The equipment you get for your salon is likely to determine the success of your business as much as your customer service does. It is then no wonder that purchasing equipment is one of your biggest expenses as a salon owner.
Clueless to what to spend on first? I was equally as confused when I started but gradually complied this personal list of essentials that I hope will help young salon owners!
HAIR
1. Salon Stations, Chairs and Mirrors
Your customers will be spending long periods of time in your salon chairs – so make sure that you get durable ones that are comfortable to sit in. My personal favourite is the Icarus Mae Black Classic Hydraulic Styling Chair. It is very elegant and modern looking and would be able to fit into any salon.
The soft PVC vinyl upholstery material of this chair along with its form fitting backing makes it a comfortable sitting experience. It can also rotate up to 360 degrees, which makes it convenient for your hairdressers to use.
When it comes to salon stations, kill two birds with one stone and get full length mirrors with sufficient storage place for consumers to store their belongings in. It also helps for the salon station to have a surface to place beverages and magazines for browsing. A good example of this is Salon Smart’s Margot Station.
2. Shampoo Bowls [restrict]
A good ratio is one shampoo bowl for every three stylists. Attached units of shampoo bowls and chairs tend to be on the pricer side but will leave your customers feeling more pampered especially especially if it has the reclining facility. A good example of this is the Unionline Shampoo Backwash Unit. It also has a high density foam seat for extra comfort for your customers.
With attached units, there is also need for you to attach your shampoo bowl to the wall, making your salon look more spacious and posh.
3. Dryers
Hood dryers help you save time by attending to multiple customers at once. You can essentially skip all the manual work with them! Hood dryers come in two forms: The traditional ones on wheels and the ones that are built into the chair. I would recommend the traditional ones as you can easily move them around when needed.
Hood dryers are great for styles that require setting as well as for colour jobs. Look out for hood dryers that have variable speeds and variable heat settings so that you can work with different styles. A great example is the Devlon Northwest Hooded Hair Dryer.
NAILS
1. Pedicure Chairs
Make sure to get pedicure chairs with built in foot baths for pedicures. Or you can also invest in comfortable couch chairs and purchase the foot baths separately. Such as this layout from Singaporean nail salon called The Nail Social.
Most nail places in the South East Asian region do not use manicure tables but instead serve their customers on pedicure chairs so getting couch chairs is a more viable option.
2. Nail Polish Racks
Displaying your nail polish colours is more important than you think. It is not merely for decoration purposes but the myriad of colours will attract consumers in. It will also leave your consumers with a good impression of your salon.
Consider acrylic nail polish racks like the ones above. They give a really clean look to your salon considering they are transparent. Other options you can consider are wooden or metal racks.
3. Drying Lamps
You need to get drying lamps for different services such as gel and normal manicure/pedicure. For gel services, I would recommend LED Nail Lamps as they are more efficient and their bulbs have a lifetime battery. They are also more eco friendly than UV Nail lamps.
My salon personally uses the Gelish 18G Professional LED light that turns on automatically when you place your hand in.
Actionable Takeaway:
Amazon is an amazing place to source for your all your salon equipment! It is easy to compare prices as well as see reviews to make sure that you are getting quality equipment that is worth your money.
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