The team from Hi Texture Hair Salon in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
The team from Hi Texture Hair Salon in Lawrenceville, Georgia.

For a salon or spa, mastering a number of best business practices frequently results in overall sales growth, which fuels the trajectory of the business. This year, the SALON TODAY 200 salons grew at a rate of 6% and above.

The team from 20 Volume Salon & Spa in Gilbert, Arizona.

20 VOLUME SALON & SPA
Gilbert, AZ
20volumesalon.com
Stacey and Eddie Coronado
2016: $1,115,000
2017: $1,338,000
INCREASE: 20%
SQUARE FEET: 2,800; 3,200
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 52
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $45
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz
ASSOCIATIONS: ISBN, 2 to 10, Green Circle
“I created a model that is paperless and deskless. This creates a better client experience, higher retail sales and client retention. Leveraging technology with Meet Your Stylist, Presence AI, the SalonBiz mobile app and online booking has been another growth factor.”

The team from A Roland in New Cumberland, Pennsylvania.

A ROLAND
New Cumberland, PA
arolandsalonstudio.com
Amy Roland
2016: $467,000
2017: $555,000
INCREASE: 19%
SQUARE FEET: 1,300
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 6
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $55
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz
ASSOCIATION: PBA
“With the help of Salon Cadence, we drove meaningful change in the areas of culture, systems, processes and profitability. Our new guest retention, prebooking and productivity went up, our existing retention remained the same even though we lost two full-time service providers, and our profitability averaged just under 10%.

The team from Agape Salon & Spa in Rancho Mirage, California.

AGAPE SALON & SPA
Rancho Mirage, CA
agapesalonspa.com
Ismael and Ana Jimenez
2016: $319,000
2017: $361,000
INCREASE: 13%
SQUARE FEET: 1,600
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 8
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $60
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda, Joico, Pulp Riot
SKIN CARE: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: Millennium
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA, Chamber of Commerce
“We started having monthly one-on-one meetings with each stylist. At the first of these, the stylist was given a sheet to fill out with their three goals for the year and we discussed a plan for achieving these goals. Every month, we check to see the progress.”

Amanda Olusanya, owner of Allen Ray Salon in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

ALLEN RAY SALON
Minneapolis, MN
allenraysalon.com
Amanda Olusanya
2016: $288,000
2017: $331,000
INCREASE: 15%
SQUARE FEET: 1,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 5
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $48
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: Phorest
ASSOCIATION: PBA
“We are very protective of our 5-star reviews and were finding that these were coming from our male haircuts, so we rebranded and primarily focus on men’s hair. We have become the experts and authority in this area—picking a lane so we can drive fast.”

ALLURE DESIGNS
Libertyville, IL
alluredesigns.net
Shelly Malizola
2016: $851,000
2017: $903,000
INCREASE: 6%
SQUARE FEET: 3,200
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 15
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $53
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda, Pravana
SKIN CARE: Aveda
NAIL CARE: CND
TECH SUPPORT: Millennium
ASSOCIATION: PBA
“I no longer work as a service provider—I work solely as an owner and educator. I spent the last year fine tuning our scripts and systems, and created an internship for new stylists. Our new stylists are able to start generating income within the first four weeks and perform all services within three months.”

ANAGEN 11
Appleton, WI
anagen11.com
Christopher C Hartl, Jessica Rondinelli, Jessica Jannsen
2016: $737,000
2017: $1,053,000
INCREASE: 43%
SQUARE FEET: 4,100
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 22
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $49
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Alterna, REF, Schwarzkopf Professional
COLOR: Schwarzkopf Professional, Redken, Malibu
SKIN CARE: PCA, Jane Iredale
TECH SUPPORT: Booker
ASSOCIATION: PBA
“We have been mindful to focus on elevating the experience for our team as well as our clients. It’s simple: The better the experience, the better the energy, the better the relationship that people will build with us.”

The team from Anasa Hair Studio in Temecula, California.

