MENU
SEARCHAny team member can book Cass and Company's Zen Room any time, no questions asked. Find out how Angi Snodgrass created the room for a few hundred dollars.
The Zen Room at Cass and Company Salon gives team members a space to decompress.
A disgruntled client, a tight schedule or an unpredictable color result can throw a wrench of stress in any stylist’s day. And for many, the only option is to keep smiling while bottling the stress until they’re home at the end of the day.
Recognizing this, Angi Snodgrass, owner of Cass and Company Salon in Avon, Indiana, repurposed a former storage area in salon’s basement into a Zen Room, an in-salon space where her team members can escape and decompress.
For a few hundred dollars, Snodgrass designed the room with the following:
A zero-gravity chair
A back-massaging pad (this was donated by a team member)
A meditation/white noise machine
A grounding mat and grounding wristlet
Emotionally balanced lighting
Hanging green vines
A weighted blanket
An assortment of aromatherapy oils and sprays
A grounding mat and grounding wristlet
“The room has no windows and it stays cool year round,” she says. “On the outside of the door, there is a sign that the team member can turn to ‘In Use’ or ‘Open’ when entering and leaving.”
Team members are encouraged to reserve a 45-minute time slot in the Zen Room as often as they need, no questions asked. To do this, the stylist simply blocks out a time marked ‘Re-set’ in the salon’s Meevo software.
“We do not have the Re-set block time go against their percentage booked, because we feel it’s important for them to take this mental break, and we don’t want them to worry that it’s docking their numbers in any way,” says Snodgrass. “We’ve also taken the liberty of marking off someone’s book when we feel they need a little push to take a break or decompress. The only rule is this time is not a time to eat your lunch, be on your phone or computer. It’s really meant to be used to close your eyes and relax.”
“If that client is just pulling all the energy from you and you’re feeling anxious or overwhelmed, the Zen Room is a place you can go and just let all the stress melt away. You just sit in the chair, choose a calming mood light, put on the sound machine and breathe,” says Faith Hall, a stylist at Cass and Company. “I like it because it’s a calm space where I can just be by myself. I feel it’s a wonderful addition to the salon and it has benefitted the staff tremendously.”
Snodgrass knows the Zen Room also is benefitting the business. “Encouraging team members to take these short breaks has led to reduced stress levels. In addition, they are less likely to miss an entire day of work, which in turn creates increased productivity,” she says. “And, knowing our salon cares about our team’s mental health is also a great recruiting tool when introducing a future professional to the salon.
The Zen Room with the mood lighting on.
After moving to Colorado and teaching at a cosmetology school, Allison Stock joined Zandi K as a stylist, eventually becoming part of the Leadership Team, Education Team and Master Bridal Team. Today, as Director of Operation, Stock is Owner Nicki Wenz's right hand, managing human resources and operations, education and career development, and coaching and culture.
The company's Concealed Bead Method is raising the bar for what professional extension education can deliver.
Scott maximized her micro-salon by transitioning from stylist to strategic owner, focusing on recruiting and station-sharing. By prioritizing her ownership role over behind-the-chair work, she grew her team to six stylists within the two-chair, 150-square-foot space before eventually moving to a larger facility.
The former CFO of Perdue Farms and owner of Hardy Seafood, Terry Owens delivers a wealth of wisdom and strategies for entrepreneurs in his new book, "Business is Simple."
After scaling her single-location salon business, SALON TODAY 200 Honoree Amy Pal recently sold her six-location Whip Salon for seven figures. Using the six Ps for maximizing a business's value, she's ready to help her peers do the same.
Buried inside the One Big Beautiful Bill Act are federal solar tax credit changes that deserve your attention now. Two of the credits that matter most to commercial property owners, the Investment Tax Credit and the Production Tax Credit, are still available, but only if you move fast. A third, the Commercial Building Energy Efficiency Deduction, has a hard termination date that is closer than most people realize.
Up to 40% of hair stylists ghost the salon interview stage, leaving owners trapped playing endless phone tag with uncommitted applicants. This data-driven report breaks down why traditional job boards create recruitment friction and reveals the modern messaging strategies high-growth salons use to get pre-qualified talent to actually show up. Learn how to transition from cold calling to high-conversion conversations that protect your time and fill your chairs.
Sponsored by Beautista
Spit fests, hostile threats, and even an overachieving matchmaker--SALON TODAY readers share their craziest client tales and how their team handled these tough situations with professionalism and grace.
Keeping your appointment book full when clients are in vacation mode takes more than a good Instagram post. It takes a plan. The 2026 Summer Marketing Calendar from Meevo gives salon, spa & med spa owners a month-by-month roadmap with sharp themes, key opportunity dates, and campaign ideas specifically designed for the beauty & wellness industry. Here’s to your summer season working as hard as you do!
Sponsored by Millennium Systems International
AI is transforming the beauty and wellness industry, and the future is about empowering people, not replacing them. Discover how Phorest AI helps salons, spas, and med spas across North America respond faster, personalize every visit, and keep human connection at the heart of the client experience.
Sponsored by Phorest
Owner Michaella Blissett-Williams credits her General Manager Gloria Hortua with [salon] 718's year-over-year, double-digit growth and says she's been able to scale the company to eight locations because she can rely on Hortua to manage daily operations.
Shine Time: Aluram’s High Shine Line Delivers Moisture and Shine with Clean Ingredients
Sponsored by Aluram
Elyse Rogers is an uplifting presence at The Headroom who makes the team feel heard even in stressful situations. Owner Danielle Cherewyk sings her praises in this installment of Meet the Manager.
Despite a slight and predictable decline in client traffic for Q1, resilient pricing power is driving year-over-year revenue growth in salons. The KIM Report's Alain Audet reviews the data and what it's telling us about the state of professional beauty.
Same-store revenue grew just 2% for the second straight year—and new guest visits declined across every segment of the industry. The 2026 Benchmark Report reveals where growth is actually happening, which verticals are pulling ahead, and what the data says about where your business stands right now.
Sponsored by Zenoti
Hair restoration is entering a new era driven by regenerative science. This paper explores how Exosome technology is transforming treatment outcomes by targeting hair loss at a cellular level. Discover why EXOGROW is leading this shift.
Sponsored by Dermapenworld
A salon brand is much more than a logo. In this thought-provoking blog, Leon Alexander, Ph.D., walks you through the difference. SALON TODAY suggests sharing this article with your team and leading a discussion at your next huddle, asking the team to define your business's brand.
