The hottest new trend in the salon industry has blown into the Barrington area! Months ago we got wind that Ten Friends Blow Dry & Style House was planning to open their latest location at Deer Park Town Center and the blow dry & style house officially opened its doors for business on Halloween. The beautiful new space (right next door to lucy Activewear) features 10 blow-dry stations, a complete brow and lash bar, wedding hair and makeup AND will be available for private parties!
With a design and construction team that included Patrick Fortelka from Charles Vincent George Architects, Naperville; Michael Garber from Garber Construction, Hinsdale; and Andrea Goldman from Andrea Goldman Design, Glencoe, Ten Friends was built to look and feel like an upscale, coastal home, a place where guests (significant others included) will want to kick off their shoes, sink in, and relax with a hot cup of tea or glass of fine wine.
Different from a traditional hair salon, Ten Friends provides a proprietary, highly specialized shampoo, blow dry & style experience, versus the standard salon services of haircuts and color. The idea is for women to visit Ten Friends for amazing, professionally styled hair, in between their regular salon appointments. With a price point of $40 for a blowout, Ten Friends Founder and CEO Cathleen Stoelting hopes women will make a blowout part of their weekly beauty regimen.
“Think of Ten Friends as a throwback to your mom or your grandmother’s weekly visit to their beauty shop. It wasn’t just about getting her hair done, but also about connections and friendships,” says Stoelting.
“Our intent is to create this same welcoming, inclusive and fun environment, in a space that feels more like a beautiful, elegant, cozy home, versus a retail salon.”
A CPA with a background in corporate finance and real estate, Stoelting may not, at first glance, appear to be the most logical person to start a brand new company within the $50 billion a year beauty industry.
But her passion for hospitality, combined with her personal mission of inspiring and empowering women and girls, made Ten Friends a logical fit.
“I believe that when women look good and feel good about themselves, there’s no limit to the amazing things they can accomplish. We treat our professional shampoo, blow dry and style as an art in and of itself,” says Stoelting. “Our blowouts are transformative experiences, so while we’re in the business of hair, we’re really building self esteem and confidence, in a fun, five-star environment.”
One point of differentiation is Ten Friends’ commitment to world-class stylist training, ongoing professional development, and proprietary styling methods, which ensures guests receive a consistent, quality experience, each and every time. Another is convenience, with easy online booking and ample stylist staffing to accommodate spur-of-the-moment appointments.
Ten Friends uses only sustainable, farm-to-shower, planet-friendly products. Sourced from Davines, a family-owned company in Parma, Italy, all products are paraben-free, sulfate-free and formaldehyde-free, with ingredients harvested from local Italian farms.
Joining Stoelting as an advisor is her husband, Curt Stoelting, formerly CEO and Director of Tomy International and RC2 Corporation. Rounding out her leadership team are Operations Director Frank Zito, formerly National Admissions Leader for Paul Mitchell Schools; Artistic Director Lindsay Zito, formerly a stylist with James Anthony Salon and a Paul Mitchell National Educator; and Marketing Director Colleen Rafferty, formerly Executive Director of Women’s Connection, a non-profit dedicated to empowering women.
In addition to the Deer Park location, Ten Friends opened its first style house in August in Hinsdale, and construction is underway for two additional Ten Friends Blow Dry & Style Houses, at 341 Park Avenue, in downtown Glencoe, and The Glen Town Center, in Glenview. Stoelting plans to open 8 to 10 locations throughout Chicagoland by 2017.
You’ll find Ten Friends in one of the buildings near the gazebo at Deer Park Town Center (20530 N. Rand Road). Appointments are a breeze to make and may be easily booked online or by calling 224-677-6909. For more information about the area’s newest blow dry & style house, Click Here to find Ten Friends on Facebook or visit Ten-Friends.com.