ANASA HAIR STUDIO
Temecula, CA
anasahair.com
Helen and George Tsimiklis
2016: $932,000
2017: $1,044,000
INCREASE: 12%
SQUARE FEET: 2,300
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 23
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $51
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda, Eufora, Lisap, Milano
COLOR: Lisap, Milano, Pravana
TECH SUPPORT: Salon Target
“We blitz social media and have Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest pages. All stylists are required to make at least one weekly post highlighting their work and we find that stylists who post more than one are being found by clients searching the web for hairstylists.”

Rob Willis and Karie Bennett, owners of Atelier Salon Willow Glen, in San Jose, California.

ATELIER SALON WILLOW GLEN
San Jose, CA
ateliersalon.com
Karie Bennett and Rob Willis
2016: $454,000
2017: $719,000
INCREASE: 58%
SQUARE FEET: 3,100
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 22
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $98
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda, Pulp Riot
SKIN CARE: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA, 2 to 10
“We closed the barber shop portion of our salon because we couldn’t compete with the independent contractors and lost our barbers. We created a 30-minute grooming service that delivers a superior cut—our guests prefer the $52 grooming service to the $35 barber cut.”

The owners of Avantgarde Salon in Destin, Florida.

AVANTGARDE SALON INC.
Destin, FL
avantgardeaveda.com
Joseph Rogers
2016: $3,075,000
2017: $3,332,000
INCREASE: 8%
SQUARE FEET: 4,300; 1,400; 1,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 47
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $48
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
NAIL CARE: Aveda, OPI
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, ZeeZor
“After talking about it for years, we split shifting our Destin Commons location. We mapped out a schedule, held a team meeting and spent time with each stylist answering any concerns. We started in October 2017 and have continued to see an average 20% increase in bookings.”

B. MONROE SALON
Macon, GA
bmonroesalon.com
Nichole Brewer
2016: $1,353,000
2017: $1,572,000
INCREASE: 16%
SQUARE FEET: 3,600; 900
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 44
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $51
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Kerastase, Pureology, Redken
COLOR: Redken
SKIN CARE: Farm House Fresh
NAIL CARE: Essie
TECH SUPPORT: Shortcuts, ZeeZor
ASSOCIATION: 2 to 10, Summit Salon
“We chose to rebrand for our 10th anniversary, upping our marketing budget for two months. This paid off by driving new guests in the door. Our plan is to keep the momentum going by using a social media influencer program.”

The team from Be Inspired Salon in Madison, Wisconsin.

BE INSPIRED SALON, INC.
Madison, WI
BeInspiredSalon.com
Kati Whitledge
2016: $1,017,000
2017: $1,100,000
INCREASE: 8%
SQUARE FEET: 1,200; 2,500
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 20
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $60
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Devacurl, Surface Haircare, KMS
COLOR: Goldwell, Pulp Riot
TECH SUPPORT: Rosy
“We created a performance tracking sheet for our front desk team, sharing our revenue goals and tying future earnings increases to new sales goals. Now selling gift cards or additional services is top of mind and converting callers into clients has become one of the most celebrated front desk duties.”

A look into the Bella Salon in Austin, Texas.

BELLA SALON
Austin, TX
bellasalonaustin.com
Sarah Romer; David Roussy 2018 and beyond
2016: $1,418,000
2017: $1,730,000
INCREASE: 22%
SQUARE FEET: 5,500
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 21
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $75
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Oribe, Kevin Murphy, R&Co
COLOR: Wella
SKIN CARE: Cosmedix
NAIL CARE: CND, Essie, Opi
TECH SUPPORT: Booker
“We are one of the most convenient salons in Austin. We’re centrally located, have an on-site parking lot, offer lightning fast wifi and have an in-house café to serve guests lunch or a snack during their service. We offer complimentary wine, beer or sparkling water upon arrival.”

The team from Bella Salon and Spa in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania.

