When you want what no one else offers ONLY Salon Interiors will do. Your design expression is important to us at Salon Interiors and we recognize that each salon owner has a different vision, concept, and plan. Salon Interiors specializes in creating the right design touch with the best furniture available in the industry; premade or custom. Whether you’re a new salon or looking to upgrade, Salon Interiors can help! We make it our business to get to know each client personally to fulfill their design goals.
Salon Interiors has been an industry leader in salon and spa furniture for almost forty years. Salon Interiors never forgets to take your input and build on your dream salon within your budget.
We at Salon Interiors know that any change can be scary that’s why we’re with you from the beginning to the end. Salon Interiors works with you from design concept to unveiling your completed new look. Our long time experience serving the salon industry makes all the difference in the world.
What is a Vacuum Breaker?
By Louis Benevento
Shampoo bowls, pedicure chairs and sinks are important units of any salon. But you know that a vacuum breaker plays a vital role for smooth functioning of all equipment. When the water supply breaks, due to a vacuum effect, water get dripped through an opening and it is possible that pollutants like shampoo chemicals, other cleaning materials can be pulled into the water supply line and the fresh water get contaminated. Hence, there should be an equipment to prevent it and allows water to flow in a single direction only. A vacuum breaker is specially designed to prevent it and helps to avoid of pollutants in fresh water supply.
A vacuum breaker is generally used for all the fixtures of plumbing in a salon like pedicure chairs, shampoo bowls. Usually, two types of vacuum breakers are available in the market top mount and an inline vacuum breaker. A top mount breaker is installed on the top portion of the fixture of plumbing and an inline breaker can be installed underneath the plumbing fixture of the water inlet.
Inline vacuum breakers are comparatively inexpensive as it doesn’t require any additional unit to mount as required by top vacuum breaker. Most of the time shampoo bowls of a salon are suffered from this vacuum breaker issue and results in poor customer service. Hence, while choosing equipment like shampoo bowl, pedicure chair make a proper check for vacuum breaker to avoid the improper choice of equipment.
INTRODUCTION
Salon Interiors offers a full array of services including salon design, furniture manufacturing and equipment sales/service. We can offer you support from Concept to Installation. Our presentation will offer you information on how to plan your project, what to include, and how you can expect it all to go.
This informational article is organized into 4 steps:
PLANNING, FURNITURE DESIGN, EQUIPMENT & ACCESSORIES and INSTALLATION
...and will address some of your questions about licensing issues and costs.
DEFINITIONS
There are several types of Spas which are all defined by the services offered. Basically, you must consider which services you wish to offer, the clientele you plan to attract, and the facility you either occupy or plan to move into. These factors will define the type of Spa you will be developing.
A Day Spa traditionally offers those services that appeal to a client who is interested services such as skin care, massage, water therapy, steam & sauna, and aromatherapy. Today's day spa clients are becoming increasingly interested in any services that will offer them an opportunity to relax and enjoy a stress free experience. You may want to consider offering some increasingly popular services such as couples' massage, nutrition guidance, and yoga and exercise instruction.
A Salon Spa may incorporate some or all of these services but will offer the services of a beauty salon as well. This type of spa may work well either incorporated into or in conjunction with an existing salon. Salon services may include hair styling, color & treatment, make-up, manicure,pedicure, and waxing as well as those services mentioned previously.
A Medical Spa will target clients who seek services based on treatments, both preventative and rehabilitative in nature. These services may include some or all of those found in other types ofSpas but may also include medically or surgically based skin treatments and will, in some cases,offer retail sales of prescriptive type medications and remedies.
In any of these environments, be sure to allocate sufficient space for retail display of product lines related to the services you will be offering. Our clients report that if done properly, you should beable to realize as much as 45% of your total gross profits coming directly from your retail sales.
Continue to STEP 1 - Planning Your Salon
From conception to Grand Opening you should plan for the process to take from 8 -12 weeks
depending on several factors.
