Salon Today
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

The Smooth Upsell

According to Nufree Founder Normajean Fusco, a savvy stylist can easily upsell profit-boosting hair removal services to the average client ticket and still handle the same volume of clients each day.

Stacey Soble
Stacey SobleDirector of Brand Content Strategy
Read Stacey's Posts
June 21, 2013
2 min to read


“A grocery story wouldn’t make it, if all they sold was orange juice,” says Normajean Fusco, the founder of Equibal Labs and its Nufree hair removal system. “For the same reason, a salon needs to offer clients more than just haircuts.”

According to Fusco, hair removal services are the easiest and most profitable add-on services for salons. “Hair removal services bring in $1 or more of profit per minute,” she says. “For example, the average salon charges $12 to $16 for a brow service which can be accomplished in 15 minutes. So if a stylist charges $40 for a haircut, she can increase that to $55 a client and still manage the same volume of clients per day.”

Ad Loading...

In addition, hair removal services should be offered to both male and female guests. “For men, it’s important for addressing the uni-brow, as well as removing hair on the back and the nape of the neck—especially in warm weather seasons when that hair can promote perspiration and be irritating,” says Fusco.

Since hair removal can be a sensitive topic for some service professionals to bring up, the company taps technology to make the suggestive sell even easier. The company provides flyers, customized for both male and female clients, which the salon’s greeter can pass out, as well as looped DVDs that can be played on monitors in the salon.  All Nufree education is offered for free and can be accessed through the company’s website (nufree.com) or through Smartphone applications developed for the iPhone and Android. Once salons are certified with NuFree, and as long as they maintain current education, interested potential clients will be routed to them through the company’s national ad campaigns and website through a salon locator.

“The registration is important because there are a lot of hair removal products out there, but the techniques in the services don’t transfer from one product to the next. And, today there are several inferior products that are sold through infomercials and the internet for in-home use, and many clients are harming themselves,” says Fusco. “It’s important that stylists maintain their education and stress the importance of a professional service to their clientele.”

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

More Salon Management

Nicki Wenz (above) and Allison Stock of Zandi K Salon

The Heartbeat of Zandi K's Success

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.

Ad Loading...
Solar panels on a commercial building.

Shedding Light on Solar Tax Credits for Your Beauty Business

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.

The Salon Ghost Report: Stop Wasting Hours Chasing Unqualified Applicants

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

2026 Beauty & Wellness Summer Marketing Calendar

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

Ad Loading...

The Voice of Calm

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.

The State of Beauty and Wellness in 2026

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

Ad Loading...