What to look for in a salon

Looking to find your new home for all of your beauty needs? When it comes to salons and spas, there are always so many to choose from. How do you know the right one? In this blog, I will highlight some points of research you should consider when looking for a new salon such as presentation, staff, credibility and social media presence. I will also highlight how Oliver's operates on a daily basis. Remember, it’s okay to be picky!

PRESENTATION - LOOKS MATTER!

First impressions matter. From the moment you walk into the salon, you should feel as though you want to instantly come back. Impressions of the people, the staff, the decor, the displays- everything. Is it neat and organized? Is it light and open? No one wants to sit in a cave while relaxing. Does the salon offer beverages and magazines? These all may sound silly, but these small things have a huge impact on your experience.

Is the establishment clean? There should be no hair, nail clippings or remnants of products everywhere. The salon should be neat and tidy with no lurking odors of anything non-salon related. Are they keeping up with the right sanitation processes? Are they using expired products? You’re coming here for appearance after all, so it’s okay to judge. Don’t ever feel afraid to ask these questions either. It’s better to know upfront, rather than find out and risk your health (or be disgusted).

OLIVER'S:

From the moment you walk in, you’re instantly greeted. The front desk associates are super friendly and helpful. The lighting is beautiful, there are tons of products and retail items to look at and a well decorated waiting room. They have a really cool coffee machine and reading material is available. Everything is neat, clean, dusted and swept. There is a relaxing, yet productive vibe to the salon. It smells fresh and clean. This is a big deal because most salons can smell like chemical products. The natural light is beautiful upstairs in the salon and nail areas and in the nail area downstairs.

Their sanitation process is up to date. For all nail tools, the salon uses an autoclave, which is a full proof sanitation process. See our blog on autoclaves here.

STAFF

Customer service can make or break a place. Personally, I’ve avoided businesses because of the people working in them. You should be greeted, treated and never feel fleeted. When calling in, does the customer service person greet you with a happy voice? Are they helpful? Do they go the extra mile? Some places can have attitude as far as who their clients should be. For example, I have been to a salon where they said, “well, if she can’t get her schedule down, we can’t take her.” That leads to my next point. Is the staff talking negatively about clients or other staff? We all understand how frustrating people can be, but it's never okay to express that in front of clients.

I also have witnessed some salons take a heavy deposit if you cancel appointments. Although each salon does have a cancellation policy, some are outlandish. Keep in mind, calling is a good preliminary way to judge an experience of actually being in the salon. You get a “vibe” of the place and how they treat customers.

OLIVERS:

At Oliver's, the front desk greets you, checks you in and directs you to the waiting room. They make sure to offer you a beverage as well. They also deal with a lot of incoming calls, requests and appointments while checking guests in and out, but manages to keep the experience their top priority. All of the service providers are super professional too. No client is turned down if there is an issue with scheduling. If nothing pops up in the system, the front desk reaches out to the service provider and asks if there is anything available that they are missing.

Oliver’s has a cancellation policy of 48 hours, however, a decision is made on a case by case review. For example, if you constantly book three appointments at a time, and no call no show them, they require you to put down a deposit for your next service. If you become sick the day before, but have the courtesy to call in and cancel as soon as possible, no deposit is forfeited. Oliver's understands that sometimes life just happens.

Besides the technical parts of the salon, the service providers are very knowledgeable and will be upfront and honest with you. For example, there have been many cases where a client has jet black hair, but wants to be blonde right away. The staff explains in detail how they can achieve the color they want without damaging your hair. While Oliver's like to give their clients everything they ask for and more, they have to keep the health of the clients' hair in mind.

CREDIBILITY

How long has the salon been around? Do they have a good track record? Are there cars outside, ever? Check reviews for happy customers. Is there an updated website with services? Do they have a social media presence for creeping? Have they won any awards? Are they a chain salon or a self-owned? Are they using high end products? It's important to take these questions into consideration when looking for a trustworthy place.

Experience matters. There’s nothing wrong with asking a salon how long they have been open, how experienced the stylists are or even reaching out to current clients for information. We have all seen salons that have been standing for years, salons just starting, and salons that move locations frequently. Which one is better than the other? That’s for you to decide. Make sure you do your research and find what salon fits your specific needs!

OLIVERS:

Oliver’s has been standing for 22 years. Some of the service providers have had experience longer than that. They have lasted through coming and going trends, other competition and economical changes and continue to improve and adjust. We also have more recent service providers that bring all the trend with the professionalism. They use high end products such as Aveda, Moroccan Oil, Jan Marini, etc. On top of all of that, they have won multiple awards for their outstanding service!

SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE

These days, everyone has the ability to market themselves. Social media is a useful tool to create a narrative for your business, spread the word and showcase what your business has to offer. If used effectively, you can build an empire. Although it definitely takes time and effort to manage, it is one of the biggest footprints in the path to the future. Potential clients will look at your page to see what you have to offer.

It’s a way for someone to silently judge your business in the privacy of their own home. That’s why it’s important to keep it neat, clean, professional and consistent, but the business should be represented well. Also, happy clients should be able to tag their photos so the salon can build some new clients!

OLIVERS:

Oliver’s has a social media presence on all platforms; Google, Facebook, Instagram and even a blog. All of their pages are clean and professional. They have an attractive website that lists all services. Their website is easy to navigate and they have consistency in their posts. All of their contact information is available as well. They respond to every review, good and bad. They keep up with trends, post stories and are very responsive on social media.

CONCLUSION

So, when it comes to finding a salon to call your home, make sure you do your research. It can be difficult to know all of the information right away, so give yourself time to ask the necessary questions.

As far as Oliver's, we answer any question you have. Give us a call at 610-366-8808 or shoot us a message on one of our social media platforms!