The humble ponytail hits the red carpet

First blow dry bars, then bikini wax bars; surely ponytail bars are next

Sometimes it seems as if there are more aesthetics bars in Toronto than there are boozy bars. Although there is yet to be an exclusive ponytail bar, I’m sure one will not be too far away.

Who knew a ponytail deserved so much attention?

In New York City, the new Ponytail Bar charges $50 per ponytail at the swanky Fifth Avenue location of John Barrett Salon that has recently opened on the top floor of Bergdorf Goodman.

As Barrett, who also recently opened a shop called Braid Bar, has said, “A good ponytail is like a good heel — it gives you a lift.”

I head to Blo Yorkville, which just recently opened its doors, to try out a professional ponytail such as the one you’d get in the big city at Ponytail Bar, as opposed to the messy one I always throw my hair up into.

The difference, as Barrett notes, in an interview with nbcnews.com, is in the details.

“It’s a marriage of couture and education — each ponytail is fashioned to the client, and although it looks simple, it demands a certain skill,” he says. “It’s not a ponytail you’re going to wear to the gym or grocery store — we know you can do that yourself. This is a ponytail for a night out, a special event, a big business meeting — something where you want to wow.”

If it is good enough for the likes of Rachel McAdams or Kirsten Dunst and Naomi Campbell — who were among the main fashionable folk sporting this hot fashion trend at the Summer Olympics in London — well, it is good enough for me.

Inside Blo Blow Dry Bar, it’s very girlie, with scented candles that smell like bubble gum and a lot of pink and white. On their menu, they offer services such as the “red carpet,” executive sweet,” and “holly would” (perfect for the film festival).

And they also offer the “hunt club,” which is also called the “perfect pony,” described as a “polished look for an impromptu polo match or just because.”

I’m not hitting the polo grounds any time soon, but I didn’t let them in on my little secret. My friendly stylist, Kenlyn, and I look at photos of celebrities with ponytails on red carpets, and we find one of Kate Beckinsale with a pony that is described in the caption as “high glam meets messy,” and it is on.

First, I get a quick wash and blow-dry. Next thing I know, I’m sitting in a chair watching Kenlyn tease my hair, feeling like I should be on the Jersey Shore.

She pulls my hair back, leaving a few hair wisps falling down by my ears, which is sexy. But she adds height at the front to balance my heart-shaped face. Apparently, low ponies are better on narrow face shapes.

There are nine Blo Blow Dry Bar locations in Toronto, including ones in Bayview Village, at Yonge and Eglinton and in the Exchange Tower in the Business District.

Rosemary Chau, who manages both the King Street and the Yonge Street locations, has definitely seen the trend for professionally done ponytails pick up steam in Toronto.

“It’s a fast and quick way to look sophisticated, sexy and put together,” she says.

She wears a ponytail “every other day” and says she gets random compliments on the street, especially when she adds a braid to make it look boho chic.

She’s also noticed a trend of ponytails at weddings.

“Brides now want effortless updos or loose ponytails. They no longer want the constricted hair look for them or their bridesmaids.”

After my hair was teased and pulled back tight (so tight I thought I’d get a headache, which I did) with four elastics and 10 bobby pins, strategically placed so no one could see them, with some of my hair also wrapped around the pony, I was done. It took about 20 minutes, in total, including the wash and dry.

The truth is I thought it was too poofy on top. Of course, the elegant ponytail didn’t exactly match with what I was wearing: a sweat top. When I got home, I tried on a cocktail dress, just for fun, and it was a good look. I appeared to be some sort of elegant woman ready to head to a wedding. Who knew?

At the end of the day, says, Kenlyn, the ponytail should work around what you are wearing and what the event is. (And keep in mind, it took almost as long to get out and unwind my ponytail as it did for Kenlyn to create it.) But for $50, I think it’s worth it to get your hair done professionally and quickly, even for a ponytail.

I couldn’t help but notice, just a couple doors down from Blo on Yorkville, that there is a brow and eyelash bar. I may have to try that out next. It is film festival season after all.

You never know when I’ll be bumping into the Goz.…

Post City Magazines’ columnist Rebecca Eckler is the author of Knocked Up, Wiped!, and her latest books, How to Raise a Boyfriend and The Lucky Sperm Club.

Article exclusive to STREETS OF TORONTO