MENU
SEARCHTwo years ago, the team at Spa Bleu, with two locations in Barrington and West Dundee, Illinois, came up with 10 shared values to help define their culture.“First, the leadership team narrowed down the values,” says Heather Hazlett, ...
The team from Spa Bleu work with Qnity's Tom Kuhn on the corporate culture.
Two years ago, the team at Spa Bleu, with two locations in Barrington and West Dundee, Illinois, came up with 10 shared values to help define their culture.
“First, the leadership team narrowed down the values,” says Heather Hazlett, director of operations. “Then we put out a survey to the team to see which values were shared by them and management.”
Once the values were established, all employees and leaders talked about them together in a team meeting. Each small group had a value and came up with a deeper meaning for it.
The Ambassadors
A few years ago, Spa Bleu owner Tammy Coakley took a large group of team members to Serious Business in New Orleans. Inspired by the event, five of those team members approached her wanting to make a difference in the salon to help it find a greater purpose.
As a result, Coakley formed the Spa Bleu culture ambassadors, who present and organize ideas for team-building, such as beach clean-ups, wellness events and birthday celebrations. Each ambassador leads a different committee based on their personal passions, such as happiness, community service and environment. Together they hold information sessions—speed-dating style—to explain to the team what each committee is about. Team members can sign up for the committees they are passionate about and help execute the committee’s vision.
The ambassadors communicate with each other via a closed Facebook group to nail down details, and they address the rest of the group during the salon’s daily huddle. Now, not only do the ambassadors bring new ideas to the salon’s leadership team, but managers also bounce ideas off them.
Hazlett feels these are the people who really drive the salon’s culture. “They’re a group of people who are here to do more than just a haircut,” she says. “They also spearhead events like getting a float ready for the St. Patrick’s Day parade and act as the go-to person for new employees.”
Evaluating for Attitude
Open communication between salon leaders and employees is key in Spa Bleu’s culture. The conversation between the individual stylist and manager happens regularly at monthly coaching sessions.
“These conversations are coaching opportunities for us to bring challenges back to our values,” Hazlett says. “For example, let’s say a team member isn’t doing everything they can to enroll in classes or is not participating in education. That’s a coaching opportunity for us to remind them learning is a value of ours and ask how they are following this value if they aren’t engaging in education.”
The 30-45 minutes of time stylists get with Hazlett and the salon owner are valuable to everyone involved. “It’s not just about that one haircut where they could do better. It’s a two-way street that we’re going to have a conversation about,” Hazlett says. “It’s not a report card—they give feedback, too.”
For the annual review, which Hazlett says is the wrap-up piece to the monthly coaching sessions, employees assess themselves in different areas, including culture and teamwork, and the leadership team does the same.
“We average the scores together, and usually the employees are much harder on themselves than we are,” Hazlett says. “But allowing them to dig deep and rate themselves lets us know where there is opportunity.”
Employees also receive a pay evaluation twice a year, which is based on their critical numbers as well as their attitude and teamwork, which is particularly key since the salon uses the team-based pay system.
The strong culture at Spa Bleu was evident last year when they completed a total renovation of their original location, which closed the salon for 14 weeks.
“We did not lose any employees at this time,” Hazlett says. “They all banded together, switching to the other location, taking vacation time, helping out in other roles, etc. We are very proud of how smoothly that transition went for us. We couldn’t have done it without our amazing team.”
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.
