Contents
Introduction
Eco-friendly beauty salons
Plus-size friendly hair salons
Minimalist beauty salons
Mobile hair salons
Hybrid hair salon and café
Senior salons
Haircut for a book
Vintage beauty salon
SPA for men
Other beauty salon concepts
Conclusions
#1 Introduction
The beauty industry is trending all around the world. Some beauty salon ideas are simply surprising. A vast number of competitors in beauty services makes aspiring entrepreneurs create catchy unusual beauty salon ideas. Every week more than a dozen beauty salons open worldwide.
There are many unique concepts you can pick up to create your original idea. Today we will speak about trends in the world of beauty salons, the most unusual hair and beauty salon ideas, and simply incredible concepts. So be brave and creative. It will be fun!
You have to obtain a set of licenses, register the business legally, purchase equipment and consumables, hire employees, and welcome clients.
Opening a beauty salon will cost you $40 000 – 250 000. The initial expenses depend on the location, concept, and class.
Of course, the salon business is very profitable! Starting a beauty salon in 2021 may sound risky, but it is extra good when done right. But, of course, your profit depends on many factors – usually, big beauty salons make up to $75 000.
#2 Eco-friendly beauty salons
Being eco-friendly is very popular nowadays. Recycled packaging, gentle hair dyes, safe skin, and hair care products are trending. People are becoming aware of the environment. That is why eco-hair salons are ubiquitous.
The central concept of this type of beauty salon is pure naturality. It means that the furniture, equipment, and cosmetics are made safe for nature and humans.
For example, a nail studio in New York, "Tenoverten." Designers created the salon interior, following the rules of the industrial loft style. The nail studio has wooden floors, painted white bricks, and antique lamps.
"Tenoverten" sells eco-friendly cosmetics. Natural nail products are placed on a pharmacy-style display case. The beauty salon produces its cosmetics and collaborates with eco-aware brands.
The nail polishes they offer are free of formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), toluene, formaldehyde resin, and camphor. As a result, they are ecologically safe both for people and nature.
Sure, this beauty salon has an army of fans. However, the targeted audience of "Tenoverten" is clients aware of saving the planet. They are usually volunteers who separate waste and purchase environmentally friendly products. In other words, those who care about the well-being of the planet Earth.
The concept of such beauty salons usually includes green or brown natural shades associated with nature. Therefore, plants and flowers are almost a must-have for eco-friendly beauty and hair salons. Sometimes there is a garden design inside or a place with various interesting green friends.
#3 Plus-size friendly hair salons
Beauty salons that serve only plus-size clients are appearing everywhere. Sure, the concept is still fresh and most trending in America, but Europe couldn't miss this trend.
If before plus-size clients could find specialized services, or better to tell only clothing, in shops. Now, they have more and more variants. So, plus-size friendly beauty salons are simply the perfect idea for a start-up.
The first hair salon of this type appeared in the USA. Jamie Lopez opened it – a curvy woman who had an unpleasant accident during one of her haircuts. The chair has broken under the woman. But it didn't hurt her spirit. So she decided to use this situation in her favor.
After that, she got the idea of starting an unusual hair salon for plus-size clients. Its name is "Babydoll Beauty Couture." The doorways in the hair salon are way broader, and the furniture is much stronger. Hairstyling chairs can withstand a weight of up to 300 kilograms.
#4 Minimalist beauty salons
One of the best ways to stand out among competitors is to choose an exciting and uncommon design. For example, "The TEN PACHI hair salon" was opened in Seattle. Its interior is pretty laconic. There are no complicated solutions or overloaded designs.
They've chosen simplicity. There are, actually, many minimalistic beauty salons. Usually, you have to use only practical furniture of bright colors to create such a hair salon.
Light and practical furniture are essential. It has to be well-selected, according to the chosen style. The beauty salons of this type are popular among customers who are tired of "normal" hair salons. They want to try something new, but not too radical.
#5 Mobile hair salons
So unusual, but so enjoyable. Mobile hair salons offer services on the go. They are usually food trucks that owners redecorated to work as a beauty salon. One of such barbershops works in London. It is called "Salon Le Barber."
"What's inside?" – you may ask. Nothing odd – salon owners organized it in the manner clients like. So, inside it is a comfortable barbershop with quality furniture: men can get different haircuts, trimmings, etc. The only difference is that the clients receive services in a food truck that sold hot dogs a few years ago. The owners renovated and just started working as barbers. Cool, right?
America and Europe have already loved the idea of mobile beauty salons. They've been working there since 2018.
