I have had many conversations with fellow hair stylists about things at work that frustrate us. Some people are just rude, no doubt. But I also think that maybe a lot of clients aren’t aware of the behavior that is expected in a salon environment. So I pitched the idea of writing a blog post about salon etiquette for clients, and the idea was very well received by both stylists and clients. I asked other hairstylists to tell me what they think they biggest problems in the salon are, and asked clients to tell me what questions they had about what’s expected of them. I boiled it down to the most mentioned points, and hope to cover as much as possible here.
Some of the things that were mentioned to me didn’t feel like they fit under “etiquette” so much as just… tips for a good experience or how to handle certain situations; I plan on writing another post, or more likely a series of posts with more information on how to do things like book appointments, communicate to your stylist what you want, tell your stylist that you are unhappy, and how to find a salon, amongst other things. If your question wasn’t answered here, it probably will be in the future, so keep an eye out!
These points can all vary widely from salon to salon, so if you are unsure about something, talk to the receptionist at your salon of choice. I also want to make it very clear that NONE of this is aimed directly at any of my clients, and there are always special situations and circumstances, so please don’t take offense or take anything personally, it was definitely not intended that way at all! None of these points are meant to attack anyone or make anyone feel uncomfortable. They are meant to make the best experience for you, the client, as well as the salon staff.
So here are some guidelines about salon etiquette. If you have anything constructive and helpful to add, or if you have any questions, please leave a comment!
♥ Show up to your appointment. If you know that you need to reschedule, make sure to call the salon at least 24 hours in advance so that your stylist has a chance to fill your spot. It’s understandable that things come up at the last minute sometimes, but if you cancel at the last minute or don’t show up, you may be charged a fee, especially if you are chronically canceling at the last minute or not showing up to your appointments. Not only does not showing up take money out of your stylist’s pocket and prevent them from being able to fill your spot with someone else who may be trying to get in, but it also says to them that you don’t respect them or their time, and no one likes to feel like that.
♥ Don’t be late. A lot of stylists are on very tight schedules and most likely have another appointment coming in right after you. If you are running late, you should call the salon and let them know that you are on your way. To me, five minutes is acceptable. If you are 10 minutes late, or more, chances are you are not going to be able to receive the full services that you were booked for. Most salons consider you to be a no-show if you are more than 15 minutes late. Depending on the salon, you may still be charged for your service if you don’t show up, or you may be charged a fee, especially if you are chronically no-showing for appointments. This relates to the “show up to your appointment” point.
♥ Don’t be too early to your appointment. I know, I just told you not to be late, and for most people, that’s common logic, but you also shouldn’t be too early. 5 or even 10 minutes early is totally fine and also appreciated, but 20-30 minutes early is excessive. The reason that you shouldn’t show up too early is that it puts your stylist and the client that is before you in an awkward and stressful situation. Even if you don’t mind waiting, no one likes to make anyone wait on them and your stylist is going to feel rushed, as is the client that they are currently working on. It is unfair to the client that is currently in their chair because it can make them feel guilty or make them feel like they might not be getting the full experience of their service. Even if your stylist is not currently working on anyone, you may be intruding on their scheduled lunch time which is equally uncomfortable.
♥ Children in the salon. This varies a lot from salon to salon, so you should ask about their policies when in doubt. My feelings are that unless your child is receiving a service, you should not bring them with you. If you do bring them with you, there should absolutely be someone else there, who is NOT receiving a service to watch them, and they should stay in the waiting area. You can not keep an eye on your child while getting your hair cut or colored, and your stylist is not a babysitter, nor is the receptionist or any other staff member. Salons are also really no place for young children to be, both because there are other clients trying to relax, and for the safety of your child; There is hair everywhere, there are people moving quickly with sharp objects in their hands, and there are harsh chemicals being used which can and do get dropped.
♥ Bringing other people with you to your appointment. This will also vary depending on the salon. If the other person will be receiving a service as well, then of course it is totally acceptable. In my salon, I don’t really mind if people bring one friend or family member with them to their appointment, but our space is also small so sometimes it gets pretty crowded. At most salons if you bring someone with you, they will need to stay in the waiting area; It’s just unrealistic to have a bunch of people standing in the way for no reason. It really baffles me when people feel that they need to bring a whole entourage with them to get their hair done, I also notice this a lot in tattoo shops. You really don’t need the support of 8 of your friends in order to get any kind of service done. Really, you don’t.
