Putting prices on a salon menu without a wall of numbers

4 days ago
3 min read

Introduction

A salon price list is usually written for the salon rather than the client. Forty services, four stylist grades, variables for length and thickness, and a scattering of "from" prices produce a document that is accurate, comprehensive and impossible for a new client to use. They cannot work out what their own appointment will cost, so they do not book.

Meanwhile the salon that publishes a small number of clear prices gets the enquiry, even at a higher figure, because the client can make a decision. Being able to decide matters more than finding the lowest price.

Simplicity is worth more than precision on a price list. An accurate list nobody can use is not accurate in any useful sense.

1. Putting prices on a salon menu means reducing the number of lines

Length is the main problem.

Group services rather than listing every variation

Cut and finish, colour, highlights, treatments. A handful of headings with a price or a narrow range each. Six lines is better than forty.

Put the detail in the consultation, not on the wall

Length, thickness and condition genuinely affect the price. Say that once, plainly, rather than encoding it into twelve variants. One sentence at the top of the list covers it.

2. Handle the from-price problem honestly

"From" is where trust is lost.

Use narrow ranges instead of open ones

A range that tells a client what they will probably pay is useful. A "from" figure they will never actually achieve reads as bait. Clients discuss this with each other.

Confirm the figure before starting

Every time. A client who learns the real price at the till will not return, however good the result. Say the figure out loud at the basin.

3. Price by stylist grade clearly

Tiering by experience is sensible and frequently confusing.

Use two or three grades, not five

Named simply and explained. Senior and standard is enough for most salons. Clients understand seniority; they do not understand internal job titles. Avoid words like master and creative.

Let clients choose deliberately

Some want the cheapest available, some want a specific person. Both are legitimate and both need the price to be clear. Show both figures side by side.

4. Raise prices on a schedule

Salons leave price rises far too long and then move too much.

Review annually, on a set date

Small regular increases are absorbed. Three to five per cent passes without comment. A large correction after four years produces complaints and lost clients. Put the date in the diary.

Tell clients in advance

A few weeks' notice, mentioned in the salon and by message. Discovering it at the till is what causes the reaction. A short note is enough.

5. Show the price where the decision happens

Placement matters as much as the number.

Publish it online, prominently

New clients check before calling. A salon without visible prices loses the enquiry to one that has them. Keep the online list identical to the one in the salon.

Quote the whole appointment, not the service

Cut and colour together, including the finish. Clients budget for the visit rather than for the line items. Give the combined figure when they book.

Conclusion

Shorten the list. Group services under a handful of headings with a price or a narrow range each, and put the variables for length, thickness and condition into the consultation rather than encoding them into a dozen menu variants.

Replace open "from" prices with narrow ranges and confirm the actual figure before you start, every time. Use two or three clearly explained stylist grades rather than five, review prices annually on a set date with a few weeks' notice to clients, and publish prominently online — because new clients check before they call, and they budget for the whole appointment rather than for individual services.