BELLA SALON & SPA
Chester Springs, PA
bellasalonandspa.org
Nina Childers
2016: $1,152,000
2017: $1,290,000
INCREASE: 12%
SQUARE FEET: 4,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 29
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $55
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Eufora
COLOR: Eufora
SKIN CARE: Cosmedix
TECH SUPPORT: Phorest, ZeeZor
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA, Green Circle
“Our associate training program has promoted growth. We provide a fun and structured environment with lots of education. There is a career path in place for each level within the salon, so all of our staff know what they need to do to move to the next level.”

BELLA STYLE SALON

The team from Bella Style Salon in Slidell, Louisiana.

Slidell, LA
mybellastyle.com
Jennifer Baudier
2016: $522,000
2017: $631,000
INCREASE: 21%
SQUARE FEET: 3,800
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 12
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $52
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda, Pulp Riot
SKIN CARE: Aveda
NAIL CARE: Zoya, Spa Ritual
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA, Green Circle, Summit
“We are excited to see changes after completing the Summit Front Desk Training. The training shifted the front desk team from an indirect to a direct revenue generator. This added $2,500 average monthly sales traced to additional services, packages and retail sales by the desk.”

The team from Bellezza Salon in Charleston, South Carolina.

BELLEZZA SALON
Charleston, SC
bellezzasalonsc.com
Angie Bauer
2016: $812,000
2017: $931,000
INCREASE: 15%
SQUARE FEET: 1,900
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 14
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $65
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Paul Mitchell, Aquage, L’Oréal Professionnel
COLOR: Paul Mitchell, Redken
NAIL CARE: OPI
TECH SUPPORT: Millennium
“We focused on our social media presence by posting before-and-after pictures daily. We tracked our weekly service/retail and rebooking goals. Being consistent in our value stream has been the key factor for our growth.”

The team from Bliss Hair Studio in Shorewood, Illinois.

BLISS HAIR STUDIO, INC.
Shorewood, IL
blisshairstudioinc.com
Mary Smith and Stefanie Gruber
2016: $741,000
2017: $886,000
INCREASE: 20%
SQUARE FEET: 2,300
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 20
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $45
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Redken Pureology
COLOR: Redken
TECH SUPPORT: Millennium, ZeeZor
ASSOCIATION: Summit Salon
“We run stylist contests throughout the year where employees can win anything from a gift card to their favorite store to an all-expenses-paid trip to the Redken Exchange in NYC. Implementing contests keep stylists focused on their growth goals and it keeps it exciting.”

BLO
Raleigh, NC
justblo.com
Bryan Nunes
2016: $2,302,000
2017: $2,596,000
INCREASE: 13%
SQUARE FEET: 4,200
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 39
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $42
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Redken, Pureology
COLOR: Redken
TECH SUPPORT: STX
“We added weekly two-hour skill sessions to our training program. These are one-on-one practical experiences between a Blossom Designer (trainee) and a mentor with a specific focus in mind. We discovered this one-on-one time was viewed as the most valuable aspect of our training program by associates.”

The team from Brio SalonSpa in Lethbridge, Alberta.

BRIO SALONSPA
Lethbridge, Alberta
briosalon.ca
Wayne and Heather Tytula
2016: $1,581,000
2017: $1,878,000
INCREASE: 19%
SQUARE FEET: 3,600
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 38
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $52
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
NAIL CARE: Akzentz, OPI
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz
ASSOCIATIONS: ISPA, Green Circle
“There are so many great ideas and incredible people willing to share their experiences. We attend as many industry events as we can, and so much of our success has come from adapting someone else’s best practices and innovative ideas as our own.”

CHEMISTRY HAIR SALON
Shreveport, LA
chemistryhairsalon.com
Bryan Sullivan, Aubre Clark, Hallie McHalffey Briethaupt
2016: $1,133,000
2017: $1,286,000
INCREASE: 14%
SQUARE FEET: 2,300
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 27
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $51
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Redken, Pureology
COLOR: Redken
TECH SUPPORT: Envision
ASSOCIATION: Summit Salon
“We are now open seven days a week. By adding a Sunday shift from noon until 6 p.m., we’ve expanded operations to 73 hours a week. More hours allows us to accommodate our steadily growing staff as associate stylists transition to the floor.”