Each state has it's own particular specifications as to what agency will issue the necessary
certification for the operation of your spa. In many cases, the controlling authority will be at the
state level.
In other cases, the states will direct the local governments to be in control, as in those
states where the local health departments will issue licensing.
The permits required for demolition, construction, signage and certificate of occupancy should be
obtained through the local building department. Your new facility may also be inspected by a
number of officials from local health and fire departments to insure that all codes have been
followed for the safety of your clients and your employees. You must also remember to comply
with all of the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act in your planning.
In some cases, this decision is made based upon the anticipated needs of your clients. In other
cases, it will be made by the square footage of your facility. Also keep in mind that you will have to
find and hire licensed specialists who will be able to perform the services you decide to offer.
In some states, such as New Jersey, the state and local codes will dictate how many employees
you will be able to have performing services within your facility. New Jersey's Beauty Culture
Board, which controls the beauty industry in that state, will allow 5 employees to work in a space of
350 square feet. For every additional 50 square feet of working space, you will be allowed to have
1 more employee.
In other cases, the number of services you can offer may be governed by other factors such as
available parking, multi floor access, or adjoining businesses. When developing your plans, make
sure you have all of the information you will need to make this decision.
Once you find a location and decide on your final floor plan design, you will have to think
about who you will hire to take your spa from concept to reality. Some of the contractors
listed below will be necessary and some of them may not, your particular plan will dictate who
you will need to hire.
A General Contractor will be able to put together a team of tradespeople to complete the project,
will obtain all of the necessary permits to do the work, and manage the movement of those
tradespeople throughout the process. You may decide to act as your own General Contractor.
Although you may be able to save money, keep in mind that you will probably need to invest much
more of your own time for hiring individual tradespeople and managing their work on site. Some
General Contractors will offer both demolition and construction services. If you decide to manage
the project yourself, then you may still want to contact a General Contractor or Carpenter to handle
this phase.
Besides needing someone to take down and put up walls, you may need some or all of the
contractors listed here to do individual specialty work in your spa.
Continue to STEP 2 - Designing Your Salon
STEP 2 - DESIGN
HOW DO I KNOW WHAT THE SPA WILL LOOK LIKE?
WHAT FURNITURE AND EQUIPMENT WILL I NEED?
You should have an experienced spa and salon designer help you develop a good working floor plan. The floor plan will put your concepts to paper and give you a visual tool by which you can see where all of the furniture and equipment will be located to give you the maximum use of the space while paying attention to traffic flow, ergonomics, and safety.
Here is a list of some of the furniture and equipment you may need for your spa or salon:
Reception and Waiting: Desk, Seating, Coffee & Beverage Service
Retail: Display & Storage Cabinets
Skin Care: Beds, Aesthetic Equipment, Storage Cabinets, Sink
Massage: Beds, Storage, Shower
Water Therapy: Vichy Shower, Hydrotherapy Tub
Waxing: Table, Heaters, Linen Storage & Disposal
Changing / Locker: Client Personal Storage, Linen Storage & Disposal
Pedicure: Whirlpool Spas, Storage, Pedicurist Stools
Manicure: Tables, Lights, Operator & Client Chairs'
Styling: Stations, Mirrors, Product Displays, Styling Chairs
Color: Stations, Mirrors, Color Trays, Hydraulic Chairs
Drying / Processing: Chairs, Dryers, Processors, Steamers
Dispensary: Counter, Storage Cabinets, Sink
Office: Desk, Chair, File Storage
Employee Lounge: Table, Chairs, Kitchen, Appliances
WHAT SHOULD MY FURNITURE LOOK LIKE?
Your spa and salon furniture should reflect your personal taste and vision. Take an active hand in this stage of your project, even if you have decided to work with an interior decorator. Most design professionals will start with your perception of the overall environment you seek. Then, they will help you put the pieces of the design puzzle together so that all of the elements work as one. Do you want the classic look with marble and columns or if you would like to present a more Scandinavian atmosphere with earth tones and natural woods?