Mobile beauty salons are trending. So why not try, if it is allowed by your laws. Always remember to check whether you can use the idea. For example, in Russia, mobile hair salons are forbidden. Simply because any beauty establishment cannot be mobile there, it must be registered at a location.
Even though you may think that mobile solutions are not for you, it is a good inspiration. If other people could manage to create such an unusual idea, you can do even better. So let's take a look at some other concepts.
#6 Hybrid hair salon and café
The innovative beauty space "Hurwundeki" you could find in London.
The concept of the beauty salon is that you can get beauty service while enjoying your favorite food. They serve Korean cuisine, fresh tea, and coffee. Talking about the beauty side, you can get a simple haircut.
It may sound too clear, but clients love unusual solutions. So the beauty salon is trendy among different people. Sure, you can get a haircut, and that is it. But there is a better option. They have an intelligent loyalty program. When you get a haircut and order food, you'll get a nice discount of 10-20%.
The salon waiting area is also good: with a table and a menu. So you can wait for your service while having your favorite meal.
#7 Senior salons
This type of beauty salon aims to satisfy clients above 50 years old. They are similar to the plus-size-friendly ones. Their main idea is to create a safe area for a group of people with a unique feature. Senior beauty salons serve only elderly clients.
They can be prevalent when promoted correctly. Senior clients require an even better level of comfort, so be ready to offer it. Get unique cosmetics, interesting haircut ideas, and your targeted audience will love it!
#8 Haircut for a book
Local hairdresser Courtney Holmes opened the unusual hair salon in Dubuque, Iowa. He rewards small readers with a haircut.
The concept of a beauty salon the woman has opened is that kids could read her a book, and she'd give them vouchers for free haircuts. But, of course, children can also read while having a haircut itself. So, yes, it also counts.
It all started as an idea to help. However, the concept is very creative, so why not grab some inspiration out of it. Courtney Holmes has created a tiny hair salon with a bookshelf and one hairstyling chair. And it worked out!
#9 Vintage beauty salon
There are many luxury vintage beauty salons. Sure not more than standard ones, but still. "Blind Barber" owners have decided to go further and opened a vintage hair salon where everything looks just as it did 50 years ago.
"Sounds like a typical vintage beauty salon" – you may assume. Well, yes and no. They've wanted to recreate the idea of happy past times when you could come to a similar hair salon to get a service for almost nothing. Sure, now it costs money, but the nostalgia is worth it.
"Blind Barber," for example, serves male clients who miss their youth or want to try something original. They offer simple but quality services like haircuts and beard trimming.
#10 SPA for men
Sounds unusual, right? Well, as all the beauty salons we've mentioned today. The SPA for males, for instance, works in the heart of Mexico. It is called "Musk and Moss."
This beauty salon offers beauty services only for men. Sure, men need not only brutal haircuts but also regular face care and other treatments. So SPA for men provides massages, various masks and face cleanings, hair and nail services, and even makeup.
This concept may sound odd for many. However, the fact that stereotypes died is pretty pleasant. Be careful when opening SPA for men. Many people can misinterpret the idea.
Good promotion, a well-made salon Instagram account, or TikTok will help you to get the best results.
#11 Other beauty salon concepts
Open a beauty salon in an unusual place. What about a yacht or a plane? It is expensive, but some people have managed to create such beauty salons. For example, a wealthy Scottish girl started a beauty salon in a former plane. It is a salon of the high class with nail and hair services, the best staff, and an exciting interior.
Be creative. Russian entrepreneurs have opened a beauty salon in a small wooden house. They've rethought the idea of a fairy tale villain Baba Yaga who transforms into a beautiful princess Vasilisa the beautiful.
Do you like dangerous haircuts? – Do business on them. They aren't hazardous but made with a Japanese Katana knife. A Vietnamese hairdresser has been practicing for years, so now he can perform even the most complicated haircut using the Samurai sword. The services are pretty popular, but, sure, not everyone is eager to be hair styled with the blade.
Mark Bustos is a Filipino-American barber who has decided to perform free haircuts for homeless people. He has been already popular in New York, then decided to visit his hometown and offered free hair services for those who needed them. The project made him even more well-known, and his idea went widespread. The barber thinks that haircuts influence mental health as people who look good feel better. And who can even doubt that?
#12 Conclusions
To start any beauty business, you have to follow the simple rules:
Make it real.
It is, actually, way more complicated than that – licenses, permits, equipment. You have to think about everything, but don't complicate things. Planning is essential.
Would you like to start a creative beauty salon?
Think about its concept.
Hire creative employees.
Come out with a catchy name.
Any idea will lead you to success if you love what you do. EasyWeek will be happy to help with optimizing your routines while you are creative.
