June 09--DreamDry, the blow-dry chain co-owned by celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe, is opening its second Chicago location this summer inside the Waldorf Astoria spa in the Gold Coast.
DreamDry stylists will primp tresses in a 500-square-foot spot in the Spa and Health Club currently occupied by nail services, which will move to another location within the spa. It is the first time DreamDry has opened a store within a store, but it plans more, said Zoe's business partner and co-founder, Robin Moraetes.
"We loved the idea of the Waldorf; it's a fantastic location in a fantastic neighborhood, and we knew that they would be a strong partner in order to enhance the glamour of the brand," Moraetes said. The Waldorf hotel and condos provide a built-in clientele, she said, and the downtown location should draw professionals as well as tourists and residents.
The Waldorf spa now doesn't offer hair services. The blow-dryers it provides for clients' use in the locker room will be replaced by the brand's "dreamdryers," which Moraetes said are French-made and dry hair more quickly and quietly.
A blowout at DreamDry's Waldorf location will cost $50, matching prices charged at other Gold Coast salons and more than the $40 it charges at its Lincoln Park shop. In-room styling at the Waldorf will run $75.
The most popular styles guests have requested at the Lincoln Park shop, which opened last year, are the "Stevie," a messy, wavy blowout, and the "Rae," which entails a braid on one side (braids cost $10 extra).
DreamDry, among a bevy of finishing salons that have opened in Chicago over the past several years, has four locations and plans to announce more opening in the next month, Moraetes said.
aelejalderuiz@tribpub.com