♥ Tipping. Yes, this is a service industry, and as in any service industry, tipping is the norm. This is not to say that you HAVE to tip. It is a gratuity of course, and anything is appreciated. If you were terribly unhappy with your service (i.e. you felt that the stylist was rude, didn’t listen, etc.) then don’t tip, or tip less. If you are confused about how much to tip, you aren’t alone, most people are unsure. Sometimes I am in the awkward position where my client is asking me how much they should tip me. I generally tell people that, once again, it is a gratuity and anything is appreciated, but leaving the same percentage as you would in a restaurant is a good rule to go by. 15% of the service price for good service, 20% or more if your stylist went above and beyond to make you look and feel good. To give you an idea, I charge $35 for a haircut $5 is the most common tip that I get, though $10 is not unusual. Of course sometimes I get less, and there have been instances where I have gotten much more, even 100% tip, which IS unusual, but makes me feel awesome! I have heard some people say “Well, if they want more money, why don’t they just charge more to begin with instead of expecting a tip?” I personally look at tips as a reflection of how well I am doing with customer service, and determine whether or not I need improvement with a particular client, and not as just being greedy and wanting more money. It’s “feel good” money, a way for clients to show that they appreciate you as a stylist.
♥ Don’t haggle. We have a set price range for a reason. Salons that charge more don’t do it in order to boost their egos and be snobby and superior (Well, I’m sure some of them do, but generally I don’t feel that is the case.) Salons that charge more factor a lot of things into their price, including your stylist’s ongoing education, rent in a particular part of town, utilities (lights, running blow dryers, hot water for your shampoo, constantly washing and drying towels and capes, etc.), coffee for clients, replacing expensive tools which get worn out (my blow dryer and flat iron are both worth around $200 and my shears are worth about $350, they also have to be sharpened regularly), buying new color and products to be used on clients, etc. not to mention of course, profit for your stylist… it’s their job, that’s how the make money to live off of. I mentioned ongoing education; The more advanced or specialized your stylist is, or the more in demand they are, they more they will charge for their services. They are investing time and money into making themselves better, and should be compensated duly. This is why many salons implement different “levels” within their salon; Stylists who are newer will charge less for their services than stylists who have been doing it longer, have more education, or are in higher demand. I know I’ve gone off on a bit of a tangent here, my starting point was not to haggle. Don’t try to get a discount, this just says to the stylist that you don’t value them or their services. If you can’t afford a particular stylist’s price, then you should find another stylist. You wouldn’t try to talk down the price of a doctor’s appointment or a meal at a restaurant, so don’t do it in the salon.
♥ Don’t try to squeeze your way in. I don’t mean that it’s not okay to ask if a same-day appointment is available, that’s fine. What’s not so fine is being upset if you aren’t able to get in at the last minute, or trying to smash yourself into an already full schedule by saying “Well couldn’t you cut my hair while someone’s color is processing?” or “Well couldn’t you come in early or stay late to do my hair?”. It’s rude, plain and simple. If your stylist says they don’t have time, accept it. They don’t have time. We have lives outside of the salon too, with families, and social engagements, and errands to run. We more than likely do NOT want to cram someone in at the last minute after we have already been booked solid the entire day. If you need to get in on a particular day, make your appointment in advance. One of the things I hate most is when I am clearly packing up and getting ready to leave for the day, coat on, purse in hand, and someone asks if I can stay to cut their hair because they simply must have it done right then and there. At that point in the game, even if I do have time, it makes me not want to do it on principle.
Well, that’s it from me. I hope I covered everything! Please comment and let me know if you found this post helpful and if there is anything in particular that you’d like me to cover in future blog posts!
Did you like this post? I am a professional hairstylist, so this is the sort of stuff I get paid to do “in real life”. While I offer this for free on my blog, please consider making a small donation if you found this post helpful. All these years later, and I am still paying off my student loans :)
(Fast and secure via PayPal!)
(photo credits: dandelion14, Brandon C Warren, borman818)
I like the blog. Allot of good info. One Q I have sorta in this are is how to get a stylist to do my daughter’s hair. I am willing to pay normal adult rates & she will sit still but when ever I try to get it set up, they always look so uncomfortable that it make me not schedule it. She is seven but has lots of very thick wavy hair. Anytime I get it cut at a kid salon it looks like I spent $7 on it when in reality I spent $40. I see other little girls with cute cuts & ask parent where they went but when I show up with my girl, maybe they think I am unwilling to pay? Even though I say I am? I show up with cash & she is a cooperative kid. What can I say to convince them that I will pay for her to have a good cut?
Thanks for your feedback! I am going to write out a reply for you with some ideas and include it in next week’s blog post!
