Piersten Gaines founded Pressed Roots in 2018 after moving to Boston for Harvard Business School. She discovered blowout bars but found they lacked stylists trained in textured hair. That gap inspired her to launch a silk blowout bar built specifically for textured hair customers.
Pressed Roots' main service is the signature silk blowout, a version of a silk press adapted for the blowout bar model. The service starts at $80. The salon also offers trims, deep conditioning and steam treatments. Membership tiers begin at $139 per month. Gaines said the company has a high customer retention rate, with core customers returning twice a month.
The brand hires only licensed cosmetologists. Each new hire completes a hands-on training program covering hair anatomy, porosity, identifying hair needs and knowing what products work for different curl types. Trainees practice on mannequin heads and must master the "Pressed Roots Method," a 12-step process covering the full client journey from greeting to farewell.
Pressed Roots began as a traveling pop-up in cities including Boston, Atlanta and Dallas. The first standalone location opened in Dallas in 2020 but closed temporarily due to the pandemic. It reopened two months later to a waiting list. The company now operates locations in Dallas and Houston. On Wednesday, the brand announced its fifth location will open in Washington, D.C. this December, marking its first East Coast expansion. Gaines said the company analyzed sales data, guest feedback, customer retention rates and staff performance before expanding. The new D.C. location will have an identical layout to other locations and offer the same services and pricing.