What equipment do I need to provide for my beautician?

If you’re planning on starting a salon, you’ll need beauticians that can provide service that will keep the customers coming back and beauticians need equipment to do that. You might be wondering what equipment will your beautician need? That depends on if your salon is only doing hair or if you’re adding nails to your salon’s services. Regardless of what you’re doing, we’ll help you get started.

To do hair, a beautician needs the following:

• • A work station with a good-sized counter and mirrors
  • Comfortable chairs that can be adjusted to suit them and their customers
  • Shampoo bowls and dryers.
  • A Point of Service System.

The Work Space

• Personal space

A good rule is to have somewhere between 32-42 inches of space between each shampooing chair. Salon chairs will require about 54 inches of space between each other. A beautician needs a good workspace so that they can move around all sides of a client’s head or both hands or feet. If the space is too cramped, the beautician not only needs to worry about her client, they also need to worry about the position of other beauticians.

Space can be a safety matter since sharp objects are involved and it can be pretty easy to slip on hair. Having to constantly move around each other can slow down service, leading to longer wait times, bad reviews and less of the repeat business salons thrive upon. Some municipalities may also have space requirements so it’s important to check on those as well.

A good workspace also needs a mirror and good lighting. That way, if a customer or beautician can see how their experience is going and if there’s something they’re doing that can be improved upon. It’s an important time-saver too. It’s easier to see the front of a customer’s head in a mirror rather than constantly stopping to go around and check.

• Counter space

Not only do beauticians need a good amount of personal space, but they also need roughly around three feet of counter space. A counter needs to big enough for a beautician to put all their things on and arrange them neatly. A customer isn’t going to want to deal with a beautician whose workspace is a mess. Workspaces also need to be divided so that beauticians aren’t getting each other’s equipment mixed up. That is the sort of small thing that can lead to tension in the workplace and customers can tell when there’s tension and often won’t want to return.

The Importance of Good Chairs

Chairs seem like a small detail if you’re new but having comfortable chairs is important for customers and your staff.

• Customer experience

For some customers, time at the salon is “me time” and it’s an affordable luxury. Therefore, the chairs you purchase should be comfortable for your customer to sit in. Furthermore, making sure the customer has a good place to sit helps the beautician efficiently do their job.

If your chairs are low-quality and uncomfortable for the customer, that can lead to a lot of fidgeting and a customer constantly stopping to try and reposition themselves into a more comfortable position. This can cause slower service or worse, a botched haircut/styling. A comfortable chair can be more important if your salon is catering to families since children can be more sensitive to this discomfort and vocal about it. Regardless of the audience, you don’t want to get a review that said that something as simple as a chair was bad.

• Beautician experience

Keeping the customers coming back is important for any beautician but it’s also important that their comfort is prioritized as well. A beautician’s work is physically demanding and as a salon owner, you should keep their experience in mind as well. A chair will need to have a functional height adjustment mechanism to make sure the beautician has an easy time serving their customers. If the adjustment mechanism is faulty, they will have to hunch over or stretch to reach up high. This can cause issues when giving haircuts such as physical pain.

The chair also has to be easy to clean. Part of a beautician’s responsibilities is to keep their workspaces and chairs clean so that customers aren’t turned off. Using an easy-to-clean material for chairs or at least chair covers will cut down on the work a beautician has to do. The chair also needs to be durable so that beauticians don’t get frequently stuck with broken equipment.

Other Hair Essentials

• Shampoo bowls

Shampooing is a typical service for a salon. Typically, there’s one shampoo bowl for every three beauticians. Like the chairs, they should be adjustable and work well with the chairs to handle clients of all heights so that customers and beauticians have a good experience.

To avoid giving customers neck pain, some products keep customers comfortable during the shampooing. There are rubber tips that can be fitted over shampoo bowls that will reduce the risk of neck pain. You will want these. Neither you nor your staff wants customers to associate your salon with pain.

• Hairdryers

Having high-quality hair driers is important for multiple reasons. For starters, a lot of customers desire hairstyles that require them to be dried as soon as possible. Some hair coloring jobs may also require a hairdryer. The last thing a beautician wants to do is to tell a potential customer that they don’t have the tools they need. That costs them and your money.

A hairdryer also increases productivity and customer turnaround. While one customer sits and waits for their hairstyle to set, a beautician can swing over to start on a different customer. This can cut down on wait times. This can be important during peak operating times and busy seasons.

A Point of Service System for Salons

One important piece of equipment for salons is a Point of Service system geared towards salons. Not only is it convenient for the owner to keep track of things like supplies and sales, but it can also help the beauticians. There are specialty POS systems for salons that help them not only keep track of sales and tips but also appointments and data on customers like their personal hair preferences.

Why Do Nails?

The answer to why you may want to add nail service to your salon is really easy: Most other salons have that service. People often like to do things on one trip. So giving your beautician the ability to offer hair and nail services in one trip means they get more customers. Which means more money for you.

To do nails, a beautician will need the following

• • Nail polish racks and drying lamps
  • Pedicure chairs/manicure stations
  • Sanitation stations.

• Nail polish rack

Getting nails done can sometimes be an impulse. Kind of like buying candy before reaching the cash register at the grocery store. To create the impulse, give your beauticians nail polish racks that can display a rainbow of colors. You’ll also want drying lamps. These can dry the polish faster and provide a relaxing experience while avoiding smudges that can lead to time/money wasting free touch-ups.

•Doing manicures/pedicures

Much like with standard salon chairs, your pedicure chairs/manicure stations should keep the comfort of customers and beauticians in mind. This means making sure they are comfortable for your customers to sit in and easy enough for your staff to work with. This includes things like making sure the foot baths for the pedicure chairs are easy to clean frequently.

Check out our tips on nail salons HERE.

• Sanitation stations

For legal reasons and good customer experience, you’ll also need sanitation stations. You don’t want customers complaining about infections. It also reduces health risks to your beautician.

Furthermore, states have health requirements that you must meet as an owner. Getting a bad grade on a sanitation inspection will drastically harm your business.

Being a business owner is all about giving your employees the things they need to succeed. By giving your beauticians the proper equipment, you can create a successful salon.

Related Questions

How will I know which equipment to get?

Sometimes, it’s a matter of doing research. Sometimes, it’s a matter of going around and looking at what other salons have and trying it yourself. Take chairs for example. If you have the chance to go to a salon and sit in the type of chair you’re looking to buy. A good rule of thumb is that if you don’t like it, the customers and staff won’t like it either.

How will I know what beauticians need to stay motivated?

The key to everything is fostering an open line of communication. Talk to your staff. While Google searches can be handy and a good place to start, they are no replacement for talking to the people who work in your salon about what they need to be successful.

Where do I get this equipment?

Typically, you can find salon supplies online through specialty stores. However, you can also take a look at salons that are closing since they are a good place to get secondhand equipment and save money without sacrificing the needs of your beauticians.​

Looking to start your own Salon? Get the documents you need to get organized and funded here.

Please note: This blog post is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Please consult a legal expert to address your specific needs.