A warm welcome, a refreshing beverage and the close personal connection a client feels with a salon can be as important in retaining her business as the precision of her hair cut or the dimension of her color. Customer Service impacts the client’s overall experience, and the salons and spas that deliver it with each and every visit boost their overall sales as well as client loyalty.

Aria Salon Spa Shoppe
Alpharetta, GA
ariasalons.net
Mechelle and Matthew Khodayari
SQUARE FEET: 2,700; 2,100
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 32
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $61
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKINCARE: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: Millenium, ZeeZor, Demandforce
ASSOCIATIONS: Intercoiffure, Atlanta Top 10 Salons
“The $500 Experience Concept visuales what a $500 haircut experience should look like from the first point of contact to the last. We strive to bestow the same experience at a fraction of the price. It starts It includes scripting dialogues, standardizing consultations, ensuring the clients are offered the stress relieving treatment and finish with a pleasant checkout process.

Avalon Salon Spa
Deer Park, IL
avalondeerpark.com
Bonnie and August Conte
SQUARE FEET: 5,300
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 48
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $75
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda, Ergo
COLOR: Aveda
SKINCARE: Aveda
NAILCARE: Gelish, OPI, Essie
TECH SUPPORT: Millennium, Demandforce, SureTint 
ASSOCIATIONS: CC, ISPA, PBA
“Ease of reserving appointments, seamless check-in and out, and control of communication preferences is something that keeps customers happy. They can book appointments or buy gift cards online, and can set preferences for appointment confirmations through texts, emails, or telephone calls.”

Maggie The Salon
Pembroke Pines, FL
maggiesalon.com
Maggie DiFalco
SQUARE FEET: 2,400
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 24
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $65
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda, Eufora
COLOR: Aveda, Eufora, Artisan
NAILCARE: CND
TECH SUPPORT: Phorest, ZeeZor
ASSOCIATIONS: Intercoiffure, PBA
“Because our salon is very open, lots of action goes on. Our guests love to mingle with one another and often interchange stories while sitting around our color bar. It’s a place where people gather to relax, eat, drink and be merry.”

Mane Attraction Salon
Phoenix, AZ
maneattractionsalon.com
Kendall Ong, Beate Assmuth-Ong, Chris Knudsen, Jenny Knudsen
SQUARE FEET: 2,400
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 28
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $89
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Bumble and Bumble
COLOR: Wella, Pulp Riot
NAILCARE: Smith And Cult
TECH SUPPORT: Millennium, Constant Contact, Salon Clouds Plus
ASSOCIATIONS: Intercoiffure, PBA
“Our attitude about customer service is that we are a concierge for our clients. We not only make out-of-town referrals and appointments, we also book appointments at local nail and skin studios and we even book appointments at other hair salons if we are unavailable.”

Salon M2
Charlotte, NC
Salon-M2.com
Michele Matkovich
SQUARE FEET: 1,200
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 11
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $75
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Eufora, Oribe, Goldwell
COLOR: Goldwell
TECH SUPPORT: Phorest, Meet Your Stylist
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA
“We value the reviews Phorest Software provides for us. It allows us to do our weekly follow-up calls that we do for every new guest with full details and support and not being blindsided. We know exactly what our staff did from the full profile they put together and the before and after pics they take.”

Soiree
Hunt Valley, MD
soiree-salon.com
Sarah Weiskittel and Debbie Filling
SQUARE FEET: 3,100
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 24
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $60
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKINCARE: Aveda
NAILCARE: Zoya, CND
TECH SUPPORT: Millennium, Demandforce
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA
“Our men’s area is private, features a dark color scheme, oak furniture and a putting green. It’s quieter than the hustle and bustle of the main salon. We provide a hot-lather shave and cucumbers on the eyes, something men generally won’t ask for but when we provide the service, they love it.

Square One Salon and Spa
Dayton, OH
squareonesalon.com
Owners: Square One Salon
SQUARE FEET: 1,400; 2,400; 4,700; 5,200; 3,100; 3,700
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 185
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $51
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKINCARE: Aveda
NAILCARE: OPI
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, Salon Clouds Plus
“We have a separate bridal coordinator at every salon whose job is to make sure everything runs perfectly for these guests. Bridal parties work exclusively through this person so brides can depend on a single point of contact. Consistency helps maintain a smooth, easy process during a hectic time.

The Lordis Loft Salon and Day Spa, LLC
Charleston, SC
lordisloft.com
Linzie A. Davis
SQUARE FEET: 2,700; 1,700
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 12
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $61
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKINCARE: Aveda
NAILCARE: OPI, Smith and Cult, Zoya
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, Demandforce
“As our guests approach our greeting station, they are warmly welcomed, offered a variety of beverage, including our signature wellness Aveda Tea as well as Lordis Loft offers its guests a complimentary mimosa bar.”

Vanity Salon
Houston, TX
vanity-salon.com
Fiona and Rory Tolunay
SQUARE FEET: 3,200; 1,800
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 36
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $75
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKINCARE: Aveda
NAILCARE: OPI
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, Demandforce, ZeeZor Presence AI
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA, 2 to 10
“Our guests are very diverse, so we have made sure that half of our team is bilingual, including our front desk. We are also accommodating to the various religions and cultural beliefs our guests hold. If a woman needs a private space away from men to receive her service, we will make that happen for her.”

Westside Hair Care, LLC
Hackettstown, NJ
westsidehair.com
Maureen Kimble
SQUARE FEET: 2,200
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 8
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $51
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Redken
COLOR: Redken
TECH SUPPORT: Envision, iContact
“We use one of John DiJulius’s techniques which is called FORD (Family, Occupation, Recreation and Dreams) in order to remember key things about our guests. We make note of these important life events in our computer system or on their color cards.”

Additional Honorees
A Roland, New Cumberland, PA
Aveda Institute Denver, Denver, CO
Bella Style Salon, Slidell, LA
Bii Natural Salon and Shop, West Dundee, IL
Bijin Salon and Spa, Prairie Village, KS
Blo, Raleigh, NC
Brio SalonSpa, Lethbridge
D Ametris Aveda, Olde Town Arvada, CO
Eric Fisher Salon, Wichita, KS
Five Senses Spa Salon & Barbershop, Peoria, IL
Fringe A Salon Inc, Chicago, IL
Gervais Salon & Day Spa, Eugene, OR
Ginger Bay Salon & Spa, Kirkwood, MO
Glow Beauty Boutique, Braintree, MA
Ihloff Salon and Day Spa, Tulsa, OK
Impressions, Mequon, WI
JB Cavour Salon Spa, New Brighton, MN
Joli Salon & Day Spa, Lexington, KY
Josephine’s Day Spa and Salon, Houston. TX
NUOVO Salon Group, Sarasota, FL
Phia Concepts, Columbus, OH
Posh Salon and Day Spa, Kokomo, IN 
Progressions Salon Spa Store, Rockville, MD
Pure Salon Spa, Louisville, KY
RedBloom Salon, Calgary
Salon Halo, Spring Hill, FL
S-kape Salon & Spa, Leonardtown, MD
Solaris Aveda, Evansville, IN
Studio Eleven, Maryville, IL
Von Anthony Salon, Frisco, TX