rate. As she began visiting more frequently, her monthly bill rose to around $315 before tax and tip.
She later switched to a package of 12 blowouts for $565, bringing her average monthly spending down to about $282 before tax and tip.
Is the salon expense worth it?
For Johnson, the answer is yes. She believes having her hair professionally styled makes her feel more confident and polished at work.
“I’m more productive when I look and feel good,” she said, adding that she considers her hair an extension of how she presents herself professionally.
The salon visits also give her time to handle other tasks. She uses appointments to respond to emails, edit videos and organise her schedule. Instead of spending those hours washing and styling her hair at home, she combines personal grooming with work and planning.
According to Business Insider, Johnson sees the spending as a luxury, but one she is comfortable budgeting for because it makes her daily routine easier.
How does she make the blowout last?
Johnson takes several steps to extend the life of each appointment. She avoids getting her hair wet, wears a shower cap while bathing and uses dry shampoo when needed. She also relies on a little hair oil and a curling iron for quick touch-ups.
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She admits her hair does not look exactly the same on the fifth day as it does immediately after the appointment. Still, she says the convenience and confidence make the cost worthwhile.
For Johnson, the salon is not simply about having good hair. It is about outsourcing one more task in an increasingly busy life.
“Some people pay to get their nails done even though they can do their own,” she said. “This isn’t much different.”