At The Rosewood Salon, we pride ourselves on offering the highest quality, luxury salon services at prices that reflect our skills, experience, and techniques. Because of this, our pricing structure is time based and we occasionally get asked why we do it this way.
As an elite hair salon in Arlington, Virginia, we not only know the value of quality hair services related to our demographic and location, but we also know OUR value. This plays in heavily to our time-based pricing structure.
To better understand our pricing format, read how we created this process and what it’s done for our stylists at The Rosewood today.
Hourly Pay: Why We Chose This Method
Our choice to go with an hourly pay structure was actually not a difficult one to make at all. As a stylist, I saw that my service menu was becoming SO lengthy and I started to feel like a sales person more than a stylist.
Additionally, I was listing services like I was speaking to my peers this was confusing my clients. I battled with valuing one service over the other and I just couldn't make sense of how to measure my talents.
The services we offer behind the chair have only gotten more complicated and creative over the years. Our industry has no written rules on how to price what we do, so I knew it was up to me to figure out something that was less confusing and more supportive to our clients.
My Background
For those that do not know, I am a business coach for Destroy The Hairdresser. In my journey as a student in this company (which was dedicated to disrupting outdated industry norms), I came across the concept of time-based pricing.
This was truly the first time I began to have a real understanding of how I wanted to value the work and continuous education I had put into my craft. Time-based pricing became the tool I even teach my students (other salon owners and stylists) to utilize in their businesses.
The Washington Post
I was honored to share my thoughts on this topic in a recent article put out by The Washington Post. In this article, I am quoted saying, “It doesn’t matter what you’re doing or getting done at all. It’s all the same value.” And what this means is that the pay structure should not be based on the service, but on the time spent providing ANY service.
The article further shares that a lot of other stylists and salon owners have mixed opinions on time-based pricing, mainly that it comes from not having a real understanding of how the concept works.
I can confidently say that every existing and new client we see at Rosewood has no problem at all with our pricing system and that is because they understand the WHY.
3 Benefits to Time-Based Pricing at Rosewood
I’m passionate about this incredible business model and therefore cannot hold back on the incredible benefits it brings.
1. Transparency
The time that is quoted before the start of each service is a common confusion with this billing practice as it often is compared to riding in a taxi (meter running and racking up a huge bill). We WOULD NEVER do that to our clients. We are professionals with years of specialty experience and we know exactly how long our processes take.
To combat this, a key part of our initial client process is to have clients submit an intake form. This is our consultation that allows us to learn all about your hair goals and create a perfectly customized game plan for your appointment. From here, we send you exactly how much your appointment will be and how much it will cost based on the time it takes to complete the service.
FAQ: What happens if my appointment goes over the quoted time?
ANSWER: We honor the quoted time and make note that in the future, we might need extra time for your desired look.
2. Gratuity Free
Tipping has a very sticky-icky history in this country and my beliefs are that as a stylist and creative, I will charge exactly what I want to create. Tipping is NOT included in our hourly rate because it simply does not exist. Along with the transparency in pricing, this helps clients know exactly how much each appointment will cost them and how to prepare for it. No need to do weird math or worry about leaving too little or too much. Additionally, this leads to no hurt feelings across the board.
I always tell my clients that a Google review, referring friends, or even tagging us online with #besthairday is the best way to show your gratitude.
FAQ: Don't most stylists depend on their tips?
ANSWER: At Rosewood, each stylist sets their own hourly rate and has the freedom to earn more as they see fit. Because tipping is something that doesn't exist in our salon, our stylists are more focused on mastering their craft to create a better client experience. This makes them in higher demand and that creates more earning potential than relying on tips (especially when tips are not guaranteed anyway).
3. No Double Booking
Of course with everything we do at Rosewood, the client experience is at the top of our list. With our hourly pricing, we’re not sharing your time with another client. We are giving our undivided attention to you. We are not factory workers, but creatives that will get burnt out if our attention is split between 3 clients at one time.
Also we know time is valuable and we want to make sure each client is seen and shown appreciation for choosing us to give them their dream hair. We love delivering that one-on-one client experience, and we believe no one likes to sit with color on their hair feeling forgotten. In short, you are the main character at every appointment.
FAQ: What if I need something done quickly?
ANSWER: Unfortunately, you will not see “quick” or “express” services on our menu. With time based pricing, we love giving you options on what we can complete within the minimum of 1 hr. You would be surprised with what you could even accomplish in 2 hrs or more!
The goal is not to cram as much into the hour, but to see what your hair dreams are and create a game plan to execute it with respect to your budget. If you’re looking for something quick and cheap, The Rosewood Salon may not be for you. Instead, Hair Cuttery, Bubbles, or Super Clips could be great options!
Our Unique Approach of Time-Based Pricing
We believe that it is time the beauty world introduced nuance and kept beauty professionals in the industry by making it a sustainable career to have. I know as a salon owner, that this is how I am able to have Rosewood be a salon where clients know they will be taken care of and have the very best experience. I will forever be married to time-based pricing and look forward to working alongside stylists that continually go above and beyond at every service with this same mentality in mind.
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