CHI WAH ORGANICA
Rochester, NY
chiwah-organica.com
Chi Wah Brown
2016: $398,000
2017: $425,000
INCREASE: 7%
SQUARE FEET: 1,400
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 5
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $54
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda, Goldwell, Elumen
SKIN CARE: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz
“We found that it can be very overwhelming for one person to do all the managerial tasks between booking education, educating, inventory, customer service and marketing. So we delegate different responsibilities to our staff and it has helped tremendously.”

CIAO BELLA SALON, LLC
Louisville, KY
theciaobellasalon.com
Don Collier, Sandra Collier, Greg Combs
2016: $600,000
2017: $763,000
INCREASE: 27%
SQUARE FEET: 1,700
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 20
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $50
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Redken, Eufora, Pureology
COLOR: Redken
TECH SUPPORT: Salon Iris
ASSOCIATIONS: CC, PBA
“We have three mentors training new employees and 11 master stylists who have graduated from our program. We believe the most effective way is to grow stylists, educating trainees from day one to our standards and our business philosophy.”

Kim Cloud, owner of Cloud 9 Salon and Spa in Flower Mound, Texas.

CLOUD 9 SALON AND SPA
Flower Mound, TX
cloud9salon.com
Kim Cloud
2016: $626,000
2017: $709,000
INCREASE: 13%
SQUARE FEET: 8,200
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 53
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $52
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aquage, Moroccanoil, Redken
COLOR: L’anza, Redken, Schwarzkopf Professional
SKIN CARE: Pevonia
NAIL CARE: OPI, CND, Gelish
TECH SUPPORT: Millennium
“A new focus this year has been the use of Yelp. We allocated a portion of our marketing budget for Yelp advertising and the result has been a significant increase in new business.”

Heather and Wayne Mogel, owners of Cre Hair Studio in Highland, California.

CRÉ HAIR STUDIO
Highland, CA
crehairstudio.com
Heather Mogel and Wayne Mogel
2016: $286,000
2017: $353,000
INCREASE: 23%
SQUARE FEET: 1,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 8
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $48
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: Salon Iris
“We established a ‘No Gossip Policy.’ We have a great team, but we are human. We define gossip as complaining about something or someone to another team member who doesn’t have the authority to do anything about the problem.”

Jerad Rushlow, Jenee Osborne, Gary and Mary (seated) Rushlow, owners of Daybreak Salon in Wyandotte, Michigan.

DAYBREAK SALON AND SPA
Wyandotte, MI
daybreaksalon.com
Mary Rushlow, Jerad Rushlow, Jenee Osborne
SQUARE FEET: 3,700; 3,500
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 62
SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $45
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKINCARE: Aveda
NAILCARE: CND, OPI, The Naturals Collection
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, Demandforce, Salon Clouds Plus
“The best use of technology at Daybreak has been the staff-wide adoption of communication tools Group Me and Facebook Team pages. Group Me messages are focused on operationally and time critical information, while our Facebook team page celebrates achievements and shares tips and tricks.”

The owners of Daylily Spa Salon in St. Cloud, Minnesota.

DAYLILY SPA SALON
St. Cloud, MN
daylilyspa.com
Stephanie Lewis, Katie Schmitz
2016: $1,265,000
2017: $1,945,000
INCREASE: 54%
SQUARE FEET: 4,400; 3,600
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 51
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $41
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda, Bumble and Bumble
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Dermalogica, Aveda
NAIL CARE: OPI, CND
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz
“Maximizing productivity was tackled by hiring more staff and changing some schedules around to use each station more efficiently. This showed a big jump in service sales this past year.”

The team from Denovo in Pensacola, Florida.

DE NOVO
Pensacola, FL
DeNovoday.com
Lauren Finnell-Cutter
2016: $700,000
2017: $861,000
INCREASE: 23%
SQUARE FEET: 2,100
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 17
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $65
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Eufora, Davines, Keratin Complex
COLOR: Eufora
TECH SUPPORT: Millennium
“Treating our guests and team members with sincerity is our top priority. Management ideas that have helped implement this are team meetings, ongoing education and really reading and responding to guest feedback.”

