The dedicated blowout bar — no cuts, no color, just styling — has become one of the fastest-growing retail categories in Manhattan. Chains promising a polished look in under an hour are opening near office districts and transit hubs across the borough.

The fictional chain Gloss & Go now runs a dozen locations, timing appointments like a pit stop and selling monthly memberships to regulars. Its executives say the model works because it turns an occasional splurge into a routine.

The proliferation has squeezed traditional salons, some of which have added express styling of their own. For customers, the result is a city where a professional blowout is never more than a few blocks away.