AW23 is all about luxury hair. It’s a season of pampering clients and ensuring they’ve had an opulent experience. Whilst making your hair space luxurious, warm and inviting doesn’t have to cost the earth, it certainly requires added thought, planning and communication to the team.
With his eponymous salon in Battersea Power Station, Paul Edmonds is synonymous with luxury. “A luxurious space should be relaxing and calm,” says Paul for L’Oréal Professionnel. “Luxurious means different things to different people, but ultimately it’s somewhere that is comfortable and elegant; somewhere that client care appears effortless.”
Here are Paul’s top tips for adding that high-end edge to your salon:
1. Offer a Warm Reception
As the adage goes, first impressions count, and your reception area is how clients judge your business from the second they enter the salon. Ensure it is always clean and tidy and hair is constantly swept away. Above all else, make sure your reception team are trained in how you would like all clients greeted with warmth and professionalism; scripts for answering the phone, greeting customers, taking a bill and rebooking can be invaluable. Make a judgement call on what will appeal to your clients on a luxury level, and ensure all of your team dress and act to reflect this.
2. Invest in the Waiting Area
The waiting area is a major touch point on the client journey, and one that is often neglected. You want clients to feel they are enjoying part of a luxurious experience, not sitting in a dentist’s waiting room. Little touches count. Offer jugs of water with lemon or cucumber, make sure these are regularly refreshed. If you offer magazines, make sure they are upmarket fashion and interior journals, or even a good gossip magazine! Ensure these are always up to date and have a designated person regularly checking these.
3. Offer Refreshments
Offering tea or coffee is now par for the course in any salon, but increasing the range of hot beverages you offer – as well as upgrading to better quality brands – makes a small, but tangible difference to the client experience. If you offer biscuits, have them packaged separately to really create a touch of luxury. If you offer a complimentary glass of fizz, make sure that you don’t devalue this experience for the client – it should be a real treat for them, so present it in a great way. However, ensure you understand the cost of this service, otherwise you fritter away your profits unnecessarily. You shouldn’t need a licence unless you charge for them.
4. Promote High-End Services
Nothing screams luxury more than the services you offer. If you add high-end boutique product treatments to your menu, make sure you use the right emotive language to describe them. Words such as ‘indulgent’, ‘blissful’, ‘personalised’, ‘bespoke’ and ‘exclusive’ all say luxury.
5. Say it with Flowers
Flowers are the perfect way to add a splash of colour and a hint of luxury to any salon. Make sure someone has the responsibility of ensuring they always look fresh – it’s great to add these extra touches, but vases of dead or dying flowers will convey the exact opposite of luxury and indulgence.
6. Don’t Forget the Toilets
If you speak to most women, they judge a restaurant by its toilets – don’t let yourself down at the final hurdle! Clean toilets that are regularly checked, with a good hand wash, hand cream and paper towels can be the icing on the proverbial luxury salon cake.
7. Never Compromise on the Detail
No matter how you have designed your space or your menu of services, it’s all about the detail. Never compromise on this. Continuity is key, so ensure your team are on the same page for long and short-term goals. Remember, getting your teams to buy into your expectations is really important.
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