By Cynthia Robertson

It has a funny name, this brand-new business located at 8806 Grossmont Boulevard. Blo Blow Dry Bar La Mesa is a franchise salon featuring on-the-go beauty for women’s hair, nails and face.

The grand opening for the blow dry bar took place the weekend of Dec. 11 through Dec. 13. Women were lining up to get the best-dressed tresses they always dreamed of.

Along with “Blo Boss” Jenna Madsen, owners Marina and Shelby Wilson, a mother-daughter team, greeted their new customers at the blow dry bar.

Most of the women had made appointments for what is called a blow-out, a method of blow-drying and taming the hair into waves, curls or sleek, shiny locks. The salon offers hair styling, manicures and makeup, but no hair color or cuts.

“It’s a fabulous concept, with a ‘you’re not cheating on your hairdresser’ philosophy,” said Wilson.

Wilson explained that as a woman with naturally curly hair, she had always craved an hour to have someone blow-dry her hair because she could never achieve on her own that sleek look with a bit of curl on the end. Nor did she want to spend the time doing so.

The only blow-dry bar locations in San Diego were in downtown’s Gaslamp District and Carlsbad.

“East County San Diego had nothing like this and I hated having to drive 30 minutes to another location,” Wilson said.

So with her daughter, she opened her own salon.

“We decided why not? Let’s do this,” Wilson said.

A certified makeup artist, Shelby Wilson had attended Make-Up Designory (MUD) in Los Angeles. She would always practice styling her mother’s hair, giving her the sleek look she had always wanted. It was the perfect opportunity for Wilson to hone her skills.

When she did decide with her mother to look for a location for East County’s first Blo Blow Dry salon, Wilson was ecstatic with the site between Ross and Hobby Lobby.

“My mom and I wanted to have a location in La Mesa because it’s our hometown and it’s sort of in the middle of East County. And we love this spot because the foot traffic is very good around all these stores,” Wilson said.

On Dec. 11, Jamul resident Kendall Tapio had made an appointment for a blow-out and styling by Kylee Colclasure, a stylist with a certification from the Bellus Academy.

Her hair normally straight, Tapio said she was excited about getting long, luscious curls in her hair.

“I’ll be using this salon as much as I can afford to,” she said. “Kylee is doing a good job. I can’t wait for my boyfriend to see this.”

Colclasure smiled at Tapio.

“I’m having a lot of fun, too. It’s the perfect job for me. I don’t like to color or cut hair, but I’ve always loved blow-drying and styling hair. I used to do it for my mom in her wedding planning business,” said Colclasure.

All the stylists at Blo La Mesa must be licensed cosmetologists. In addition, Blo Blow Dry has its own training program that all of the stylists must complete. During the program, they learn and master the seven signature styles before they take clients. Some of those styles include: “Pillow Talk,” which is the salon’s concept of a beach waves look; “Holly Would” for big, bouncy curls; and “Executive Sweet” for sleek and straight looks.

“At this time we are definitely seeing our clients most attracted to a bit of a ‘Pillow Talk’ or ‘Holly Would’ with a braid added in. And if you are looking for a braided style, we are definitely the bar to come visit. We also offer updos for any event,” Wilson said.

The youngest client at Blo La Mesa that day was a 4-year-old girl named Finley.

“She absolutely loved her Blo Girl Braid and twirled all around for everyone in the bar to see,” Wilson said.

For more information, visit blomedry.com/locations/blo-la-mesa or call 619-825-7980.

––Write to Cynthia Robertson at [email protected].