Open Floor Plan versus Closed Floor Plan

Take a walk with me down memory lane: I remember being serviced in a mall salon for a "press and curl service" . . . I remember the salon being an "open floor plan." I remember my blow-dry service left me looking like "Don King" before the pressing part of the service began. I remember people walking through the mall passing by the salon only to backtrack to see my hair standing straight up on top of my head. Servicing natural "Black hair" can draw quite a crowd especially in a mall.

For someone like Don King (celebrity promoter pictured here) whose signature look is his hair standing straight up, an "open floor plan" similar to the one pictured here is not a big deal. However, many Black women prefer a more "closed-in booth" away from the public eye.

When choosing a salon layout, remember the privacy of your clientele. Celebrities definitely want more privacy, and every client wants to feel like a celebrity when they leave out the door.

Most salons specializing in quick haircuts will more than likely be an "open floor plan." Salons that offer more chemical services should consider more "closed-in" floor plans with semi-private stations.

Salon Suites and Individual Styling Studios

Photo credit: www.saloncentralnc.com

Pictured is an individual styling suite. Most suites range from $150 per week to $399 per week. Depending on the area, location, etc.

Benefits: 1) Salon ownership without the extra overhead. Just pay booth rent for your own "lock and key." 2) Most suites still require a separate business license and separate salon license. You can have your own salon name and Suite number. 3) You can have privacy with your clients versus the open floor plan. 4)You do not have to worry about recruiting other hairstylists to help pay booth rent on time.

In this day and time, most people only seek hair appointments by specific stylist referral. The salons that feed off a lot of walk-in traffic are chain salons like Great Clips, Sports Clips, Famous Hair, SuperCuts, Costcutters, MasterCuts, etc. The price points are quite fair, and most people know that it is a gamble going to these types of places as to your final outcome.

So what about the traditional salons? There are benefits to working in a traditional salon too such as 1) Bonding with a team. 2) Experimenting with new products on other team members versus the client. 3) Backup assistance for full foil haircolor or just another team member to give a second opinion. 4) Training sessions and more people to learn from.

Whether you choose the traditional salon or the salon suite, you do not make money without clientele. It is a business. You do not keep 100% of your income from services if you are commissioned, but it is a great way to build clientele and leave when you are ready to become independent.