It’s not entirely clear to me why the proliferation of home-delivery services is arriving in concert with apps as a way of life, but it does seem that my smart phone is increasingly becoming a remote control through which I can order whatever I want, around the clock. For most moms, this is a delightful thrill.
Everything can be summoned to your house: food, diapers, even an assortment of stylish prescription eyeglasses for you to try on in front of your own mirror. And now: people.
You can order PEOPLE to come to your house.
Why would you? Well, these are specially trained people who know how to do your hair, your makeup, or maybe your nails. And you find them using an app, of course.
Four services that will send a beauty pro to your house:
The Glam App offers hair, nails, and make-up and has three levels of stylists you can select based on your budget. Currently serving NYC, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Francisco, Dallas, Phoenix and Las Vegas. The services have names, like “Bombshell” for a blowout or “Smoky Eye” for a heavier make-up look. The prices are listed upfront.
StyleBee (West Coast only) and GlamSquad (NY, LA, Miami) are pretty much the same thing, offering updos, makeovers for date night, and blowouts. A 20% gratuity will be automatically added, according to the FAQ on StyleBee.
Priv takes it a step further, offering actual haircuts, not just styling. In addition, Priv has spray tans, mens grooming, fitness, and massage. (London, NYC, LA, Austin, Orange County.)
Another “Uber for grooming” service, Shortcuts, seems to target men, and encourages group booking, so for example you could have your husband and three sons all get their haircut at home back-to-back, but at a starting price of $75 that only drops to $50 per cut when you book three or more, you would have to be pretty darn fancy to pick that over driving your dudes to a salon. Or just doing what we do in Berkeley, and place haircuts for boys very low on the list of things people care about.
So the question is: Would you ever?
Is it compelling to order up a hairstylist, timed for your child’s nap?
