Salon & Spa Equipment: Where to Spend vs Where to Save

One of the most crucial aspects of owning a successful beauty business, aside from determining a budget for your essential salon and spa supplies, is knowing which essentials are worth investing in versus items where it’s okay to seek more economical options. Knowing where to spend and where to save helps you stay in budget and make smart purchases that will save you money in the long run.

Whether you’re in the process of opening a salon or looking for better ways to manage finances at your existing business, our smart spending guide covers everything salon and spa owners need to know before buying new equipment and supplies.

High-Quality Salon Essentials: Worth the Investment

When shopping for a salon, there are certain equipment staples that are definitely worth the investment. These include items that directly affect the success of your business through:

• Day-to-day operation & efficiency
• Customer comfort & perception
• Employee morale
• Your aesthetic & vibe

Here are the top priority items you should plan to invest in for your salon:

Salon Chairs

Styling chairs are front and center in every salon setting. While your salon chairs need to look great, their quality and functionality can’t be overlooked. Styling chairs receive the most day-to-day traffic, affecting both the stylist’s ability to work as well as the client’s comfort and overall experience.

Investing in high-quality, professional-grade salon chairs will save you the time, money, and headache of having to frequently replace cheaply made styling chairs.

Minerva Beauty styling chairs offer the following features and benefits:

• 1-year warranty on chair tops
• 2-year warranty on hydraulic chair bases
• High-density foam seat cushions with memory
• Durable, commercial-grade vinyl upholstery with reinforced double stitching
• Heavy duty 5/8" thick 7-ply plywood & steel reinforced frames
• Minimal assembly required

Plus, you can match the styling chair of your choice (we have dozens of designs!) with different base options.

Shop Styling Chairs Online

Styling Stations

Another essential piece of salon equipment that shouldn’t be price shopped is the styling station. Your salon station should be a professional-grade, functional and durable workhorse that enhances your stylists’ productivity – and looks good while doing it!

Minerva Beauty offers an extensive range of salon and barber stations, including single-sided and double-sided styling stations, as well as wall-mounted and free-standing options. Our line of mobile styling stations is perfect for hair salon or barbershop owners looking for space-saving furniture.

From storage cabinets and drawers to mirrors with shelves or LED lighting, we have all the styling station equipment and accessories you need to customize your salon work stations for hairdressers, stylists, and beauty technicians.

Shop Styling Stations Online

Salon Carts & Trolleys

Carts, trolleys and service trays are vital for day-to-day efficiency in a salon, spa, and barbershop setting, so it’s worth investing in a high-quality version built to withstand daily use through back-to-back appointments. You’ll also want to make sure your salon carts have the features you need, in terms of storage, organization and mobility.

The good news is you don’t need to break the bank to invest in premium carts, trolleys and trays - as long as you buy them from a trusted salon equipment supplier. Minerva’s diverse range of high-quality salon carts have design options that suit every style and price point, and are backed by a one-year warranty.

Our salon trolley buying guide gives a helpful rundown of the different styles we offer so you can quickly find the right fit.

Shop Salon Carts & Trolleys Online

Shampoo Systems

Shop the Avery Shampoo System in seven colors

Most, if not all, salon customers would agree that the best and most relaxing part of any appointment is the hair wash at the shampoo station. With the shampoo area being another high traffic section of the salon as well as the area that hosts the clients favorite part of the salon experience, investing in a shampoo system that provides top-of-the-line comfort, quality, and function is key.

Whether you need a backwash unit, sidewash unit, or a shampoo chair with a free-standing sink, Minerva Beauty offers a range of high-quality shampoo systems both clients and stylists will appreciate. Check out our guide to choosing the best salon shampoo bowl and chair for helpful insights and unique features of our best-selling shampoo systems.

Shop all shampoo systems online to explore dozens of models, many with multiple color options!

