2021 Salons of the Year: 2nd Runner-Up DashBar

DASHBAR
Miami, FL
Thedashbar.com
Owner: Carla Oliva
Salon Style: upscale, Instagrammable, chic
Square Footage: 2,700
Stations: 8
Treatment Rooms: 3
Manicure Stations: 7
Pedicure Thrones: 6
Furniture: Custom
Equipment: Custom
Total Design Investment: $1,200,000
Retail Lines: Maria Nila
Nailcare Lines: Emma Zoya
Design by: Vanessa Nunez, Nunez Interiors
Architects: Concept Build
Photographer: Robin Hill

The concept for Miami’s DashBar was born from the frustration Owner Carla Oliva felt as a professional woman preparing for a work trip and spending a full day dashing from the blowout bar to the nail salon to the spa an eyelash fill. “I wanted to create a place of empowerment for women—an efficient collective beauty experience where clients can have multiple services performed at once in a luxurious, pampering environment,” she says.

Located on the mezzanine level of a building in the mixed-use Brickell neighborhood, DashBar is surrounded by a fitness center, cycle gym and yoga studio. To draw the eyes of passerby, Oliva brainstormed with designer Vanessa Nunez who decorated the med-spa/beauty bar with pink palm fronds outlined in neon and living walls with neon messaging, including Hello Gorgeous, Good Vibes Only and The Future is Female.  Oliva says, “I wanted people to look up and say, ‘What’s that?’”

Inside, DashBar is uniquely pink, or as Nunez would clarify, blush. From the wallpaper to the marble surfaces to the furnishings, there’s no mistake this establishment is targeting the modern woman. Oliva worked closely with a high-end furniture designer to create the patent-pending PolyDash chair, which reclines for facials and lash extensions, has manicure trays that attach to the arm rests, a drawer that pulls out for a spa pedicure and a removable headrest for hair services. 

The specialized chair allows DashBar to market its signature Collective Service, giving clients a selection of three services that are performed in 60 minutes. The client picks a main service—blowout, cut & style, facial, lashes or CryoSkin facial—and has that service simultaneously with a spa manicure and pedicure. 

The salon also has a very modern focus. The intricate gold screens between the stations give clients a sense of privacy and protection. The living walls and the neon messaging give guests plenty of photo opportunities.

“We live in an Instagram world, and it’s important to create those spaces of opportunity,” Oliva says.