Salon Culture: How to Find Your Dream Salon-Full Guide
People always say that the salon becomes your family. And after nearly 50 years combined in this industry, we can tell you… that’s not an exaggeration. You spend more hours in that building with those people than almost anywhere else in your life. So where you land matters. A lot.
Here’s how we’d approach finding a salon that’s actually the right fit for you.
Commission over booth, especially to start
Our top piece of advice for anyone coming out of school: find a commission salon with a great reputation to start at. Not because there’s anything wrong with booth rental (there’s absolutely a time for it) but because right out of school, you need a team around you.
In a commission salon, you have coworkers with different strengths. When you’re really struggling with something and the owner isn’t there, you have someone else on your team to help brainstorm. You’re surrounded by people who are invested in the same environment you’re in.
And typically, salons that prioritize strong customer service also prioritize strong team support. Those two things go hand in hand. That kind of environment is irreplaceable in your early years.
Actually go spend time there before you commit
When we had our salon, whenever we had potential new hires come in, we’d tell them: come spend the day with us. Come feel us out. Sit in the break room for a couple of hours.
Walk the floor. Talk to the team. Because reading about a salon online or having one good interview doesn’t tell you what the real culture feels like.
Go in and be a client. Get your hair cut or your color done there. That’s one of the best ways to actually feel a salon’s culture from the other side of the chair.
Pay attention to how clients are greeted, how conversations flow, how problems are handled. Because customer service isn’t just about being “nice”… it’s about how consistent, present, and intentional the team is with every single guest. That information is everything.
Look for a real mentorship program
Not just an orientation. Not just a packet of policies and procedures on your first day. A real apprenticeship program, one that’s designed to help you get acclimated to the culture, the environment, how things are done, and that sets you up to actually thrive.
We would not be where we are today without the apprenticeship program we went through after beauty school. You learn the basics in school, but when you get into a salon, it’s real life.
Having someone there to support you (rather than just being thrown to the wolves) changes the entire trajectory of your first years in the industry.
And here’s what we also believe: real mentorship in a salon doesn’t end when the associate program ends. It should continue for as long as you’re there. Even seasoned stylists need a second brain to help with a formula, a second set of eyes on a situation. Look for a salon where that kind of ongoing coaching is part of the culture.
Find like-minded people
Culture isn’t just about the physical space or the product lines or the commission structure. It’s about the people. You want to be around stylists who push each other forward, who are engaged, who care about their craft, and who you genuinely like spending time with.
When you walk into a salon that feels good, where you feel comfortable asking questions, where you don’t feel like you don’t know anything, where people are invested in each other’s growth, that’s the environment that will pull the best work out of you. That feeling matters. Trust it.
Education should be part of the package
Ask about continuing education before you accept any offer. Does the salon invest in keeping their team sharp and growing? Some salons have education built into the culture. They bring in trainers, they send stylists to shows, they create opportunities to grow beyond what you already know. That’s a sign of a salon that values its people.
Education is everything in this industry. We’re still learning to this day. A salon that shares that belief is a salon worth committing to.
The right fit is worth waiting for
Don’t just take the first offer because it’s there.
Interview multiple salons
Spend time with them.
Feel out the culture.
Ask hard questions.
The right salon will make you better, faster and it will feel like a place you want to show up to every day. When you find that place, you’ll know. And it’ll be worth every extra step you took to find it.
