How Much Does It Cost to Open a Salon?
The honest answer? Anywhere from $35K for a small booth-rental setup to $200K+ for a full build-out. Here's the line-by-line breakdown.
Salon Startup Cost Breakdown
| Expense | Low End | High End |
|---|---|---|
| Lease / Security Deposit | $5,000 | $25,000 |
| Salon Build-Out & Renovation | $10,000 | $75,000 |
| Salon Chairs & Stations | $3,000 | $15,000 |
| Shampoo Bowls & Units | $1,500 | $8,000 |
| POS System & Software | $0 | $300 |
| Initial Product Inventory | $2,000 | $10,000 |
| Licenses & Permits | $500 | $3,000 |
| Insurance (First Year) | $1,200 | $5,000 |
| Marketing & Signage | $1,000 | $8,000 |
| Tools & Supplies | $500 | $3,000 |
| Working Capital (3 months) | $10,000 | $40,000 |
| Total Estimated | $34,700 | $192,300 |
How to Reduce Startup Costs
Start with a booth rental or suite rental model. You skip the build-out, pay a fixed monthly rent, and keep everything you earn. Once you build clientele, upgrade to your own space.
Use Beautifyx as your POS and management system from day one — it's free to start and replaces 5+ paid tools you'd otherwise need.
Everything Beautifyx actually does
One place to run bookings, payments, clients, staff and marketing — built for beauty, wellness and birth professionals.
Online booking
A booking page clients can use 24/7, with deposits, reminders and no double-bookings.
Payments & checkout
Take cards, cash, tap to pay and payment links, with receipts sent automatically.
Client records
Visit history, notes, photos, consent forms and intake forms in one client file.
Marketing & reminders
Automatic appointment reminders, review requests and campaigns to past clients.
Inventory & costs
Track product use per service so you can see the real profit on every appointment.
Your own website
A booking-ready site and public profile that gets you found by new clients.
Start free, grow into the full platform
Pick the door that fits where you are today. All three lead to the same place: a business that books itself.
Claim your free profile
Free profile: add your services, photos and hours so clients can find and book you.
Or read it right now: 7 ways to fill your calendar next week