Pressed Roots, the Dallas-Based Salon Reimagining the Drybar for Textured Hair, is Just Getting Started

The New Wave is Taking Over Texas

By Caitlin Clark // Aug 4, 2022

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The Plano location of Pressed Roots, a blowout bar specializing in textured hair.

Pressed Roots founder Piersten Gaines in the original Trinity Groves salon. (Photo by Misael Rodriguez)

Instead of the popping yellow energy of Drybar, Pressed Roots has a more relaxed ambiance with a mellow jazzy playlist and a spa-like feeling.

For the studio, Dallas-based Coeval Studio used pale shades of pink and brown, lots of rounded edges, and natural materials such as pampas grass and wood.

When we first profiled Piersten Gaines at the start of 2020, the Columbia and Harvard Business School graduate was preparing to open the very first Pressed Roots, a luxurious, beautifully designed salon specializing in natural, silky blowouts for textured hair. After dipping her toes in markets like Boston and Atlanta with sold-out pop-up appointments, Gaines had landed on Dallas — and an airy studio in Trinity Groves — for an official launching pad.

But the goal was always to bring Pressed Roots’ signature shine well beyond Dallas’ city’s limits. At the time of publishing, Gaines had expressed an interest in three more Dallas-Fort Worth locations, and was already eyeing a Houston expansion.

She was right to be ambitious — the salon was completely booked through its first weekend when the doors opened in March 2020, but we all know what happened next. Fortunately, we don’t have to dwell much on the chaotic months that followed. Pressed Roots quickly came up with a plan of action, one that included complete transparency and a fantastic virtual component called “Hot Off the Press.”

Pressed_Feb10_2022_0893_Final — Instead of the popping yellow energy of Drybar, Pressed Roots has a more relaxed ambiance with a mellow jazzy playlist and a spa-like feeling.

Two years later, things seem to be fully back on track. In February, The Shops at Legacy in Plano welcomed one of Gaines’ blush pink salons, and this Saturday, August 6, marks the opening of a third Pressed Roots — this time along Arlington Highlands Boulevard. In an example of serendipitous timing, Pressed Roots just claimed the title “Best Salon in Dallas,” courtesy of D Magazine.

“Our goal is to reach as many women with textured hair as possible, and we are excited about our growing community,” Gaines tells PaperCity. “We have several stores in the pipeline – our next stop is Houston, and then we will begin expanding outside of Texas.”

Pressed Roots’ signature blowout starts at $70 (with add-on options including scalp detoxifying and clip-ins installation). Visit pressedroots.com to learn more.