The team from DV8 The Salon in Grapevine, Texas.

DV8 THE SALON
Grapevine, TX
dv8thesalon.net
Candice Hammit, Lisa Justiss, Kirbi James
2016: $1,203,000
2017: $1,439,000
INCREASE: 20%
SQUARE FEET: 4,900
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 23
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $70
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: STX
“Our growth was spectacular from 2016 to 2017, and we’re projecting an additional 18% growth in 2018. One of the changes we made was the introduction of VoMor Hair Extensions, which in just four months increased our retail sales by 5%.”

ECCO SALON
Fitchburg, WI
eccosalon.com
Sarah and Trent Lange
2016: $1,750,000
2017: $1,958,000
INCREASE: 12%
SQUARE FEET: 1,900; 1,700
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 35
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $40
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz
ASSOCIATION: PBA
“We set out to reform our guest closing to increase our rebook percent and retail sales. We held multiple trainings and role playing sessions, created contests to drive desired behaviors and made metrics visible to the entire team. This lead to an 11% increase in product sales and 8% increase in rebookings.”

EIKONIC
Mississauga, Ontario
eikonicmane.com
Jessica Hoach, Martin Truong, Terence Lai
2016: $683,000
2017: $737,000
INCREASE: 8%
SQUARE FEET: 1,200; 6,500
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 11
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $42
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: KMS,
Paul Mitchell, American Crew
COLOR: Goldwell
SKIN CARE: Jack Black, Edwin Jagger
TECH SUPPORT: Shortcuts
ASSOCIATION: Allied Beauty Assoc.
“We hired an esthetician to teach our barbers how to do add on services like eyebrow waxing and shaping. We added new charcoal face masks and promoted the new service with signage at each station. Our clientele was excited to be introduced to these new services.”

The team from Elan Hair Studio in Sea Girt, New Jersey.

ELAN HAIR STUDIO
Sea Girt, NJ
elanhairstudionj.com
Kellie Johnson
2016: $2,859,000
2017: $3,049,000
INCREASE: 7%
SQUARE FEET: 3,500
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 48
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $80
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Oribe, Windle and Moodie, R+Co
COLOR: Redken
SKIN CARE: Image Skincare
NAIL CARE: CND, Smith and Cult
TECH SUPPORT: STX, Meet Your Stylist, SureTint
ASSOCIATIONS: Intercoiffure, PBA, Green Circle
“We have front desk, apprentice and stylist goals that coincide with monthly promotions. We created retail teams to drive sales with the front desk manager posting results in the backroom. What we focus on grows!”

ELEMENT 5 SALON
Charlotte, NC
element5salon.com
Traci Hampton and William Hampton
2016: $454,000
2017: $860,000
INCREASE: 89%
SQUARE FEET: 1,800
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 22
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $50
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: SpaBiz, ZeeZor
“We believe focusing on specific business metrics has been a key to our growth. We look at churn, rebook percentage, new customer counts, geographic and demographic metrics and several other drivers. We discuss these with staff and ask them to give feedback on how we can improve results.”

ELEMENTS
Fairbanks, AK
elementsavedasalonandspa.com
Tina Baker
2016: $1,928,000
2017: $2,121,000
INCREASE: 10%
SQUARE FEET: 5,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 48
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $54
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
NAIL CARE: OPI
TECH SUPPORT: Millennium
ASSOCIATION: PBA
“Our management team is our driving force to success. They mentored staff, found budgeting strategies to increase what goes into retirement and the education funds, discovered an affordable health care plan, researched new services and kept our image current.”

EVOLVE SALON
Camp Hill, PA
thesalonevolve.com
Dana Howard
2016: $455,000
2017: $678,000
INCREASE: 49%
SQUARE FEET: 2,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 14
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $50
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Eufora
COLOR: Eufora
NAIL CARE: OPI, CND
TECH SUPPORT: Salon Ultimate
ASSOCIATION: PBA
“A mentor of mine shared that ‘A referral is when someone recommends a person they love to a person they trust.’ Trust is created at the chair with product recommendations and teaching our clients how to achieve their new style.”

