MENU
SEARCHWITH ALL THE OTHER pressing concerns of running a salon, housekeeping procedures can go to the bottom of the list. Not so for Denise Provenzano, owner of live high-end full-service salons in suburban Chicago. When you enter one of her Zano Salon & Day Spa locations, even the unforgiving morning sunlight reveals shelves that sparkle with nary a dust mote in sight. Denise has engaged her team in an initiative that truly takes clean to a new level.
INSPIRED BY TABATHA’S SALON TAKEOVER, ZANO SALONS & DAY SPAS LAUNCHES ITS OWN CLEAN CAMPAIGN.
WITH ALL THE OTHER pressing concerns of running a salon, housekeeping procedures can go to the bottom of the list. Not so for Denise Provenzano, owner of live high-end full-service salons in suburban Chicago. When you enter one of her Zano Salon & Day Spa locations, even the unforgiving morning sunlight reveals shelves that sparkle with nary a dust mote in sight. Denise has engaged her team in an initiative that truly takes clean to a new level.
ST: What Inspired this Clean Up Campaign?
DP: With five locations, we are always working to keep our image fresh and consistent among all the salons. We re-design every five or six years with elements that can be worked into each location. The big challenge is keeping the salons looking fresh and new between major overhauls. We all enjoy watching Tabatha’s Salon Takeover. It’s scary what she sometimes unearths around the salon and it made me think, could we be doing a better job? I had employed a cleaning service, but when the 2008 economic downturn hit, that became an expense we could no longer justify.
Tabatha stresses technical expertise, professionalism and cleanliness. I told our team I felt we had high scores in the first two areas, but we could improve on cleanliness and we needed to look at the salon through the guest’s eyes. I offered a challenge to each of our salon managers. For the next five months, our entire leadership team would visit one salon a month and do a thorough inspection. Clipboards in hand, the team would check out every department and rate the cleanliness and decor against our system standards and rate each salon from one to five.
Since this initiative, I have seen things I never expected to see. I walked into one of our locations and a stylist was on her hands and knees cleaning around the base of her chair. At another location, a staffer was busily cleaning and the manager told me he had failed to perform his own assigned cleaning responsibilities and now was doing double duty for two weeks to make up. I thought that might be a bit harsh, but it shows that this effort was taken seriously by our managers.
ST: What Were the Criteria Being Judged?
DP: The salons had four weeks to prepare for inspection. The areas to be evaluated were: Front Desk Organization, Bathroom Cleanliness, Salon and Spa Decor, Nail Services Area Sanitation, Esthetic and Massage Room Sanitation. General Salon Sanitation (clean sanitation solutions, combs and brushes clean and free of hail, station mirrors and chairs free of any smudges or hair) and Product and Retail Displays Each of these areas were evaluated and rated on a scale of one to five resulting in a total cleanliness and sanitation rating.
Our first Tabatha’s Salon Takeover inspired competition winner was Jennifer Hohmann, manager of our Batavia, Illinois salon. She received the first Star Trophy award at our company meeting and shared how she got her entire team onboard for the challenge.
ST: How did the Winning Salon Achieve This Goal?
Salon Manager Jennifer Hohmann tells how she and her team took charge in the competition.
JH: Our salon was scheduled to be the first one evaluated so my assistant manager Katherine and I explained that we had to set the bar extremely high. Having a well organized and clean environment has always been a passion of mine, so the team was used to my constant reminders. They are all competitive by nature, especially when paired against other Zano locations.
The first step was for everyone to look at his or her own station with a critical eye. The staff all found organizational and cleanliness issues to address. We brainstormed all the areas that needed attention and decided what things (like paint touch-ups or drywall repair) would need some outside intervention. We listed everything we needed to handle ourselves and everyone in the salon was given a manageable task so no one was overwhelmed. As things in the salon started to look fresher, the staff worked harder.
After the weeks of preparation, something happened that was more important than the obvious spit and polish. The salon and spa teams all began to see their work space in an entirely new light and develop a greater appreciation and awareness of what the guest sees when entering our salon.
We all were forced to look at our daily habits and develop better habits that are crucial, not just to winning a competition, but for the future and image of the Zano brand.
ZANO SALON & SPAS
5 Chicagoland locations
YEARS IN BUSINESS: 25
NUMBER OF LOCATIONS: 5
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 100-110
PRODUCTS: Kerastase, Redken, Pureology, Aquage, Moroccanoil
POPULAR SERVICES: Hair Color, Smoothing Treatments, Spa Services.
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.
