A salon’s ability to attract new guests fuels its growth, and its ability to get those clients to return again and again dictates its overall success.

CUSTOM CUT & STYLE
Butler, PA
customcutstyle.net
Jamie L Kostecky Claypoole
SQUARE FEET: 1680     
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 6
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda, private label 
COLOR: Aveda  
SKINCARE: Aveda  
NAIL CARE: Morgan Taylor, Young, CND
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, Vish  
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA  
“Our step-by-step approach for recruiting and retaining clients includes Groupon, specialized consultations, the three Rs (referral, retail and rebooking), gift bags with personalized samples, thank you postcards, exclusive offers, ‘Bet You $20 You’ll Love Us’ cards, and a four-appointment prebooking promotion.” 

DEFINE HAIR & SKIN
Ellicott City, MD
defineofficial.com
Rachel & Jason Gribbin
SQUARE FEET: 8500     
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 44
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Oribe, Davines, Aluram
COLOR: Schwarzkopf, Redken, Kevin.Murphy
SKINCARE: PCA Skin, Osmosis MD, Osea
NAIL CARE: OPI, The Gel Bottle, Peacci
TECH SUPPORT: Meevo, Emma, Textel 
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA   
“Creating a Care Plan is part of our signature consultation for new guests. It also involves a ‘cost before create’ where we look at the pricing of services before it begins, reviews a recommended regimen and details the future care plan.”

LA JOLIE SALON, COLOR BAR, SPA
Stamford, CT
lajoliesalonandspa.com
Cheryl VanVoorhies, Toni Ann Lupinacci, Julie Tunick
SQUARE FEET: 3600     
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 24
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Oribe, Goldwell, Coppola Keratin
COLOR: Goldwell, Redken 
SKINCARE: Eminence Organics  
TECH SUPPORT: Milano Systems, Constant Contact, Canva 
“Our loyalty program underwent a revamp which makes it easier to track clients reward dollars. We added additional incentives for existing guests who try a spa service for the first time, prebook their next appointment and who spend more than $50 in retail in a single transaction.”

LEGATO SALON & SPA
Farmington, MI
salonlegato.com
Diane, Karlyn & Sheridan Cassidy
SQUARE FEET: 3300 1400    
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 22
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda  
COLOR: Aveda  
SKINCARE: Aveda  
TECH SUPPORT: Phorest   
“We post new client reports weekly, indicating whether the guest should be mailed a hand-written note or sent a follow-up text. We foster respect and trust by inviting feedback, and remind clients of our referral program when we have overwhelmingly positive responses.”

OMAGI
Louisville, KY
omagisalonspa.com
Marian Sang
SQUARE FEET: 2500     
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 18
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda  
COLOR: Aveda  
SKINCARE: Aveda  
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, Web Openings, Textel 
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA  
“Our prebooking has increased from 38% to an average of 90%! Our guest care staff reinforce the service providers’ instructions—they no longer ask ‘if’ a guest would like to rebook, they tell the guest that their stylist wants to see them back in X weeks, and offer them a choice of appointment times.” 

PROGRESSIONS SALON SPA STORE
Rockville, MD
progressions.com
Cynthia Feldman
SQUARE FEET: 9000     
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 41
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Oribe, Kerastase, Bumble
COLOR: Goldwell, Redken, Pulp Riot
SKINCARE: Dr. Dennis Gross, Eminence, Alchimie Forever
NAIL CARE: OPI, Dazzle Dry, Deborah Lippmann
TECH SUPPORT: Meevo, Emma, Tippy, Textel
ASSOCIATIONS: ISPA, PBA 
“If a guest refers a new client to us, we give the referring guest $50 toward retail products and the new guest gets $20 off their first service. We give out referral cards at every visit and our guests love it. We see an average of 75-100 new guests per month.”  

SALON COUNCIL
Pembroke Pines, FL
saloncouncil.com
Allan Januras and Joel Wasserman
SQUARE FEET: 1300, 1100    
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 23
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Pureology, Matrix, Moroccanoil
COLOR: Matrix, Pravana 
TECH SUPPORT: Phorest   
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA   
“Our Red Envelope New Client Welcome Packets include a postcard that shares our history and our commitment to providing the highest quality services, a card with important contact information, an incredibly cute ‘I know a great hair councilor’ referral card, and a bounce-back card with multiple savings.”

SALON W
Oklahoma City, OK
Tara Jones
SQUARE FEET: 6700     
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 38
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Oribe, Kerastase, Goldwell
COLOR: Goldwell  
TECH SUPPORT: Phorest, Textel, Vish  
ASSOCIATIONS:  Green Circle    
“Through the holidays, we like to gift our loyal clients with extra discounts through our ’25 Days of Christmas Sales’ that is a fan favorite—there are 25 days of exclusive discounts offered to our guests that exceed any deal online.”

SHEAR KAOS SALON
Middletown, OH
shearkaossalon.com
Erica Kuhbander
SQUARE FEET: 1600     
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 10
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Paul Mitchell, Kenra, Moroccanoil
COLOR: Paul Mitchell, Joico 
SKINCARE: Cuccio, Hempz 
NAIL CARE: Morgan Taylor, Gelish, OPI
TECH SUPPORT: Meevo, Vish 
“Our salon gives away something each month, and clients can enter to win based on pre-booking future appointments, purchasing retail or giving us reviews. The basket includes anything from featured products to seasonal or holiday related items.” 

WHOLE AVEDA SALON SPA
Oldsmar, FL
wholespa.com
Timothy Belcher
SQUARE FEET: 4400, 2600    
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 51
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda  
COLOR: Aveda  
SKINCARE: Aveda, Ultraceuticals 
NAIL CARE: OPI  
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, Mya  
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA, 2 to 10  
“We tried something suggested from Serious Business speaker Joey Coleman who suggested everybody has buyer’s remorse after spending a lot of money. Within three days of a new client visit, we choose a product the client didn’t purchase but was recommended, wrap it with a note and ship it to them. We saw an immediate increase in second visits.”