Once you make these decisions, then you can begin to work out all of the color and texture schemes.
Here is a list of some of the areas of concern and the choices:
Floor, walls, ceiling, trim colors and textures.
Furniture colors, textures, finishes, and fabrics.
Lighting colors.
Textures: Wood, Metal, Glass, Stone...some real and some artificial.
Fabrics: Vinyls and Woven Fabrics prints or solids.
Finishes: Laminates, Real Woods, Veneers polished or matte.
Don't forget to consider design details and features such as Curves and Angles, Computer Access, Drawers, Files, Electric Service, Locks and Cabinet Hardware.
Continue to STEP 3 - Selecting Your Equipment & Accessories
Delivery and Installation – by Louis Benevento
This has to be the single most important part of building a new salon.
Salon Interiors has and will always deliver and custom install your salon furniture.
We are responsible, ensuring it is installed correctly and there is no damage, broken or missing pieces.
I was part of a corporate distributor acquisition. Ended up working for Cosmoprof aka Sally Beauty Supply. Being responsible for the equipment sales of 10 States.
All Cosmoprof does is drop ship (literally at times) your order. No matter what the weather was if it was a simple dryer or a complete 10 operator salon crated on pallets. A truck driver slides it to the tailgate telling you to take it from there. I had irate customers calling me crying in snow and rain not knowing what to do.
Even if they scheduled as an inside delivery the darn pallets are 4 feet by 4 feet and do not fit in your door. The delivery person would give some excuse and leave you with new furniture outside. Concealed damages are always a problem. These crates weigh hundreds of pounds and are transferred from truck to truck till it comes to you.
Salon Interiors promises on time delivery. We send trained installers to bring the furniture inside and professionally install, setting everything else place. Only thing we don’t do is final plumbing or electrical connections and we explain that up front.
Once all the construction is finished, the fit and finish of your new beautiful salon furniture is best left to the professionals. Browse our Gallery to see our work.
Whether you are on a tight budget or not we install accordingly. Although there are fees involved it takes the stress away and puts the responsibility on us. We clean up afterwards and use care to protect your wall and floor finishes.
The best way to demonstrate the difference between picking out a "standard" shampoo cabinet or having one made to fit the space it will be in is to consider the edge. Do you want a seamless "no-gap" fit or do you want to forever wonder what has fallen into the cracks this time? We've had a conversation with a stylist that mentions that color keys, color brushes and all manner of combs and clips have gone missing.
Having your cabinet made to exact specifications means it will never ever look like an after-thought, never again having to try and fish out dropped objects and always looking truly professional. It's the details that catch the eye of your client.
Salon Interiors prides itself on providing "affordable luxury". We pay attention to the final installation of your cabinetry.
Ready Made Cabinets |
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Custom Built Cabinets |
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With practically limitless combinations of color, texture, and materials custom cabinets will always be what you want without having to settle for less. Unmatched in quality and durability, come in and see what Salon Interiors can do for your cabinetry needs.
"I have a smallish space in an office building on the second floor. Would it be a better idea to have a larger area for product sales or a small treatment room?"
Retail sales are successful in salons due to many different factors. Since you are not in a location that's visible to passing foot traffic, I would recommend that you focus on making more services available to your clients and go with the treatment room.
So you're thinking of opening your own salon or you want to make some improvements to the salon you have now.
You are going to have questions.
We are here to help.
Whether it is a question about the benefits of different kinds of flooring surfaces, the best possible lighting designs or even what kind of plumbing will work for you as well as meet the local building codes, you can ask Salon Interiors.
Just drop us a note or give us a phone call. We're available to help you find your solutions to all aspects of salon design, the right furniture, the correct building and finishing materials for you.
Salon Interiors has over 30 years experience in the beauty industry. We are the trusted friend you can always come to for answers.
Call us at 1-800-642-4205.
Or stop by Booth #1868 at the International Beauty Show in New York City, April 22nd through the 24th.
