Salon Culture is that invisible, yet tangible, energy that binds and propels a team, and attracts clients. A strong culture is hard to define and even more difficult to build, but when a salon masters this take, they are unstoppable. Meet our 2018 Salon Today 200 honorees in the category of Salon Culture:

Agape Salon & Spa
Rancho Mirage, CA
agapesalonspa.com
Ismael Jimenez and Ana M. Garcia-Jimenez
SQUARE FEET: 1,600
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 5
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $55
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda, Joico
SKIN CARE: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: Millennium, Demandforce
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA, Rancho Mirage Chamber of Commerce
“In our huddle, teams of two staff members alternate responsibility for the mission and wellness part of the meeting. Wellness is usually a fun, team-building activity that helps us grow and learn about each other.”

Bella Lago Salon & Spa
Mooresville, NC
bellalagosalon.com
Merrisa Barnhardt
SQUARE FEET: 7,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 25
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $48
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda, Kerastase
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Image, Eminence
NAIL CARE: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: Millennium, Demandforce, ZeeZor
“On a recent beach retreat, we all drew names. The person who drew the team captain role had to don a clown costume, and the whole team approached strangers and offered them free salon and spa services. We learned to be outgoing, work as a team and get over the fear of public humiliation.”

Bii Hair Salon
West Dundee, IL
biihairsalon.com
James Gartner and Adam Swanlund
SQUARE FEET: 2,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 9
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $50
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Surface, Matrix, Pravana
COLOR: Matrix, Pulp Riot, Pravana
SKIN CARE: Surface Skin
TECH SUPPORT: Booker, Fredrick, HootSuite
ASSOCIATION: PBA
“We chose four clearly defined words to project our company values—creativity, innovation, teamwork and education. They acronym is CITE. To locate those who carry out the philosopy that is CITE, we have a three-step interview process including a phone screening, group interview and technical interview.”

Centre Salon Westminster
Westminster, CO
centresalon.com
James F. Pacifico and Cathy Schafer
SQUARE FEET: 3,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 29
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $39
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
NAIL CARE: Jessica
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, Demandforce, ZeeZor, WebOpenings
“We came together for a spooky movie night at the salon where everyone brought popcorn and wore their PJs. We’ve had salon nights where we all do each other’s hair, and we’ve had a BYOB cleaning night where we supply pizzas and everyone works together to deep-clean their stations and the salon.”

Elements of Style Salon & Day Spa
Eldersburg, MD
elementsofstylesalon.com
Paris Cimino
SQUARE FEET: 3,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 32
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $46
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Redken, Pureology
COLOR: Redken
SKIN CARE: Bioelements, Farmhouse Fresh
NAIL CARE: CND
TECH SUPPORT: Envision, Constant Contact, Call Fire
“We developed our mission statement, brand promise, code of honor and core values as a team over several intense meetings. We then created videos for our code of honor, filming ourselves performing various skits. This video is now part of our new hire training.”

J.Nicolle Salon & Spa
New Albany, IN
jnicollesalon.com
Jennifer Kennedy
SQUARE FEET: 3,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 19
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $50
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, Demandforce
ASSOCIATION: PBA, Green Circle
“We initiated a paid community-love day this year. Team members can choose a philanthropy close to their heart and go out and share the love through service. We felt it important to make it a paid day so their paycheck wasn’t impacted by the choice to serve.”

Karen Allen Salon and Spa
Riverside, CA
karenallensalon.com
Khanh Nguyen
SQUARE FEET: 2,500; 2,200
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 48
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $70
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
NAIL CARE: SpaRitual
TECH SUPPORT: Millennium, Demandforce, ZeeZor
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA, 2 to 10
“During our new-hire orientation, each new team member learns and writes down our salon mission and Aveda’s mission statement. Then we ask each new hire to create a personal mission statement for their upcoming journey and career with Karen Allen.”

