Vintage photos show the iconic beauty salon experience of the 1950s and '60s

Caroline FoxApr 22, 2020, 19:57 IST

A beauty salon filled with women relaxing as they wait for their hair to dry.Popperfoto via Getty Images

Advertisements in the 1950s depicted women as delicate, feminine homemakers.
Salons could help women look the part, while also providing a place to socialize, relax, and try out the latest trends.
Vintage photos show just how different salons were in the '50s and '60s compared to today.
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In the postwar years, many working women returned to a homemaking role. Fueled in part by the media, they were expected to always look the part of a glamorous housewife.

Oftentimes, only beauticians had the specialized hair products needed to create iconic Marilyn Monroe curls or Linda Darnell waves. So, women headed to the beauty salon, where they would spend hours getting styled and catching up on the latest neighborhood news.

Salons quickly became an iconic symbol of women's leisure time.

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Even dogs were treated to a pampering session every now and then.

This good boy also wanted to look like a movie star. Paul Fievez/BIPS/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Men also kept up with trends, modeling hairstyles after popular British bands including The Kinks and The Beatles.

Members of the British pop group The Kinks have their hair styled at a salon. Douglas Eatwell/Mirrorpix/Getty Images

Salons' decor modernized and women were given more privacy.

A hair salon in Stockholm, Sweden. PA Images via Getty Images

By the '60s, it was common for a woman to color her hair.

A hair salon in Los Angeles in 1968. Martin Mills / Getty Images

Women of every age took pride in their hair.

A hairstylist wears another very professional uniform. Aladdin Color Inc/Getty Images

Male hairdressers came to work dressed to impress, too.

A hairdresser checks his appointment book. Martin Mills/Getty Images

Hairstylists had their own perfectly styled hair, as well as matching uniforms.

Hairdressers wore professional uniforms. PA Images via Getty Images

But if one technique has stayed consistent through time, it is hair washing.

The hair-washing station has had the same set up for decades. James Jarche/Popperfoto via Getty Images

As time went on, hair curling and drying technology advanced.

The curling wand gave women the perfect hair flip. Yale Joel/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images

Hair dryers became more inventive, with each new design promising to cut down on drying time.

The JetStream dryer was a complex contraption. Dick Morseman/Newsday RM/Getty Image

Even without snack bars, salons were inherently social. The hair-drying station placed women side by side under the rigid-roof hair dryer, the most common dryer of the '50s.

Back in the day, salons were big and took dozens of clients at a time. Popperfoto via Getty Images

Even without snack bars, salons were inherently social. The hair-drying station placed women side by side under the rigid-roof hair dryer, the most common dryer of the '50s.

Housewives could get their hair put in rollers and then pass the time over a club sandwich.

A woman watches her stylist put in rollers. Nina Leen/Contributor/Getty Images

In some cases, salons even offered full meals.

Enjoying a club sandwich while you wait for your hair to dry sounds like a dream. Nina Leen / Contributor/Getty Images

But if you wanted to avoid magazines, you could also just smoke a cigarette and chat.

A pair of women enjoy a complimentary drink and a smoke. Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

It was also the place where women could learn about new homemaking trends from the latest magazines.

The salon was the perfect place to get up to speed on the latest trends. Paul Walters Worldwide Photography Ltd./Heritage Images/Getty Images

Women would spend hours getting their hair done, giving them the chance to exchange stories.

Women spend time relaxing while their hair dries. Paul Almasy/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images

The hairstyling profession grew as hair trends required specific techniques and products that often only beauticians had access to.

A student sets the hair of another student in cosmetology class. Al Fenn/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

In the 1950s, the media idealized women as being happy homemakers.

A woman shows off a fresh-baked pie to her husband. Camerique/ClassicStock/Getty Images

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Vintage photos show the iconic beauty salon experience of the 1950s and '60s

Even dogs were treated to a pampering session every now and then.

Men also kept up with trends, modeling hairstyles after popular British bands including The Kinks and The Beatles.

Salons' decor modernized and women were given more privacy.

By the '60s, it was common for a woman to color her hair.

Women of every age took pride in their hair.

Male hairdressers came to work dressed to impress, too.

Hairstylists had their own perfectly styled hair, as well as matching uniforms.

But if one technique has stayed consistent through time, it is hair washing.

As time went on, hair curling and drying technology advanced.

Hair dryers became more inventive, with each new design promising to cut down on drying time.

Even without snack bars, salons were inherently social. The hair-drying station placed women side by side under the rigid-roof hair dryer, the most common dryer of the '50s.

Housewives could get their hair put in rollers and then pass the time over a club sandwich.

In some cases, salons even offered full meals.

But if you wanted to avoid magazines, you could also just smoke a cigarette and chat.

It was also the place where women could learn about new homemaking trends from the latest magazines.

Women would spend hours getting their hair done, giving them the chance to exchange stories.

The hairstyling profession grew as hair trends required specific techniques and products that often only beauticians had access to.

In the 1950s, the media idealized women as being happy homemakers.