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Salon Offers Simultaneous Blowout and Manicures for Busy Manhattan Women

By Amy Zimmer | October 11, 2012 7:41am

UPPER EAST SIDE — Busy Manhattan women, take heed: You can breeze into Fix Beauty Bar and come out an hour later with a blowout and manicure — done simultaneously.

Its patent-pending marble-topped bar integrates both pampering cosmetic experiences into a speedy $55 deal ($40 for the blowout and $15 for the manicure), and the owners of this newly-opened Upper East Side spot claim their salon is offering a first-of-its-kind service in New York City.

“We came up with an idea based on what would we want,” said Karol Markowicz, 35, a writer who teamed up with longtime friend, Michelle Breskin, 34, to open the space last month on the second floor of 847 Lexington Ave., between East 64th and 65th streets.

In an era where many women have little time to spend hours under a dryer catching up on the latest gossip, the duo designed the entire experience to be as efficient as possible — incorporating, for instance, hand dryers built into the bar so no one has to move from one seat to another.

“There are salons where you can get your hair done at same time as a manicure, but there’s a cart pulled up to you, and its not convenient,” said Breskin, a lifelong Upper East Sider, who previously worked in finance and real estate.

“Before going out of town for a weekend, I would want to get my hair done Thursday and my nails done Friday — but one of those would have to come off the list,” Breskin said about wanting to create something more convenient.

“In our minds, we had women like us coming in here — working moms who were busy and didn’t have time to get to blowouts but wanted to look put together,” said Markowicz, an Upper West Side resident, who grew up in Brooklyn and went to elementary school with Breskin’s now-husband.

Instead, their clients have been a diverse mix, from young women visiting before a big Saturday night out to stay-at-home moms to women on their lunch breaks during the work week, the owners said. Sundays are now reserved for bridal or baby showers, with mimosas flowing and music playing.

“All the women of New York share one thing," Markowicz said. "None of us have any time." 

While the experience is quick, the owners also wanted it to feel upscale. They offer complimentary wine and Stumptown coffee; their nail polish selection includes such designer brands as Chanel, Tom Ford, YSL, Nars and Christian Dior; and for their pedicures, they make a lavender brown sugar scrub in their own homes because they haven’t seen anyone make it better, the owners said.

They also use the “Rolls Royce of hair dryers”— the Sedu ICON Prive, which retails for $750, Markowicz pointed out.

“We use only the best products,” she said. “We want to make it seamless and luxurious.”

The salon has an extensive magazine selection, from US Weekly and Vogue to The Atlantic and The Economist, with the owners saying they consider all the titles "women's magazines."

The duo is already contemplating a second outpost in the Financial District or TriBeCa, as well as figuring out which neighborhood to open a third location.

“It’s not easy to run a business,” Breskin admitted. “But we have each other to lean on. I think it’s helped a lot.”