Hair Dryers

Professional hairdressers should always use professional-grade hot tools, especially when it comes to blow dryers. From innovative features to overall performance and longevity, there is a huge difference between cheap hair dryers and professional blow dryers – making this item an essential top priority investment.

At Minerva Beauty, shop lightweight ionic, tourmaline and nano-ceramic hair dryers in a range of colors with must-have features including air flow and temperature controls, retractable cord and cool shot button.

Styling Tools

Our recommendation that professional stylists should always use professional-grade tools definitely includes styling tools!

Minerva Beauty supplies professional hair styling tools from Sam Villa and other leading brands including flat irons, curling irons, round styling brushes, finishing brushes, paddle brushes, tail combs, sectioning clips and more.

Our durable, high-quality styling tools stand up to frequent use and cleaning in busy hair salons and help stylists deliver the polished and lasting results your clients expect.

Investing Without Overspending

We understand that choosing equipment for the high-traffic areas of your salon is a significant and potentially overwhelming process. That’s why Minerva Beauty offers a wide variety of premium salon equipment in a range of prices and styles: so you can find something that works for your business and budget without compromising on comfort, function, or quality. We also offer financing options to make investing in your business easier.

Economical Salon Supplies to Save On

Now that you’re aware of the salon equipment you need to invest in, let's cover the items you can save money on!

Salon Cleaners & Sanitizers

Providing a clean and safe salon environment for your employees and customers is extremely important when running a successful beauty business. With that being said, the cleaning supplies you use to maintain a sanitized salon environment shouldn’t be a large expense given the amount of economical salon cleaning products on the market today.

From BARBICIDE disinfectants and wipes to salon-approved cleaning products for leather, vinyl, chrome, and metal, Minerva supplies a variety of cleaners and sanitizers with affordable pricing.

Décor

Find inspiration in our salon interior design articles

Adding budget-friendly, decorative items throughout your salon like cute potted plants, printable wall art, stylish trinkets, vintage finds, decorative throw pillows, plush rugs, etc. is an easy way to tie together your salon’s aesthetic without overspending! Once you’ve invested in your salon equipment essentials you can enjoy shopping for attractive, value-priced decorative touches to add personality to your space.

Disposable Supplies

When shopping for disposable items such as salon gloves, cotton balls, hair foil, and other single-use consumables, exploring your most affordable options is the way to go. Since these items will be used and discarded frequently during your day-to-day operations, many disposable salon supplies have cost-friendly, buy-in-bulk options to ensure your business is stocked with the essentials you need!

Tips for Saving Money on Salon Supplies

Now that you have a better idea of where to spend and where to save when equipping your salon, here are some bonus tips and tricks to help you stretch your budget:

Take advantage of all your storage space - Buying salon products and consumables in bulk can save you plenty of cash, which is great if you have the space to stock up on supplies you know you’ll use. Make sure your salon storage is well-organized so you can quickly find what you need.

Sign up for sale alerts - Whether you have your eye on a particular piece of equipment or just get a thrill out of getting the best deal, signing up for email and text alerts from salon suppliers (and/or following them on social media) can help you snag the best price! Check out our clearance section, and sign up for our newsletter (in the footer) so you’ll never miss a special sale.

Make use of multi-purpose equipment - Look for salon equipment you can use for more than one service. For example, our all-purpose salon chairs make great styling chairs and they also recline so you can use them with a shampoo sink. And many of our adjustable massage tables are also ideal for facials and other spa treatments.

Keep track of your inventory - As a business owner you need to keep a close eye on your equipment and supply inventory to protect your investment, prevent over-ordering, reduce waste and monitor usage rates. Square all-in-one POS software for salons makes this easy with downloadable reports, stock alerts and even multi-location inventory management - for no extra cost!

After reading our smart spending guide, we hope you feel confident and ready to begin shopping for your salon business! Minerva Beauty is proud to be the salon, barbershop and spa owner’s go-to partner, not only for all the salon supplies on your checklist, but also for invaluable resources to help lay the foundation for a successful business. Get in touch with us today with your questions!