Virginia Meyer and David Adams, owners of Fourteenay in New York.

FOURTEENJAY
New York, NY
fourteenjay.com
David Adams and Virginia Meyer
2016: $304,000
2017: $823,000
INCREASE: 171%
SQUARE FEET: 1,900
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 10
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $125
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: SpaBiz, ZeeZor
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA, Intercoiffure
“We are service-obsessed. We lead, coach, support and work to implement our Fourteenjay service wheel with every guest, every day. We keep it simple and we keep it old school—deliver an exceptional service, create a great experience and be a guest advocate. And, the guest will advocate for you.”

The team from Frangipani Hair Studio in Jacksonville Beach, Florida.

FRANGIPANI HAIR STUDIO
Jacksonville Beach, FL
frangipanihairstudio.com
Shanna Swing Kalynych
2016: $2,509,000
2017: $2,703,000
INCREASE: 8%
SQUARE FEET: 2,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 48
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $110
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, ZeeZor
ASSOCIATION: PBA
“Our management team creates monthly contests for our employees, breaking them up into teams to see who can sell the most of a chosen monthly product. We reward the winning team with either a team-building activity or a night out at the location of their choice—all expenses paid.”

A look into Fringe A Salon in Chicago.

FRINGE / A SALON INC.
Chicago
fringechicago.com
Dawn Bublitz
2016: $953,000
2017: $1,083,000
INCREASE: 14%
SQUARE FEET: 4,200
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 24
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $61
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: R+Co, Moroccanoil, Pureology
COLOR: Schwarzkopf Professional, Redken
SKIN CARE: Glo Skin Beauty
NAIL CARE: OPI, CND, Young Nails
TECH SUPPORT: STX
ASSOCIATION: CC, Summit Salon
“We introduced 30-minute huddles on Friday and Tuesday. Stylists are required to attend one a week. We include updates on prebook, retail and new referral numbers; acknowledge great work; and talk about issues.”

THE FULL SPECTRUM
Murphy, TX
thefullspectrum.us
Ruth Ononogbu
2016: $620,000
2017: $661,000
INCREASE: 7%
SQUARE FEET: 1,500
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 12
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $45
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda, Kerastase, Ouidad
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: Millennium
“The care and personalized attention is obvious when new clients take our survey to choose their stylist. Knowing that they are matched with a stylist that not only can perform their service, but who also fits their personality keeps our clients confident in our ability.”

Marsha Power, owner of Garbo A Salon and Spa in Austin, Texas, and Jonathon Jones, executive director in front of the salon's wall of fame.

GARBO A SALON; GARBO A SALON & SPA
Austin, TX
garboasalon.com
Marsha Power
2016: $1,644,000
2017: $1,800,000
INCREASE: 9%
SQUARE FEET: 2,400; 1,600
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 38
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $55
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda, Pulp Riot
SKIN CARE: Aveda
NAIL CARE: OPI, CND
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, Demandforce
ASSOCIATIONS: Intercoiffure, PBA, Summit Salon
“We made a list of high-end complexes and courted management with baskets, samples and happy-hour events. Many have social directors who set up resident activities.”

Sharah Madrone, owner of Gervais Salon & Day Spa in Eugene, Oregon.

GERVAIS SALON & DAY SPA
Eugene, OR
gervaiseugene.com
Sharah Madrone
2016: $2,980,000
2017: $3,296,000
INCREASE: 11%
SQUARE FEET: 4,300; 3,600
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 61
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $45
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
NAIL CARE: CND
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz
ASSOCIATIONS: ISPA, PBA
“We added a second location in November 2016. We were at capacity with 21 stylists sharing 12 stations and every spa room staffed with an average booked rate of 81%. With the second location, we added 10 new service providers, increasing potential service hours by 14, 459.”

