Opening My Home Salon- FAQ

MY HOME SALON IS OPEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am super excited about it obviously. It's been a long time coming and I'm so happy it is finally done. If you're wanting to get in for an appointment, email me at brooklynjolley@hotmail.com and let's add you to my books!

Ever since I started hair school I've dreamed about opening a home salon. I wasn't sure how realistic it was but it sure sounded nice to not have to leave your home and yet still offer professional services to others in an environment that felt like a salon experience.

I'm so grateful to my husband who was there every step of the way (and did most of the work!). As I was opening my salon, I couldn't find any information ANYWHERE on what it was like for others to open a home salon. I had so many questions I wanted to ask but couldn't get answer to. So I decided to answer some of those here. But first, take a look at this beauty!

The World is Better Print: Breezy and Co

Where did you get your furniture? 

I purchase my salon chair, wash chair and wash sink all from ksl.com which is a classifieds for Utah residents. We got all 3 for great deals and they are all in awesome shape! Looking back I may have bit the bullet and splurged for a brand new black sink, but this one is functional and that's what matters most. 

All shelves are from IKEA as well as the turquoise rolling cart. My salon mirror came from a co-worker of my husband's who used to have a home salon and the vanity lights came from Lowe's. 

How did you set up the plumbing? 

Luckily on the other side of that wall by my sink is our washer and dryer. So it wasn't too difficult to set up. My husband did all the original plumbing and even though it was functional, the health inspector wanted us to have a professional look it over. So we paid a plumber to come do a few updates and sign off on it.

What legal steps do I need to take? 

I started out by getting my business license ($150 for Salt Lake County) and they told me I needed to have a building inspection & a health inspection. The building inspector came out the following Monday. The inspection was included in the cost of the business license. The health inspection was a bit of a pain. They finally came out 2.5 weeks later ($150 additional for health inspection) and the only thing I needed to improve was get my sink caulked into the wall. Once we did that, we sent pictures to the health inspector and he signed off. 

How did you decide on pricing? 

I looked at salons in my area including Dollar Cuts and based my prices somewhere in the middle. I decided what was included with each service and figured up the time I thought each service would take and what I was willing to make per hour and went from there. 

I may still tweak my pricing. I think I re-did my price list 17 times in total just trying to decide what was fair. I include Olaplex with every color which is usually a $15-$25 upcharge so that definitely factored in. A lot of people are not willing to pay as much for getting their hair done out of someone's home, however, I treat my salon business as if I were paying booth rent. You are not coming over to my house and getting your highlights washed out in my kitchen sink, you are getting your hair done in a professional environment that I worked hard to make feel just like a salon only cozier.

I still have questions. Can I contact you?

Feel free to email me at brooklynjolley@hotmail.com and I can answer any other questions you have!