How much does a blow-dry cost in Italy in 2026? MDP Outlook: 33 prices from 22 salons
How much does a blow-dry really cost on the price lists published online by Italian salons? MDP Outlook starts with a simple basis: no estimates, no synthetic panels and no “national average price” built at a desk. We analysed 33 real price observations from 22 salons in 17 cities and 14 regions, all taken from public price lists on official salon websites and checked on 29 August 2026.
How we collected the data
We included only prices published on official salon websites with an explicit “blow-dry”, “styling” or equivalent service. We excluded aggregators, directories, pages without prices, non-comparable packages and unverifiable sources. When a price list clearly distinguishes different lengths or techniques, each price counts as one observation. The sample is neither random nor statistically representative of all Italian salons: it measures what was publicly observable online in this first MDP survey.
The central figure: observed median €20.50
Across the 33 observations, the median price is €20.50. The mean of the individual observations is €21.69, but it should be read with caution because some salons publish several price bands and therefore generate more rows in the dataset. To reduce this effect, we calculated a second indicator: first the mean for each salon, then the distribution across the 22 salons. In this case, the median per salon is €20 and the mean of the salon averages is €21.13.
The central 50% of observations falls between €17 and €25. The minimum comparable value observed is €12 and the maximum is €35. This does not mean that “a blow-dry in Italy costs between €12 and €35”. It means that this was the range found in MDP’s public sample.
MDP Price Range: three numbers to use as benchmarks, not as a price list
| Indicator | Observed value | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| 25th percentile | €17 | One quarter of observations are at or below this level. |
| Median | €20.50 | Half the observations are below and half are above. |
| 75th percentile | €25 | One quarter of observations exceed this level. |
For a salon owner, the point is not to copy €20.50. The figure helps you understand where your price sits compared with a group of genuinely published price lists. If your price is far below the central range, check whether it covers time, product, labour and margin. If it is far above, the price list should make clear what is included and why the service is worth more.
The cities observed: marked differences, but samples remain small
| City | Observations | Observed mean | Min–max |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perugia | 1 | €29.00 | €29 |
| Milan | 4 | €27.13 | €12–35 |
| Aosta | 2 | €26.50 | €25–28 |
| Verona | 1 | €25.00 | €23–27 |
| Bologna | 2 | €23.50 | €22–25 |
| Florence | 3 | €23.00 | €15–29 |
| Naples | 3 | €22.83 | €20.50–26 |
| Taranto | 4 | €22.25 | €18–28 |
| La Spezia | 1 | €21.00 | €21 |
| Catania | 1 | €20.00 | €20 |
| Genoa | 1 | €20.00 | €20 |
| Lecce | 1 | €20.00 | €20 |
| Cagliari | 1 | €17.00 | €17 |
| Campobasso | 1 | €17.00 | €17 |
| Turin | 3 | €16.58 | €13.75–18.50 |
| Palermo | 1 | €16.00 | €16 |
| Rome | 3 | €15.33 | €13–17 |
Important: a city with a single observation is not a city benchmark. The table makes the dataset’s composition transparent; it is not a ranking of the most expensive cities.
Prices cannot be compared without checking what they include
The dataset shows a second professional issue: the “blow-dry” item is not standardised. Some salons include shampoo, conditioner, mask or treatment; others charge washing separately; others distinguish short, medium and long hair or the use of straighteners and curling irons. For example, Reverse Milano distinguishes lengths and offers an all-inclusive formula; Antica Bottega 104 separates traditional blow-drying by length; Pecoraro Parrucchieri publishes several bands with shampoo and conditioner included.
This matters for the salon too: a price without a clear scope is harder to compare and easier to dispute at checkout. MDP has already developed the MDP Matrix for unagreed extras: the price list should state in advance what is included, what generates a supplement and when the price changes.
MDP checklist: three checks for your own price list
- Compare like with like. If the service includes cleansing, treatment and styling with hot tools, it should not be compared with a basic item that excludes shampoo or supplements.
- Calculate the margin; do not chase the median. MDP’s €20.50 is not a recommended price. If the full cost makes that figure unsustainable, matching the benchmark would reduce margin instead of improving competitiveness.
- Make pricing rules readable. Length, product quantity, straighteners, waves, treatment or finish should follow an explicit logic. The more ambiguous the price list, the greater the risk of arguments and unplanned discounts.
To complete the review, MDP has already published the guide How much does a blow-dry cost in 2026?, the analysis of salon prices in Italy and the MDP Matrix for unagreed extras. They cover three complementary angles: benchmark, economics and pricing transparency.
MDP verdict
Approved as an exploratory benchmark, not as a national average. This first survey shows a fairly clear central band between €17 and €25, but above all it highlights how inconsistent salons still are in describing and composing the blow-dry service on their price lists. The useful message is not “I should price a blow-dry at €20.50”, but: compare your price with genuinely comparable services, check your margin and state the scope of the service before booking.
MDP’s next step will be to expand the observed base, cover the regions currently missing and repeat the survey with the same method to build a comparable time series.
Limitations of the survey
This first collection covers 14 regions. Marche, Abruzzo, Calabria, Trentino-Alto Adige, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Basilicata remain without valid observations; Veneto is represented only by Verona. Salons with public online price lists are also likely to be more digitalised and structured than average. MDP therefore does not use these data to estimate the “average Italian price” and does not interpolate missing values.
Editorial transparency: the dataset was built by MDP from verifiable public sources. No synthetic or simulated data were included. MDP’s editorial process and AI controls are described on the MDP Editorial Team — editorial AI method page.