THE GLAM ROOM SALON SPA AND BEAUTY BAR
Kansas City, MO
theglamroomkc.com
Carl Glorioso and Jason York
2016: $678,000
2017: $1,355,000
INCREASE: 100%
SQUARE FEET: 4,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 35
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $41
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: L’Oréal Professionnel
COLOR: L’Oréal Professionnel
SKIN CARE: Dermalogica
NAIL CARE: OPI, Gelish
TECH SUPPORT: Millennium, Summit Salon
“Our gift card promotions, which we run for eight weeks, are another way to drive growth. In one recent example, guests received a complimentary $20 gift card for themselves when they purchased $100 gift card.”

The team from Gordon Salon in Highland Park, Illinois.

GORDON SALON
Highland Park, IL
gordonsalon.com
Pamela and Anthony A. Gordon
2016: $3,580,000
2017: $3,893,000
INCREASE: 9%
SQUARE FEET: 2,200; 2,100; 2,000; 1,600
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 65
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $67
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: Millennium, Salonclouds
ASSOCIATIONS: CC, Intercoiffure, PBA, 2 to 10
“We instituted two significant strategies: We increased service prices, and we relocated one of our salons to a newly developed area which put us in a better neighborhood that supports higher prices and our company’s vision for growth.”

The team from Great Lengths Hair Salon in Memphis, Tennessee.

GREAT LENGTHS HAIR SALON
Memphis, TN
greatlengthsmemphis.com
Carol Ann Bakowicz
2016: $769,000
2017: $823,000
INCREASE: 7%
SQUARE FEET: 2,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 11
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $75
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: DevaCurl, Aveda, Brazilian Blowout
COLOR: Goldwell, Aveda, Artego
SKIN CARE: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: STX
“We sent stylists and assistants to the DevaCurl Academy in New York, they received the education and skills to confidently suggest to clients that we could give them the ‘Wow’ factor they desired—this was proven by the amount of clients wanting to prebook and purchase retail items each visit.”

GREEN WITH ENVY SALON
Camden, ME
greenenvysalon.com
Marlene Cohn
2016: $1,162,000
2017: $1,626,000
INCREASE: 40%
SQUARE FEET: 2,400; 2,200; 2,000; 1,200; 1,600
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 49
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $49
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
NAIL CARE: CND, Zoya
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz
“Our consistent meetings every six weeks with each employee continues to propel our growth—it’s the perfect time to address challenges and discover needs within an individual’s life or within a location.”

The team from Groovy Katz Salon & Spa in Iowa City, Iowa.

GROOVY KATZ SALON & SPA
Iowa City, IA
groovykatz.com
Amy Mayfield
2016: $818,000
2017: $903,000
INCREASE: 10%
SQUARE FEET: 2,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 15
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $39
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz
“It is most important to be consistent with tracking of service provider productivity numbers, so they can have productive and happier lives. Growth is our goal and it takes a team to achieve this.”

Shannon and Allyson King, owners of Hair & Co BKLYN in Brooklyn, New York.

HAIR & CO BKLYN
Brooklyn, NY
hairandcobklyn.com
Shannon and Allyson King
2016: $644,000
2017: $942,000
INCREASE: 46%
SQUARE FEET: 1,300
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 12
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $85
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: KMS
COLOR: Goldwell
TECH SUPPORT: Shortcuts
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA, Green Circle
“Our growth plan was specific—hit $1 million in sales our second year, and we knew we needed 54% growth to hit it. We saw three areas of opportunity. If we increased each client’s frequency by one visit, we’d add $100,000. If 25% of our clients got treatments, we’d add $35,000. And, we needed to deliver a huge new client count of 35% which equaled $400,000.”

The owners from Hair Benders Salon LLC in Kingsport, Tennessee.

HAIR BENDERS SALON LLC
Kingsport, TN
hairbenderssalon.com
Shelia Ferguson & Hollie Taylor
2016: $960,000
2017: $1,042,000
INCREASE: 9%
SQUARE FEET: 7,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 28
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $44
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Redken, Pureology, L’Oréal Professionnel
COLOR: Redken Pulp Riot
SKIN CARE: Glo Minerals
NAIL CARE: OPI, CND
TECH SUPPORT: Envision
ASSOCIATION: PBA, Summit Salon
“We created a new look and increased the square footage of the salon. This created opportunity for additional stylists, services and products. We added a boutique of on-trend apparel. This created greater foot traffic, which increased service bookings.”

