For years, women have relied on professionals to help them look and feel their very best. From haircuts to body wraps, today's salons offer more than ever before, but services are just the surface. Beauty salons create inviting environments that should cater to your personality and style. The first step is finding the right beauty parlor for you.
Qualities of Good Beauty Salons
When checking out potential places consider:
- Services
- Location and hours of operation
- Pricing
- Atmosphere
- Qualifications and training of the staff
Services
The services a salon offers vary. It may be primarily a hair shop that offers few other services, or it may be a full-service salon offering everything from waxing to body wraps. It's important to determine exactly what you're looking for. The following are services beauty salons may offer:
- Hair:Cuts, styling, formal hair styles, coloring, highlights, perms, relaxers, deep conditioning treatments, hair extensions
- Hands and Feet: Manicures, pedicures, polishing, artificial nails (acrylic, gel, and more), paraffin wax treatments, massage
- Cosmetics: Formal or bridal make-up, make-up lessons, airbrush make-up, false eyelash application
- Body: Tanning, spray tanning, massage, waxing, hair removal, body wraps, body scrubs, aromatherapy
- Face: Facials, peels, masks, microdermabrasion, paraffin wraps
Increasingly, beauty salons are offering more services as standard options. Some even offer minor cosmetic enhancements or surgeries at their facilities by medical professionals.
Location and Hours of Operation
Even if all you are looking for us a place to get a good haircut, it's important to find a location that's easily accessible to you. Since professional stylists recommend getting your hair cut at least every four to six weeks to keep hair healthy, you probably want to find a place convenient to your home or work.
In the same vein, you want to choose shops that are open hours to reasonably accommodate your schedule. The most reputable salon won't fit the bill if its hours of operation are limited and you can never get an appointment.
Pricing
Beauty salons range from casual, highly affordable stores to upscale salons in a higher price range. There are many great salons available that you don't have to break the bank to visit. Alternately, some places run on budgets that are far too low to provide distinctive service. You want to be sure the staff is skilled and the products of professional quality.
Atmosphere
While a high price tag may translate into a luxurious atmosphere, a good beauty salon should at the minimum be clean and brightly lit. Finer details like soft music, elegantly framed mirrors and artwork can create an inviting ambience.
Look for the atmosphere that is a comfortable fit for your personality. It may be a family-friendly team of stylists in a contemporary beauty shop, or it may be an upscale salon complete with wine and canapes.
The atmosphere should make you feel at ease, and the staff plays a major role in this aspect of the experience. Soothing music and exquisite esthetics aren't quite as effective when the staff is abrasive or unprofessional.
Qualification and Training
For top beauty salons, you may want to ask whether the stylists and employees have attended any international beauty shows and whether they have been trained at acclaimed beauty schools. After all, if you're paying the price tag, you want to be sure you are getting top-quality service.
Even for lower priced beauty salons, you should still consider the training and qualifications of those who will be cutting your hair or manicuring your nails. At a minimum, the staff should be licensed to practice according to the state requirements.
Licensure ensures that the staff members have been trained through an accredited beauty school or program. They are practice proper health, safety, and sanitation standards, and they have passed appropriate state board examinations.
Schooling only goes so far. A quality stylist should be masterful in catering to the customer. This requires using natural talents to create a stellar hairstyle that embraces the customer's vision tempered with reality.
How to Find a Beauty Salon
If you're looking for a good beauty salon, you have many options and many ways to find one. You could try asking friends, colleagues, and acquaintances for references. If you are outgoing, you may stop a stranger on the street who has a gorgeous hairstyle and ask which salon she uses.
Referrals can lead you to your ideal beauty salon, but since the services hinge on personal taste, there is usually some trial and error in the search. While referrals can yield great results, some reputable resources for finding salons can offer professional guidance.
Resources for Finding Salons
You may love your neighbor's golden highlights and ultra-short haircut, but you may find yourself at a loss if you want to keep your long, raven hair. Is the hair salon devoted strictly to the latest looks or does it yield to classic style? Some resources can help you sort through the many options available.
- Treatwell app helps you look up salon near you and read reviews to help you choose the right one.
- Beauty Salon Treatments allows visitors to find reviews by state.
People take time to research their doctors and dentists; many wouldn't dream doing otherwise. Your beauty salon is the vehicle you use to create the image you want to present to the world. It makes sense to put a little time and effort into your search. You may find that your search leads to a rewarding relationship with a salon that you can enjoy for many years.
