This past week I took the girls to the American Girl Boutique and Bistro to bring their dolls to the Doll Salon! Luciana and Willa both needed some hair help because they were looking a mess. We have never been to the American Girl store before so we were very excited about checking it out. Here is our experience at the American Girl Boutique and Bistro in Atlanta, Georgia.
Check out our video of the full experience.
Thanks to American Girl for hosting us at the doll salon.
The American Girl Doll Salon is quite the hot commodity so make sure you make reservations ahead of time so your girls aren’t disappointed if they are booked solid and can’t take walk-ins. We went with some friends. Krystyn has a collection of dolls and Lindsey has an original Samantha doll from when she was a kid that needed a little touch up to look new.
After we were all checked in, the girls picked out the hairstyles they would like for their dolls. The book has them categorized by hair type like curly, short, textured, and by specific dolls. The WellieWishers only have two styles to choose from, their original looks and a fancy version which is what we picked out for Willa.
The dolls get to sit in a salon chair for the stylists to work on them. The WellieWishers have a booster seat they get to sit on so that they are high enough. The dolls are draped with a smock so that the water they spray on the dolls hair doesn’t soak the doll or her clothes. The dolls get a good brushing to get all the knots out. Then the stylist starts to braid and create the style you picked. The curls are then fixed, and the style is finished off with a two-color ribbon bow that you get to pick the colors. Then the doll is laid flat with their hair hanging down to allow to dry a bit.
The girls really loved watching the stylists create cute hairstyles for their dolls. It’s really a fun experience for girls to take their American Girl dolls in for a day of pampering. You can also get your dolls ear pierced and nail painted while they are there.
The stores also host events for girls to learn how to do the dolls hair by themselves. They get to go behind the counter and learn all the same techniques as the stylists. These events can only accommodate the number of chairs at the doll salon, so they book up fast. They host a lot of them though!
They also have a doll hospital if your American Doll needs some drastic help after an at-home makeover. My favorite thing about our American Girl store experience was the bistro. The food was amazing, and the girls loved the experience they crafted for the girls and their dolls.
Nearly every table around us was celebrating a birthday of a little girl. They have a fun birthday celebration you can get right at your table, and they also have party rooms and full experiences. The servers gave the girls, their dolls, and their guests a birthday hat to wear. If you don’t have an American Girl doll, they let you borrow one to enjoy over lunch!
The dolls get a special highchair that attaches to the table, and the server gives them a plate and cup. There is also a box with conversation starters on the table. We ordered some milkshakes with our lunch. Each meal comes with a starter and a main course. The kids picked the fresh fruit fondue which came with muffins and fruit to dip into strawberry yogurt. For lunch, they both had bowtie pasta with meatballs. I went with mozzarella sticks and an Asian salad that was delicious.
The day was fantastic, and the girls are still talking about it! It was a great way to spend some time together doing something new with our American Girl dolls. They love playing with them, so this experience was fantastic.
1. the milkshake eyeballs!!!
2. the willa curls! GAH! They turned out gorgeous!!