Salon Styling Stations Buying Considerations

Salon Styling Stations – What style is best for your business?

Ask yourself: What do you want your salon to say about you? The right salon furniture goes a long way in making your space inviting and aesthetically pleasing to customers. And for hair salon owners, one of the easiest ways to make a statement is the right salon styling stations! Salon styling stations speak ample about your personality as an owner or stylist, the atmosphere, and the type of clients you want to attract. Styling stations come in a variety of designs and features that can add charm to the hair salon while still being suitable for everyday use.
At ShopSalonCity, we know that getting your salon’s style just right can be an overwhelming and lengthy process. Color scheme, overall theme, and statement pieces are all key ingredients to making your beauty salon’s style pop. And since styling stations typically come with a mirror, station desk, and cabinet and shelf space it’s a huge decision! Especially when also selecting a complementing styling chair to finish things off. Tons of decisions!
Here we explore your options and things to consider in getting the style – and functionality – just right for your business.

PART 1: Hair Salon Styling Station Buying Considerations

Atmosphere

A mix-match of styles makes it hard for clients to figure out what they should feel while in your salon. Your salon’s feeling (atmosphere!) sets the stage for a successful client visit –  and your choice of styling stations is at the heart of it all. Is your client there to relax in a luxury setting? Or are they looking for an upbeat experience where you pull out colorful makeup and tease their hair? Choose your color scheme, accent design pieces, and styling furniture accordingly.

Client Comfort

Not only does atmosphere make your client feel comfortable, the piece of furniture you choose does too. The main salon furniture that will impact your customer’s comfort is the styling chair. Hair appointments take time, and you don’t want your efforts to be ruined by a squirmy client. When you have an uncomfortable seat, the client can experience fatigue in their lower body and start to adjust themselves while you’re styling their hair. For instance, if you’re trimming their ends while they’re moving, the cut will become uneven. The result will be an unhappy customer with a bad hair day.

Storage

No one wants to go into a business and see a giant mess. Nor do they want a hair stylist to be scatterbrained and struggling to find things.  That is why it’s important to have salon equipment that has adequate storage to help keep things organized and clean. The best way to get the most out of your storage is to invest in styling stations. Some are portable, but most are stationary and come in different heights, shapes, and features. No styling station is alike. Styling stations act as pretty cabinetry that come in a wide range of colors and storage space. Some have appliance holders, mirrors, drawers, and cabinets. Selecting the right ones will keep the salon styling stations organized and clean.

Size & Functionality

When you are styling your salon, make sure you look beyond “pretty, comfortable, or cool.” Keep in mind the functionality of furniture you’re investing in. Things to consider:
1.     What are the dimensions and depth? How much room does it take?
2.     What kind of styling station do you need? Free standing, wall-mounted, or portable?
3.     Do you need single or double-sided? With or without a mirror?
4.     What about appliance holders? Are they available with the station you’re considering?
5.     How many cabinets, drawers, and shelves are available so to keep your things organized?
6.     Is it durable? What kind of material is it made of?
7.     Is it easy to install?

Flexibility

Many salon furniture builds can impact the amount of space you have in your beauty salon. Most importantly, the overall style of the salon is affected. You must decide what kind and how much cabinetry you want to have and the ability to fit in your space without things looking cluttered. Do you need something portable so you can easily move your essential tools and supplies around with you? Good news is that there are portable styling stations in the market now to satisfy your need for flexibility, such as the BELLA Rolling Styling Station, which also come with 3 color themes. If you have already hooked up with a large styling station, but you also want to add some flexibility around you while working, we would recommend getting a trolley or a cart, such as the CLAIRE Lockable Salon Trolley.

PART 2: Types of Styling Stations for Salons

Styling stations come in four main structures with a substantial selection of designs. It’s understandable that you could easily become overwhelmed by all the choices. This short guide should help you figure out which kind of styling station will fit your hair salon and any stylists’ needs.
Sanden Shampoo Cabinet with Azle Chair

Wet Stations

One type of styling station is the wet station, which attaches to the back of your shampoo bowl. With a wet station, you will be able to not only offer hair styling service to your clients, but also wash clients’ hair with the built-in shampoo bowl. It is also great for storing towels, shampoo, conditioner, and other supplies you may need.

