Start from the service, not the catalogue
Every piece of equipment exists to deliver a specific service. If that service isn't on the price list for the first months, the equipment is capital tied up and depreciating without producing: it's the most common way to consume budget before you even open.
The essential core is narrow and covers what you use every day: stations with chair and mirror, wash units, cutting tools, drying equipment, what colour preparation requires, and sanitation. The rest gets assessed when the corresponding service enters the list.
In choosing, the decisive criterion isn't the brand but frequency of use combined with repair cost. A machine used ten times a day should be chosen for reliability and parts availability; one used once a week can be cheaper with no consequences.
What should drive the purchase
The chart is qualitative and shows how much each criterion should weigh in the decision.
Now or later
The table separates what you need from day one from what can wait for the matching service.
| Equipment | When | Criterion |
|---|---|---|
| Stations and wash units | Now | Comfort and adjustability |
| Cutting tools | Now | Quality and maintenance |
| Sanitation | Now | An operating requirement |
| Specialist equipment | When the service starts | Only if it's on the list |
How to build the list
Start from the price list
The services of the first six months.
Derive the equipment
Only what those services require.
Check service and parts
Before price, on what you use daily.
Test in person
Scissors, dryers and chairs are judged by hand.
Before ordering
- List the services for the first six months and derive the equipment from them.
- Check service and parts before price.
- Test in person what you'll use every day.
Service is the most underrated criterion. An essential machine out of action for two weeks waiting for a part means services postponed or done badly, and the cost exceeds any saving made at purchase.
Hands-on testing matters most for what you use constantly: scissors, dryers, chairs. These are objects the operator's body endures for hours every day, and a decision made from a catalogue is paid for in fatigue and in problems that accumulate over the years.
The service to include in the new salon
Saloria fits into the opening project as a consultation tool, not as management software. The new salon can use it to guide the first visit, analyse the face, build the look plan and generate a protocol useful to the team. This way technology is not an accessory: it becomes part of positioning and professional selling.
To consult before deciding
These sources are reliable starting points to verify requirements, paperwork and tools. For operational decisions you always need checks with local council, state board, accountant and technical consultants.
- SBA: launch your business — official US small business guide
- IRS: Employer ID Numbers (EIN) for business registration
- OSHA: hair salon health and safety standards
- GOV.UK: set up a business (UK)
- HSE: hairdressing health and safety (UK)
- NIC: National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology
- FTC: business guidance and consumer protection
- Google: guidelines for local businesses on Business Profile
- LoopNet: commercial real estate for lease
- Crexi: commercial real estate marketplace
Frequently asked questions
What do you really need from day one?
Stations, wash units, cutting tools, drying, colour preparation and sanitation. The rest is assessed when the service enters the list.
What's the main selection criterion?
Frequency of use combined with availability of service and parts: downtime on an essential machine costs more than the saving.
Is it worth buying used?
On non-critical equipment it can make sense. On what you use daily, comfort and reliability matter more than price.