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by mollyloretta, Kelsi E.. Kelsi E. said: NEW BLOG POST! Salon Etiquette for Clients! http://www.kelsidoeshair.com/?p=700 please RT if you find it helpful! [...]
Twitter: theMollyMurder
says:
What a lot of people don’t realize is that it costs a stylist money to maintain their license as well. Not only do they have to do continuing education (which can be hefty, and salons don’t usually pay for ALL of it), but it costs money to renew the license. And they can’t renew without that education.
It’s a lot of work to be a good stylist, and even more to be a great one. It’s not all easy peasy like a lot of people think it is. It’s work, and hard work, that can be very draining.
/End rant.
Yeah, I didn’t even go into all of the costs involved because there are soooooo many things that you would never think of. The licenses, like you said, of course. Personally, I have to pay to maintain my cosmetology license, as well as a business license to operate in Washington state, and another, separate business license to operate within the city of Arlington, and then ANOTHER separate license to be a booth renter at all(they consider you your own salon). They all have to be renewed yearly, except for the cosmetology license, which I think is every 3 years. Then, of course, I have to have liability insurance. I don’t have health insurance or anything like that for myself because I just can’t afford anything that isn’t legally necessary. Not all stylists have to personally pay for these things, but at least the salons that they work in have to, and that is why the salon gets such a big cut of what is paid to the stylist. As you also mentioned, education can be VERY expensive. Since my salon is a Paul Mitchell Focus Salon, we can request that educators come in to our salon and give us classes, which is free, but if we want to do anything beyond that, we have to pay for it ourselves. There is a big show with lots of classes coming up in Las Vegas this summer that I would love to go to, but I think admission is around $500, and then of course you have to pay for airfare, hotel, etc. It all adds up in a big way, and it’s not all pure profit like a lot of people assume. I have to pay taxes too. PAY taxes. I miss the days of getting a return, but I totally appreciate it when people who do get returns come in and spend some of that withe me, haha.
Yes! thank you for making this post, i agree with all this and more. i certainly think there should be a no kids with dreadlocks rule. I am constantly getting parents who bring in their kids who practically have dreads in the back of their hair, and they want me to comb it out.. often it takes about 30 min and the kid is in tears while the parent stands over me saying ” see this is why you have to brush your hair”
not even hair brushing though… just any child disciplinary action through hair. ie: your boy with longer hair does something wrong so you bring him in and make me shave his head. all the while telling him it is all his fault.
It makes me feel like a monster ( and personally i think that HAS to be some form of child abuse)
it’s probably more common at my work place since kids cuts are only 12$ and thats about the cheapest you will get in my city.
but it still sucks.
anyways, love the post!
Thank you for reading! And about the haircuts as punishment, that is awful! I haven’t personally had to do that, but I don’t have many kids as clients. If they aren’t old enough to sit still, I don’t want to do it. I’m not great with kids to begin with. I have no younger siblings, I have no children of my own (nor do I want any) and I am never around kids, so I am not the best at dealing with them. I agree about the brushing though. Even some adults come in with their hair so tangled that it takes me half an hour to pick out all of the knots before I can even start the cut. I think if they really need help getting it untangled, I think that they should mention it at the time that they set the appointment so that you can be sure to allow extra time, and if you need to, charge extra to cover that time. For example, I had someone make an appointment for a little 2 year old girl the other day. She is mixed ethnicity and her very tightly curled hair was very dry and had never been cut before so her mother was having trouble getting it combed out. When they set the appointment, they mentioned that they were having problems with it and that I would need to untangle it and brush it out and condition it well. That made my life a whole lot easier because I had the information that I needed to book out extra time and I knew what to prepare for. It’s much better than just showing up and saying “So yeah. Sorry about all of the matting in her hair. We can’t brush it”. That would have bothered me.
I’ve always wondered what hairdressers “expected” for tips. I usually always tip, but growing up my mother would always take us to a lady’s private salon and she told us that we didn’t need to since all the money went to her anyways, and she would delegate how much went where. I love that you explained the costs of being a hairdresser and why it’s cheaper at some places and not at others. I will always pay more for someone who is investing in their craft. Looking forward to reading the rest!
Ayla
Thanks for your feedback, I’m glad that you found it helpful! Tipping seems to be something that confuses a lot of people, I probably get asked about that more than anything so I knew I definitely wanted to go over that in my blog post. I think that it’s awful for people to reluctantly tip just because they feel like they have to. It takes away from the whole idea of tipping. I figured explaining a little bit about pricing structure would help people see the value in things :) Thank you again for reading and commenting!
