Awards & Contests
2026 SALON TODAY 200 Application is Open!
Now in its 29th year, the SALON TODAY 200 is a landmark business competition that celebrates salon success, growth and best practices. The 2026 application is now open, with an extended deadline of November 15, 2025!
by Stacey Soble
Building a Brigade of Barbers
With a wall of historical memorabilia and an archive of clipper display, Wahl Barber Academy pays tribute to its clipper company namesake while creating a modern educational setting for the next generation of barbers.
by Stacey Soble
Warehouse Glam
To create the salon, spa and boutique of her Texas-sized dreams, Owner Kim Cloud transforms a 9,000 square-foot warehouse over two years.
Art Gallery Vibes
An appreciation for fine art and furnishings is reflected in the owners’ design choices for the salon they created from a renovated historic home in the Blue Ridge mountains. Tour Luis Allen Hair Salon which captured a third-runner up position in our Salons of the Year.
by Stacey Soble
An Industrial Salon Finds a Home in a Historic Train Station Depot
Beauty Mark's owners preserve the 100-year-old building's original masonry walls and cast-iron pillars, creating a unique and lovely salon in Vandalia, Illinois.
by Stacey Soble
Executing on Elegance
Large, oval full-length mirrors, backlit beauty images and a super-sized color lab bring an upscale air of sophistication to Cooper Alley Salon in Corte Madera, California.
by Stacey Soble
Modern, Minimalist Luxury
Blended retail shelving encourage clients to shop while the removal of the front desk encourages a community feel at Davanti Salon in Denton, Texas.
by Stacey Soble
SALON TODAY 200: Beauty in Bloom
See our SALON TODAY 200 stats at a glance and access all of this year's honoree categories from one place.
by Stacey Soble
Photography Tips for Your Salons of the Year Submission
For our annual design competition, SALONS OF THE YEAR, submitting the best imagery is the most important part, so our judges share their top photography tips.
by Stacey Soble
Where Elegance Meets Comfort
With a classic color palette, stations that are a fusion between Art Deco and Mid-Century Modern, and a playful bathroom, Jade Salon welcomes clients with a home-like atmosphere in Greensboro, North Carolina.
by Stacey Soble
Applications Open for Salons of the Year 2025!
Now in its 42nd year, the 2025 SALONS OF THE YEAR competition is on the hunt for new and newly renovated salon, spa and barbershop designs. Applications open until June 30th!
by Stacey Soble
2025 SALON TODAY 200: Growth, Part Two
A big cheer to our 2025 SALON TODAY 200 honorees in Growth, who master a number of best practices to propel their businesses forward, including the team from Studio Wish in Twinsburg, Ohio. (This is the second half of our honorees in this category.)
2025 SALON TODAY 200: Growth, Part One
Congratulations to the 2025 SALON TODAY 200 honorees who master a number of best practices to fuel their growth, including Heather Spencer and Adreanne Gellise-Budzinski, owners of A Spencer Gellise Salon in Bay City, Michigan, who are sporting their 'Minding My Own Small Business' shirts. This is Part One of Growth.
2025 SALON TODAY 200: Employee Education
These 2025 SALON TODAY 200 honorees are life-long learners, who develop educational systems that build the skills of their newest team members while encouraging their seasoned staff to stretch creatively, including the team of [salon]718 in Brooklyn, New York.
by Stacey Soble
2025 SALON TODAY 200: Business Builders
Time to toast the 2025 SALON TODAY 200 honorees in our newest competition category--Business Builders. These salons, including Cynergy Color Bar in Wake Forest, North Carolina, opened up new revenue streams by launching new services, products or business practices.
by Stacey Soble
2025 SALON TODAY 200: Philanthropy and Retail and Merchandising
In our 6th day of celebrating the 2025 SALON TODAY 200, we salute the salons who give their time, money and talents to benefit others, and those who have mastered the retail game, like the team from Shine Hair Designs from Suffolk, Virginia.
by Stacey Soble
2025 SALON TODAY 200: Compensation and Benefits
It's time to cheer on the 2025 SALON TODAY 200 honorees who design transparent career paths and build enriching benefit programs to retain their team, including J.Con Salon and Spa in St. Petersburg, Florida.
by Stacey Soble