Offering add-on services to clients during their appointments is a surefire way to increase revenue while enhancing their overall experience. Whether it’s a deep-conditioning treatment or a brow service, there are a variety of extras you can upsell to clients that will make them feel pampered while maximizing your profits. Add-ons are also an excellent way to make your business stand out and keep your customers coming back for more.
From stateside to across the pond, we sat down with four industry pros to discover the best in-salon services to boost your bottom line. Read on to discover their recommendations for add-ons that will appeal to clients and help increase salon sales.
Credit: Michelle Schindler (@michelleschindler)
Reparative Treatments
For clients that want added moisture and shine, hairstylist Michelle Schindler (@michelleschindler) offers several deep conditioning and hair repair treatments at Seven + Satin Salon (@sevenandsatinsalon) in Beverly Hills, California. She says that one of her most profitable add-ons is the Olaplex 4-in-1 Moisture Mask treatment, which costs approximately $50 and takes about 30 minutes to complete. Schindler recommends that her clients return once or twice per month for this treatment to help maintain their results and enjoy stronger, smoother, and healthier-looking hair.
At Ena Salon (@enasalon) in London, hairstylist Heather King (@heatherkinghair) offers clients a K18 Mist and Mask treatment, which she describes as a high-value, high-impact service that combines K18’s Professional Molecular Repair Hair Mist and Professional Molecular Repair Mask. This treatment’s processing time of four minutes is ideal both for her and her clients with busy schedules. She loves that it allows her to use her time behind the chair more efficiently by applying the mist during her consultations and the mask while at the shampoo station.
Credit: Michelle Schindler (@michelleschindler)
Hair Gloss Treatments
Schindler says that another one of her most profitable add-on services is a hair gloss treatment like Redken Shades EQ Gloss. “The Redken Shades EQ Gloss treatment can be added to almost any color service or applied on its own as a clear gloss,” she says. “This hair gloss add-on is probably my biggest and easiest upsell.” Each Redken Shades EQ Gloss service takes about 30 minutes and costs $150 at her salon. Results last for approximately four to six weeks, and according to Schindler, this add-on has the potential to generate an additional $15,000 to $20,000 per year in revenue.
Men’s Grooming Services
Offering add-on services specifically for men can have big payoffs for your salon’s revenue, with more and more men now seeking professional haircare and in-salon grooming services. According to Dina Piazza, owner of The Wild Hair Salon (@thewildhairlakevilla) in Illinois, offering add-on services for men is a worthwhile addition to her salon menu. She offers several add-ons especially for men at her salon, such as a “Men’s Wash House Special” for $45.
The 45-minute service includes a men’s haircut, an invigorating mini-scalp massage with a hot towel treatment, and extra attention to the brows, beard, and mustache after the haircut. Piazza uses American Crew Daily Moisturizing Conditioner with cooling menthol for the scalp massage.
Credit: Dina Piazza & The Wild Hair Salon (@thewildhairlakevilla)
À La Carte Specials
Piazza also offers special packages on all of her add-on treatments, which allows her clients to purchase multiple services at a discounted price. To promote her offerings, she created a lookbook called “Wash House Specials,” which features a menu and enticing photos of the products and services she offers. For her, this menu has been the key to helping her clients understand each of her specials and choose the right one for their needs.
“I charge anywhere from $25 to $55 for my add-ons. My business goals are based on what I want to make per day to reach the yearly income I want,” she says. “Let’s say I have a goal of six extra $50 treatments per week–only, one each day. That would boost my income by $300 per week, which adds an extra $15,600 to my annual income.” Piazza explains that, if she sold two extra services from her add-on menu per day, it would equal roughly $31,200 more per year.
Credit: Marco Pelusi (@marcopelusi)
Brow Services
Brow services are one of the best ways to boost profits while your client is in the chair. Marco Pelusi (@marcopelusi), owner of Marco Pelusi Hair Studio in West Hollywood, California, has consistently rented a chair in his salon to eyebrow artists for almost 20 years. He offers a variety of brow services at his salon, including waxing and tinting, with costs starting at $50.
“An eyebrow artist uses little to no electricity and zero water, whereas hair professionals are using lots of towels, water, and electricity all day long,” he says. “Renting a chair in my salon to an eyebrow artist has helped cut into my monthly outside laundry bill by around 25 percent.”
Relaxation Services
Salons can often be busy and loud places, which is why Piazza created a Relaxation Room in her salon for her clients to unwind. The private room offers a cozy atmosphere with a fireplace and meditation music, and guests can reserve it for anywhere from 15 minutes up to an hour. Relaxation Room add-ons start at $15 per session and go up to a package of $250. She says she maximizes her profits by outfitting her Relaxation Room with self-care retail items, such as an amethyst crystal mat that helps reduce stress and aids in circulation.
“I like to offer extra services for my guests so that I can enhance their experience and make sure they’re getting the very best care possible,” Piazza says. “If you always exceed their expectations, they will trust you and allow you to guide them with these extra services, and then tip you like a rock star.”
Next Up: Liquid Hair: The Glossy Hair Trend Your Clients Will Love
Header image credit (left to right): Seven + Satin Salon (@sevenandsatinsalon), Marco Pelusi (@marcopelusi), and Michelle Schindler (michelleschindler)