An example is the COLLINS Wet Station, which is shown here. Made with the highest level of craftsmanship and featuring maximum storage space, it’s a fantastic wet station option for larger salons. The downsides? It takes up a ton of space and doesn’t work with all décors. Oh, and it comes with a four-thousand-dollar-plus price tag!
If you have a smaller space and are looking for something more compact and affordable, then our Sanden Salon Shampoo Cabinet Set could be a great substitute option. It offers great flexibility to match a wide-range of décors due to its shape, color, and materials. And, for just a couple of hundred dollars, you get a complete shampoo station with a faucet set, spacious shampoo cabinet, and bowl including a vacuum breaker.

Back-to-Back or Double-Sided Stations

Back-to-back or double-sided styling stations are perfect for larger salons who have double the amount of hair stylists and clientele. As the name suggests, it has an identical design on either side to keep the salon looking uniformed and suit every hairdresser’s needs. If you have the space to create salon stations in the middle of the room, then we suggest investing in a back-to-back styling station. When choosing a double-sided styling station, you should look for one that has a front and back shelf desk, full-sized mirrors, large cabinets and drawers, and appliance holders.
Double-Sided Styling Station
For some beauty salons, a shelf desk doesn’t fit their needs and gets in the way. The best option for those salons would be a single full-length mirror on both sides. If that’s the salon styling station look you’re going for, there are a ton of options available for just about every design preference.
For an alternative back-to-back styling station, take a look at our Sigma Modern Tall Double-Sided Styling Station for inspiration. Why is this styling station an excellent example? The station has a front and back full-length mirror, one small and two medium drawers beneath a double-shelved cabinet, a pullout appliance holder, and one large drawer at the bottom. With its roomy compartments and sleek design, the Sigma Modern Tall Double-Sided Styling Station packs a whole lot of storage and functionality into not a whole lot of floorspace.
SIGMA Modern Tall Double Sided Styling Station

Free-Standing or Single Stations

Free-Standing stations don’t have to be mounted to the wall. That makes them perfect for salon pros who rent salon space where they’re not allowed to drill holes. They’re also great for hairstylists who choose to work at home in their in-home hair salon. Free-standing stations come in all sizes and shapes to work in rooms of most sizes and shapes.  For example, check out the compact Bella Styling Station, which can fit into tight corners with built-in wheels for easy portability.
Another example of a free-standing stations is our Zoe Single Sided Styling Station. It’s tall with plenty of shelving and cabinet space – plus its funky design is a head-turner. This whimsical styling station includes a full-size salon mirror and appliance holders for easy access to brushes and combs.
ZOE Single Sided Styling Station

Wall Mount Styling Stations

If your space and budget is limited, another good option is to have a wall mount styling station. One of our most popular wall mount styling stations is the stylish, wood-veneer Markison Wall Mount Station, which comes equipped with three handy chrome appliance holders and one big drawer with lock and key. The Markison mounts right to the wall for convenience and easy workflow – and its sleek design works great for salons both small and large. Just add a chair and mirror and you’re in business!
Markison Wall Mount Styling Station

So, what do you want your styling stations to say about your salon?

It can’t be overstated how important it is to set a theme when you are styling your salon. Finding the right design for your salon styling stations is keying to pulling your entire look together. Going for glam? Go all out with a marble shelf desk to compliment those antique crystal chandeliers you picked up at the local swap meet. Kicking it old-school? Choose a wall mount styling station that compliments a classic barber chair style in black or red.

Need more inspiration? Check out our customers page – real-life salons with fantastic atmospheres.

Want to talk through your salon styling stations options? Call Shop Salon City at 213-973-3566. Our salon experts are available Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (Central).

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