Salon studios and salon suites are becoming more and more popular. Why is that?
Big changes are taking place in our industry. And I am happy to see these changes. The beauty industry is becoming more professional than it has ever been. I love this.
I see hairstylists charging by the hour now instead of by the service. Why haven't we done this before? It makes so much more sense. I hope this becomes the way of the future.
Covid caused us to rethink a lot of the ways that we were doing things. Studios and suites were around way before Covid, but since Covid, people (professionals and clients) have decided that they are not comfortable in a large open salon. We are more comfortable in a one-on-one situation. A lot of the changes that happened during the pandemic will become our new norm. Salon suites just happen to fit into that mindset.
I think that a lot of hairstylists, barbers, nail techs, and other beauty industry professionals are naturally creative and independent people. I am included in that group, I was a hairstylist from 1973 up until 2020 when I retired to manage Village Salon Studios in Albuquerque.
We get independence.
Salon suites/studios appeal to us for many reasons. And the main reason is the independence that it gives us. We are not the type to sit behind a desk from 9 to 5 day in and day out. We love meeting people and living our lives the way we want to.
So a studio or suite is right up our alley.
We can come and go as we please.
We set our own hours. And believe me, we work longer and harder for ourselves than we ever would for somebody else. We can take care of our own schedules. No one is going to book for you, but you. You control the timing of your appointments. In most salon suites, you have 24-hour access. That means we can work whenever we want to.
We have autonomy.
We don't have to answer to anyone about why we were late or why we took a day off.
It's no one else's business. There is a huge exception to this, however: our clients are our bosses. So we have 5 or 10 bosses a day instead of 1. And we all know they can get a little bossy, but we know how to deal with them and they love us.
We know our own worth and, in our suite, we can set our own prices. If you want to do your grandma for free, no one is going to say anything.
We create our own environment.
Also, in our suite, we can create our own environment. We don't have to worry about stepping on someone else's toes. We play our favorite music or our clients'. In our suite, we can decorate the way we love. No one can tell us how to decorate. We make ourselves and our clients comfortable.
A huge advantage to leasing your own studio or suite is the lack of drama. A large open salon with lots of personalities can also have lots of drama going on. In a suite, if there's drama happening, you just go into your suite and shut your door. End of drama. Although TBT, most salon suite salons do not have much drama because everyone is in their own space.
Privacy is another advantage that you won't have in an open salon. Not all suites are soundproof. In fact, most of them are not. But you will have much more privacy than would ever be possible in an open salon.
We run our own business.
We also have complete control of our money. We buy the products that we like to use and sell. We spend our money the way we see fit. Of course, we are also responsible for our bills, including, rent, insurance, and taxes. But that's expected. It's the price of our independence.
I'm not saying it's easy as pie to own and run your own business. It's not. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication. And not everyone is cut out for entrepreneurship. There will always be a place for open concept salons. But they are not for everyone either. We all usually start out in a commission salon. We have to gain experience and a clientele. But if we are independent spirits, that situation won't last forever. And your very own salon studio or salon suite will be waiting for you when you're ready.