Maude Salon
Herndon, VA
maudehair.com
Vanessa Rose, Tina Jay and Celeste Williams
SQUARE FEET: 2,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 22
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $74
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: R+Co, Kevin Murphy
COLOR: Redken, Kevin Murphy
TECH SUPPORT: STX
“We have cute rubber unicorns and piglets. If a team member does something incredible, another team member can give her a unicorn. Piglets are given anonymously and are a great way to address negative behaviors. Distribution of both is tracked by the front-desk manager, who records why the team member is getting a unicorn or piglet.”

Quattra Via Aveda
Carlsbad, CA
quattravia.com
Leigh Adamson and Brittany Adamson Hall
SQUARE FEET: 3,800
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 23
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $72
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
NAIL CARE: Orly, OPI, CND
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, Demandforce, Green Circle
“Just as our guests rate us online, our artists anonymously rate one another. Our leaders review the results with each artist. This allows us to recognize key artists and help improve those who are having challenges.”

Salon Nuuvo
Calabasas, CA
salonnuuvo.com
Raychel and Audley Harrison
SQUARE FEET: 1,700
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 12
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $75
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Unite, Goldwell, Nuuvo Haircare
COLOR: Goldwell, Pravana, Arctic Fox
TECH SUPPORT: Millennium
ASSOCIATION: PBA
“We recently converted our team lounge overnight as a surprise and announced it via group video message. We put in dim lights, aromatherapy misters, adult coloring books, and an appreciation station, where a team member can write something positive about another team member on a sticky note, which is left up for a month.”

Studio 700 Salon and Spa
Corona, CA
studio700corona.com
Tamra Segert
SQUARE FEET: 1,800
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 10
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $55
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Eufora
COLOR: Eufora
SKIN CARE: Dermalogica
NAIL CARE: OPI
TECH SUPPORT: Insight, Constant Contact
ASSOCIATION: PBA
“On a busy day at the salon, I mentioned I wish there were two of me. One of my team said, ‘I’ll be boss for the day’ and I made her honorary boss. What started as a joke turned into a wonderful learning experience. I’m going to make each team member honorary boss one time this year.”

Additional Honorees
Annastasia Salon, Portland, OR
Allure Designs, Libertyville, IL
Avalon Salon Spa, Deer Park, IL
Athena Salon, Spa & Wellness, Windsr, CO
Aveda Institute P, Tempe, AZ
Avenue Hair Design, Venice, FL
Brown & Deline, Ann Arbor, MI
Elan Hair Studio, Sea Girt, NJ
Frangipani Hair Studio, Inc., Jacksonville Beach, FL
Gila Rut Salon, San Diego, CA
Ginger Bay Salon & Spa, Kirkwood, MO
Impressions, Mequon, WI
Integrity Lash, Pasadena, CA
Josephines Day Spa and Salon, Houston, TX
Lux Salon, Fullerton, CA
Mane Attraction Salon, Phoenix, AZ
Maude Salon, Herndon, VA
Michael Helene Salon Gallery, Dulles, VA
Nuovo Salon Group, Sarasota, FL
Paris Parker Salons and Spas, Hammond, LA
Pin-Up Curls, Fort Wayne, IN
Pure Bliss Salon and Spa, Flint, MI
Progressions Salon Spa Store, Rockville, MD
Randolph’s Salon, Rochester Hills, MI
RedBloom Salons, Calgary, Canada
Richard Salon, Smithtown, NY
S Salon and Stuio, Fairbanks, AK
Salon M2, Charlotte, NC
Solaris Aveda, Evansville, IN
Spa Bleu, West Dundee, IL
Square One Salon & Spa, Dayton, OH
Studio Eleven, Maryville, IL
The Studio for Hair, Farmington Hills, MI
Tangerine Salon and Spa, Murfreesboro, TN
Triniti Salon, Cary, NC
Urban Betty, Austin, TX
Xanadu Hair Salon, Chesapeake, VA