I love this post! Especially the tipping… I have such a hard time with that. I shoot for 25% but I’ve never known what’s polite for salons. :)
I look forward to your post on commnicating with your stylist–that’s another thing I have trouble with. Some people say stylists hate when people bring in pictures, but I don’t know how to describe what I want.
Another question I have is, is there anyway to tell what the cut’s going to look like the day after? I always ask how much upkeep a style is going to take, and don’t get anything they don’t think will look decent wash-and-wear, but there have been so many times when it looks fabulous leaving the salon thanks to product and hot ironing, and the next day… not so much.
Thank you! You rock! =D
Thanks, I’m glad you found the post helpful! I think 25% is great :) Keep an eye out in a few weeks for the post about communicating with your stylist. I will try to remember to cover your question about how a cut will look the day after in another post too!
Hi Kelsi
Great post, really good advice.
Just found your site and added it to my reader. Looking forward to your other posts as there is so much confusion about salon protocols and etiquette.
Christina @ Hair Romance
Thank you for the feedback, I really appreciate it! And I”m glad that you found it to be imformative :) I just checked out your blog too, and I am looking forward to your posts!
[...] Finished writing this post about Salon Etiquette for Clients, check it out if you haven’t [...]
Great article! What is the etiquette if you accidentally miss your appointment? I had cut and color scheduled and completely forgot about the appointment (had made the appointment 3 months prior and did not get a reminder call from the salon and I forgot to write it down on my calendar). I’ve rescheduled, but am unsure how I am supposed to make up for missing the appointment? Do I need to tip double? I spend $80 for cut and $110 for color and usually tip 20% on both. I am just really unsure what to do as I’ve never had this happen before.
I’m glad you enjoyed it, thank you for taking the time to comment! As long as it’s your first time missing an appointment and you rescheduled to come back in, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Tipping extra would definitely be appreciated. You might want to mention it just so they know. Like, “I felt so badly about missing my last appointment that I left you an extra big tip. I’ll make sure to write my next appointment on my calendar this time!” And be sure to re-book your next appointment. When my clients re-book, I usually write down the appointment on the back of one of my business cards and give it to them to take home and keep. If you’d like them to write it down for you, just ask, I’m sure they’d be more than happy to. And tipping extra isn’t necessary, but it would definitely be appreciated by your stylist!
[...] Best Tools and Products for Lightened Hair ♥ 5 Tips To Make Your Hair Color Last! ♥ Salon Etiquette For Clients ♥ Video: Easy Grecian Inspired Updo [...]
Hey Kelsi, loved this blog, made me feel a bit more comfortable going for my appointment. I do have a question, is it rude to ask to have your hair cut before it’s colored? I have very long, thick hair and am planning a short bob. Will also change colour from dark blonde to light. I appreciate all you said about the costs involved for a stylist but I can’t bear the thought if paying to get my long hair colored then cutting it all off!! Thanks again for all your tips!!
If you’re getting your hair cut and colored at the same appointment, your stylist will almost certainly at least cut off the excess length before they start coloring it as long as you tell them that you want to cut it bob length. Personally, I would do a rough cut with your hair dry, then color it, wash, and go back in and do the actual haircut. That way I would only have to wash and dry your hair once, instead of twice, and I wouldn’t be coloring a lot of hair that I am just going to cut off anyway. Thanks for your comment, I’m glad you enjoyed the post! Please feel free to share it with anyone else you think would find it useful!
HI Kelsi,
Nice post. The only problem I got is everytime I bring my 6 years old daughter for hair cut and she always cries. Sometimes she refused to get her haircut even she already sat in front of the hair stylish. I could see the hair stylish also get frustrated on her. What is the best suggestion you can make?
Best Regards
Wilson Tiong
Wilson Tiong recently posted..Minoxidil Shampoo
That’s a tough one. First, try to find a stylist who is very comfortable with cutting children’s hair. Just because they are great with your hair doesn’t mean they are best equipped to deal with a 6 year old. The stylist should like kids and enjoy cutting kids hair so that they have a shot at making your daughter feel more at ease, and will have the patience to get through the haircut. I have people ask me if I do kids cuts sometimes, and I tell them that if their child is old enough to sit still through the haircut then I’m happy to do it, but if they are very young or prone to have a tantrum, then I’m not the best person for the job since I don’t have kids or any younger siblings and don’t feel incredibly comfortable with children. There are also salons geared especially toward kids that you might try. The stylists there are used to dealing with kids and they have things to help keep them entertained so that going to get a haircut is a fun experience for them.