When it comes to pricing your salon services, it’s best to keep it simple…
Pricing hair and beauty services can be complicated for salon owners, booth renters, and independent stylists alike.
The good news is: A rising trend in salon pricing is taking the guesswork out of hair and beauty prices.
It’s called hourly pricing, and it keeps things simple for salon owners and their clients.
In this blog, we’ll give you the full scoop on hourly pricing: What is it exactly? And should you switch to hourly pricing for your salon?
Let’s dig in!
What Is Hourly Pricing for Hair Salons?
With the latest trend of hourly pricing for salons, the traditional a la carte pricing is becoming old news.
The new hourly pricing structure is simple: The price of the client’s visit is based on time.
So instead of multiple services — with multiple different prices — adding up to a total bill for clients, clients pay one flat rate, no matter the service(s).
Let’s take a look at an example:
Say you’re a client, and you book an appointment online. The stylist charges $75/hour.
The appointment includes color services, lightening, haircut, shampoo and blowout.
If the appointment takes two hours, you’re looking at $150 total. (If the appointment were to take 2.5 hours, your total would be $187.50.)
Pretty simple, right? No surprise add-ons!
Do Clients Tip With Hourly Pricing?
With hourly pricing at your salon, clients don’t have to worry about gratuity, which keeps things simpler for everyone involved.
By charging hourly, the time and services are covered. No need for a tip!
This takes the strain away from the stylist who feels they have to work for tips.
Plus, there’s no more rushing around, trying to squeeze in as many clients as they can in one day!
How Will Hourly Pricing Affect Clients at My Salon?
Good news is: Hourly pricing for your salon is a positive thing for clients.
Though, keep in mind, it may take some education to see how hourly pricing is a win for them.
Here’s how to frame it: With the traditional a la carte structure and pricey add-ons, clients can see their bill quickly go up without even realizing it when they started the appointment.
But with hourly pricing, clients will always get the price they agreed to upon booking.
And don’t forget, clients won’t have to worry about calculating gratuity with hourly pricing, which is a big plus!
How Do Add-on Services Work With Hourly Pricing?
With hourly pricing, add-on services go out the door!
No more surprise price increase for additional services — which your clients will love.
The only price change clients could come across is additional time.
For example: If a two hour appointment was booked, but the appointment runs over by fifteen minutes, making it 2:15 total, the client would be charged for that additional fifteen minutes (or quarter of an hour).
Is Hourly Pricing Better for My Salon?
While the decision to make the switch to hourly pricing is ultimately up to each salon, there are a ton of benefits that come with making the switch.
To help you decide, we’ll wrap up by outlining why hourly pricing could be the best move for the future of the industry.
Benefits of Hourly Pricing for Salons
- More Freedom: Hourly pricing gives you more freedom and flexibility as a stylist, without sacrificing revenue. You’re more in control of your day and you have more freedom to make the amount of money you want.
- Set Your Own Schedule: By switching to hourly pricing at your salon, stylists can decide what they want to make in a year, then build their schedule around that. The amount of days and hours they work is based on their own goals!
- Less Stress: With hourly pricing, stylists are less stressed because they aren’t trying to cram in as many appointments as they can in a day. Plus, removing the pressure to bring in tips also makes life a lot easier on stylists.