While taming the tresses of Toronto’s elite and international stars at the Cannes International Film Festival in the mid-2000s, master hairstylist Beni Sicilia was ready to take his career to the next level. When a prominent socialite and client told him about the blowdry-only salons she’d visited in New York City, it triggered a new business idea, and in 2008, Blowdry Lounge, Toronto’s first blowdry bar, was born.
Before opening the original salon and a second uptown location on Avenue Road just north of Lawrence Avenue, Beni spent more than a decade perfecting his craft. He worked with world-renowned hairdressers such as Marc Anthony and global masters Toni & Guy in London, England, followed by more than seven years at Salon Jie — Yorkville’s “it” hair salon at the time.
“London was all about cutting and being fashion forward, and being part of a team that created the looks that went on to the streets, but at Salon Jie it was all about socialite hair and finishing,” says Beni. It was there that he began to appreciate the art of hairdressing in its truest form, and those years perfecting the finish are what spawned Blowdry Lounge’s tagline “It’s All About the Blowdry.”
