Edit Visits: Parlor, A Blowdry and Beauty Bar

Last week we went to Matthew's work holiday party. The last few years I've really enjoyed getting ready for this festive event, but this year was a little different. I was feeling very LARGE, wasn't excited about the maternity dress I had to wear and knew I'd be sober the entire time. :) It was safe to say I needed a little pick-me-up, so I headed to the Plaza and went to Parlor Blowdry and Beauty Bar.

This is what they had to work with (yikes!).

Parlor opened this fall and this was my first time using their services. If you're not familiar with blow dry bars, they are awesome salons that just offer a wash, blow dry and style for a fairly low price. Parlor charges $35 for the wash, dry and style. You can choose from several different hair styles such as beachy waves, stick straight, beauty queen volume, power pony and more. I chose a combination of volume with a beach wave.

It was so nice to have my hair washed and blown out. My poor stylist didn't get to talk much because I was zoned out. I literally thought I was going to fall asleep in my chair. So relaxing!

The space is super modern and girly. I loved the yellow and white chevron painted walls, glossy white furniture and gorgeous chandeliers. It's a great place to have a girls night. You can rent out the space and bring in food and beverages. They do serve wine and cocktails while you're there too. I opted for a chocolate chip cookie.

So how was the final product? Overall, I was pleased with the process. I enjoyed having my hair washed and fixed, but I wasn't blown away (pun intended!) by the style. It was nice not having to do it myself, but I could have done something similar. Let's put it this way, I didn't get any compliments on my hair at the holiday party, nor did my husband really notice. They style didn't hold up for a second day either, though I'm moving around in my sleep a lot lately, so that could be why.

Here's the after shot.

If you're looking for a dramatic hair makeover, this wouldn't be the place to go. But if you're looking for a little pampering with girlfriends, I would definitely recommend Parlor.

Here's a shot of us at the party!

- Melina

Lawrence Babymoon

Matthew and I didn't indulge in a big "babymoon" trip for one reason. I believe all expensive, romantic trips should involve booze. The idea of going to a beach, NYC, Napa Valley or anywhere else for that matter just sounds lame when you can't drink lots of alcohol. And lets be honest, dressing up is getting so exhausting at this point in the pregnancy.

BUT I didn't want to completely forgo the new tradition of babymooning, so we decided to travel a few miles and visit Lawrence.  I left my Tiger heart in Kansas City and showed Matthew what little I knew of the Jayhawk town- mainly Mass St.

We stayed at the historic Eldridge hotel, and it really was beautiful. It's small but our room was spacious, and it's the perfect location for anyone wanting to stay downtown. The rooms were also very reasonable priced.

Once we checked in that afternoon, we made our way down Mass St. First stop, lunch at Free State Brewery. Great food and a great beer selection. Matthew got an IPA while I had my own tasting glass of a pale ale.

Matthew's beer: Northern Lights IPA

After lunch we hit up a few shops. One of our favorites, was Made. It reminded me of an Etsy store filled with local, handmade gift items. We also really liked Hobbs, which had a great selection of men's clothes; Matthew was in heaven!

handmade leather wallets at Made

The only thing we actually purchased on Mass St. ended up being a few boxes of Girl Scout cookies. Hey, this was a "babymoon" and all that shopping made me hungry!

That evening, we had dinner a few blocks from our hotel at Panchamamas.  The dinner was good. I had wreckfish and Matthew got the ribeye. We liked it, but I'm not sure I'd go back. The ambiance was a little dated, and we knew Lawrence had to have some cooler places to discover. 

After dinner we ventured closer to our hotel and stopped in 715. Now, this was what we were looking for. We sat at the bar and Matthew had a few cocktails, me a great mocktail. We were so envious of everyone around us eating. The menu looked insane! Our bartender said the steak and grilled porkchop were the best things on the menu, but I was eyeing the goat gnocchi. We're talking about going back to Lawrence just to have a meal at this place. It seriously looks worth the drive.

my mocktail at 715

view of the bar at 715

Matthew's cocktail, the Hog Wash Sazarac, made with rye infused pork fat!

While it may look like we made it a late night, we were back to our hotel room by 10 p.m. with a piece of chocolate cake in hand. We had a very nice babymoon, but we're definitely ready to meet this baby. Only 7 more weeks!

- Melina