Create an Ideal Guest Experience at Your Salon

salon guest experience upon walking in to a hair salon

Focusing on the guest experience is crucial to your business’s success. When a client leaves your salon, what will they remember? What parts of their experience will make them think of you when it’s time to book again? If you’re not sure where to begin, these six strategies have ideas and examples to get you started:

1. Know Your Clients

Tailor your tone and offerings to the specific market your salon serves. Consider your clientele’s age range, budget and priorities, and always keep your core and/or target client base in mind when making decisions that affect your guests’ experience at your salon.

Come up with creative ways to provide custom solutions for your clients. Take the time to ask if your client has any questions, and offer consultations. Depending on what type of salon or salon suite you have, you could personalize service by using aromatherapy, playing music they enjoy, and offering samples of products you think they’d like.

"Building a good customer experience does not happen by accident. It happens by design." - Clare Muscutt, Founder & CEO of Women in CX

2. A Great Experience Starts Before They Arrive

Make sure your location, directions, parking info, business hours, contact info, policies and other details are clear, consistent, and up to date everywhere your clients (and potential clients) may find them, including your:

Website
Social media
Free online business listings (Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Apple Business Connect)
Signage
Business cards, brochures, etc
Online booking software

The last thing you want is for someone to be inconvenienced because your salon wasn’t open when they thought it would be, or because they had a hard time finding their way to your door.

Share accessibility details. Of course you’ll want to make your salon as accessible as possible for guests with varying degrees of mobility. You should also make accessibility information easy to find! Update all your digital platforms with information about wheelchair accessibility for your entrance and restrooms, and whether you offer handicap-friendly salon styling chairs.

Have a strategy for online reviews. Whether your clients review you on Google, Facebook, Yelp or elsewhere, everyone checks for reviews before trying a business for the first time. If a new guest reads positive reviews of your salon online before visiting, they’re predisposed to have a better experience.

Make it easy for your clients to leave reviews. You can provide a QR code in your salon, or send a link via text or email.

Be proactive and get in the habit of asking happy customers if they’d be willing to leave a review for your business. If you happen to get a negative review, respond promptly and professionally (potential clients will see that too).

3. Simplify Communication

Make it easy for your guests to stay in touch by offering online booking and payments. If your salon can be reached by phone or email, make your contact information is available and be clear about how people should reach out. Guests (and front desk staff) love the ease of automated texts for appointment confirmations. Chairside digital management of payments, bookings and preferences provides a smoother experience for both guests and stylists.

Square Appointments provides all-in-one POS software for salons, with a special offer available for Minerva Beauty customers.

4. Create a Comfortable Environment

Your salon’s interior design, layout and equipment play an important part in the guest experience. Stay on top of these four aspects to create an inviting space they’ll look forward to revisiting.

Reception Area

Impress your guests from the moment your they walk through the doors by creating a welcoming reception area. Put yourself in a new visitor’s shoes: make sure your space looks clean and attractive, and that it’s clear where to go upon arrival.

Greet guests with a warm welcome and inform them about refreshments, facilities, and how long they should expect to wait.

salon reception area that provides a great guest experience with ample seating, reading material and product displays

Minerva Beauty offers a wide selection of retail and reception equipment to help create the ideal waiting area for your salon.

Design, Layout & Aesthetic

Your salon’s interior design serves as the visual representation of your company and heavily impacts how clients feel while they’re in your salon. When it comes to the look and décor of your space, hone in on an aesthetic that reflects your brand and the services you provide.

It’s also important to create a cohesive layout for your salon and spa equipment. Good feng shui provides a harmonious environment for both your clients and staff.

salon interior that creates a relaxing experience for guests with soft lighting, a cohesive color scheme and a layout that promotes ease of movement

We offer a 2D space planner, style guide, and interior design inspiration to help you create a comfortable experience for your guests.

Perfect Lighting

Lighting is a crucial aspect of ambiance that directly affects the energy and mood. If possible, leverage large windows, prop open doors and strategically place mirrors to maximize sunlight and create a refreshing yet soothing atmosphere. Making use of natural light is also a great way to help your salon be more sustainable!

If access to natural light is limited, use ambient energy-efficient lighting instead. LEDs with a high CRI (Color Rendering Index) render full-spectrum color more accurately, so you and your guests can see their hair color closer to how it looks in natural light.

hair salon with natural light and diffuse LED lighting with large mirrors and a variety of colored hair extensions on display

We offer a wide range of lighting options, from LED salon mirrors with color correct lighting to energy-saving floor lamps, ring lights and task lights.

Quality Equipment & Furnishings

To create a relaxing environment, outfit your salon with high-quality equipment that’s comfortable, functional and stylish. Your styling chairs, drying/processing chairs and shampoo systems are the most important pieces to get right since your guests will spend most of their time on them.

Keep your salon equipment in good condition. Our guides to salon chair maintenance and shampoo system maintenance make upkeep simple.

5. Show Appreciation

The guest experience continues even after they’ve left your salon! Customer appreciation should never be overlooked. Automate your email and text campaigns to send your clients after-visit messages thanking them for visiting and asking for feedback.

Follow-ups are also a great opportunity to ask for a review, a proactive way to prevent or manage complaints, and a simple gesture that shows guests you're constantly seeking to improve.

6. Provide Irresistible Value

Offer fun promotions your guests will want to take advantage of. Generate interest and energy with promotions for holidays, birthdays or whenever you decide to use them.

Examples include offering a complimentary gift when a guest pre-books their next appointment, sale prices on products or a limited time offer for a specific service. Check out even more salon promotion ideas and learn how to measure effectiveness.

In addition to all-in-one POS software, Square offers a variety of social media features so you can schedule posts in advance and put your promotions for the season (or the whole year!) on autopilot.

When it comes to optimizing the guest experience, consistency is key. Aim to provide the ultimate experience for your clients on every single visit. Repeat business provides an astounding 80% of revenue for salons, so always give your guests a reason to come back!

Keep reading for ten ways to elevate guest experience at a luxury hair salon.