The team from Headlines The Salon in Encinitas, California.

HEADLINES THE SALON
Encinitas, CA
headlinesthesalon.com
Gayle Fulbright, David Linde
2016: $2,202,324
2017: $2,408,518
INCREASE: 9%
SQUARE FEET: 2,850
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 40
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $75
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Oribe, Eufora
COLOR: L’Oréal Professionnel, Eufora, Pulp Riot
SKIN CARE: Glo Skin Beauty
TECH SUPPORT: Phorest, ZeeZor, Textel
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA, Green Circle
“We average 50-70 new guests per month from our Yelp page. New guests find us first because of the reviews, but then go deeper and view our photos. We also have a strong Yelp following that views our site more than 700 times a month.”

The team from Hi Texture Hair Salon in Lawrenceville, Georgia.

HI TEXTURE HAIR SALON
Lawrenceville, GA
hitexturehair.com
India Bertin
2016: $290,000
2017: $394,000
INCREASE: 36%
SQUARE FEET: 1,500
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 9
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $99
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: DevaCurl, Moroccanoil, Design Essential
COLOR: Pravana
TECH SUPPORT: Vagaro
ASSOCIATION: Summit Salon
“Moving into 2019, we will continue to stay open later, have split shifts and Sunday schedules. We are planning on offering even more flexibility for our staff members who are looking for part-time work as this was a successful strategy for 2018.”

Hudson Styles, owner of Hudson Salon in Huntersville, North Carolina.

HUDSON SALON
Huntersville, NC
hudsonsalon.com
Hudson Styles
2016: $588,000
2017: $749,000
INCREASE: 27%
SQUARE FEET: 1,200
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 12
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $59
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Oribe, Bumble and Bumble, Pureology
COLOR: Redken
TECH SUPPORT: Vagaro
ASSOCIATION: Green Circle, Summit Salon
“After a walkout in 2014, I reached out to local cosmetology schools looking for nice people with a passion to learn. We hosted multiple in-house education events each year. The result is a dedicated, talented hard-working team, who strives to be the best.”

The team from Integrity Lash in Pasadena, California.

INTEGRITY LASH
Pasadena, CA
integritylash.com
Tussanee and Paul Luebbers
2016: $957,000
2017: $1,129,000
INCREASE: 18%
SQUARE FEET: 3,000
TOTAL EMPLO  YEES: 14
LASH LINES: Jaunty Sky Lashes, Beauty Channel, Haiteng Group
AVERAGE LASH SERVICE: $300
ASSOCIATION: PBA
“We have had a lot of success with Yelp and the local media. We have more 5-star reviews than any other lash salon in Southern California, and for years LA Magazine, Vanity Fair, Pasadena Magazine, Pasadena Weekly, Brides.com and beauty blogs like Byrdie have chosen use as one of the best lash salons in Southern California.”

Jill Higginbotham, Jerry Plappert and Carrie Monotti, owners of J Michael's Spa and Salon in Louisville, Kentucky.

J MICHAEL’S SPA AND SALON
Louisville, KY
jmichaelsspaandsalon.com
Jill Higginbotham, Jerry Plappert, Carrie Monotti
2016: $1,149,000
2017: $1,573,000
INCREASE: 37%
SQUARE FEET: 3,900
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 28
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $65
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Eufora
COLOR: Eufora
SKIN CARE: Babor
NAIL CARE: OPI, CND, Babor
TECH SUPPORT: Phorest
ASSOCIATION: PBA, Summit Salon
“From our opening we served alcohol to guests at no charge. In 2016, we learned this was not legal and stopped. Our president, Jill Higginbotham, set out to change the law and a year later, the ‘Jill Bill’ passed allowing us and other businesses to sell alcoholic beverages.”

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