Salons
Should a salon list its prices online?
A lot of salon owners leave prices off their website on purpose. The reasons are good ones: every head of hair is different, color takes as long as it takes, and nobody wants a client quoting a number from the website for a three-hour correction. I get it. I still think almost every salon should list prices, and there's a way to do it that handles all of those worries.
Why do clients want to see prices first?
Because they're deciding whether you're in their budget before they decide whether you're their salon. In an older survey by Coyle Hospitality Group, nearly every spa-goer said seeing treatments and prices mattered before a first visit, and I doubt that's changed. A new client who can't find a price has three choices: DM you and wait, book and hope, or go to the next salon that shows one. Plenty pick the third.
Listing prices also saves you time. Every "how much for a balayage?" message is a conversation you or your front desk has to have, often at night.
How do you list prices when every client is different?
You list where the price starts and what changes it. A few ways salons do this well:
- "From" prices. "Women's cut from $75." Honest, simple, and clients understand it.
- Ranges. "Balayage $220-$320, depending on length and thickness." Better than "from" when the spread is wide.
- Prices by stylist level. Junior, senior, master, each with its own column. This also helps newer stylists fill their books.
- Add-ons listed separately. Toner, extra product, long-hair charge. No surprises at checkout.
- "Consultation required" for the hard stuff. Color corrections, extensions, bridal. Say what the consultation costs, if anything, and whether it goes toward the service.
What does a good salon price list look like?
Something like this. The prices are made up, the layout is the point:
| Service | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Women's cut and style | From $75 | Senior stylists from $95 |
| Men's cut | $45 | |
| Single-process color | From $110 | Long hair add $30 |
| Balayage | $220-$320 | Depends on length and thickness |
| Color correction | By consultation | Free 15-minute consult |
Short, scannable on a phone, and nobody has to message you to get a ballpark.
When does it make sense to leave prices off?
- Your work is fully custom, like bridal parties or editorial, and every job is quoted from scratch. Say "pricing by consultation" and explain how to start.
- You're a high-end salon that's booked solid, and you'd rather filter people through a consultation anyway.
- Your prices change every few weeks. Then fix that first, or list ranges wide enough to stay true for a while.
Even then, give people something: a starting point, a range, or what the consultation costs.
How prices work on our salon sites
Your price list goes on the site as real text, laid out so it reads well on a phone, with "from" prices, ranges and notes where you need them. We take it from your booking app, a photo of your price board or a typed list.
The one-page site is $795 and the 3-5 page site is $1,295 (with room for a full services page), plus $25 a month for hosting. Both include one round of changes. There's no login to edit the site yourself, so price changes after launch go through email and are quoted. Book buttons go to the booking app you already use. A booking system built into the site or an online store is an add-on we quote separately.
Other questions owners ask
Won't competitors see my prices?
They probably already know them. Your prices are in your booking app, on review sites and in your clients' heads. Hiding them on your website mostly stops the people you want, new clients comparing a few places, from choosing you.
Should prices match my booking app exactly?
Yes. When the website says one thing and the app says another, clients assume the higher number is the real one and the lower one was bait. Keep one price list and copy it everywhere.
How do I update prices on a Website in a Week site?
Email us the new list and we quote the change. There's no editor to log into. Most price updates are small and quick. If you raise prices once or twice a year, that's two short emails.
Sources
- Coyle Hospitality Group, "Spa Website Content: What Consumers Want vs. What Spas Provide" - an older survey; nearly all respondents rated seeing treatments and prices as important before a first visit