Beauty Salon Policies for Clients: A Guide to Establishing Procedures for Your Salon

Running a successful salon business requires a lot of planning and organization, including establishing salon policies for clients. Clear policies and procedures help create a safe and orderly environment for both salon staff and clients, streamline operations, and improve customer service. Having a well-defined and clearly communicated set of beauty salon policies can help set expectations, protect employees and customers, and ensure all legal requirements are met. This article provides a comprehensive guide to developing and implementing effective beauty salon policies for clients.

Key Points:

• Salon policies ensure that staff and customers understand the rules of your business. 
• You may want policies that discuss payment, booking, late fees, deposits, and more. 
• Look to other salons and through free templates to get an idea of what to include in your policies. 

What Are Salon Policies and Why Do You Need Them?

You may be wondering why salon policies are so important for your business. The answer is simple: salon policies help ensure that you, your employees, and your clients have a safe, comfortable and enjoyable experience every time they visit your salon.

Salon policies provide guidelines for appropriate behavior and expectations for both employees and clients. For example, salon policies might specify what clothing is allowed in the salon, set limits on cell phone use, or designate specific areas where hair styling can take place. These rules help create a space that is both professional and relaxing.

Salon policies also help to ensure that you’re providing the best possible service to your clients. Your policies can set out how appointments should be booked and how payment should be handled. For example, you might specify how far in advance clients should book appointments or what forms of payment you accept. By having a clear policy in place, you can ensure that your clients, and in turn, your employees, will have a smooth and enjoyable experience. 

How to Write Salon Rules and Policies for Your Clients?

Establishing salon rules and policies for clients is an important part of owning and running a successful beauty salon. Clear rules and policies help to ensure that your salon runs smoothly, and that your clients’ experience is as positive as possible. Here are the types of policies you should create. 

No-Show and Cancellation Policy

When writing a no-show and cancellation policy for your salon, it’s important to set expectations for your clients upfront. Make sure to explain that any missed appointments need to be canceled at least 24 hours in advance (or whatever your standard is), and that clients who don’t show up at all with no prior notice may be charged a fee. 

Booking Policy

Your booking policy should explain how clients can book appointments, including any online or phone booking options available. Additionally, state the duration of each appointment, including setup and wrap-up time. 

Late Policy

Your late policy should set clear expectations for late arrivals, and explain what will happen if a client arrives after their scheduled appointment time. It’s important to include information about how late arrivals may impact the length of their service, and if the salon reserves the right to reschedule their appointment.

Payment Policy

State your accepted forms of payment and any payment policies, such as whether you require a deposit in advance. Additionally, make sure to include information about any applicable taxes and tips.

Pricing Policy

To ensure that clients are aware of the pricing structure for services, a pricing policy should be established. This policy should clearly address any applicable fees, discounts, or loyalty rewards that are offered by the salon.

Refund Policy

Clearly outline your refund policy, including any conditions or restrictions that may apply. For example, clarify that you only provide refunds in certain circumstances, such as if a service was not performed correctly or if the client is unsatisfied with their end result.

Deposit Policy

If you require a deposit for certain services, this should be clearly stated in your policy. Make sure to include the amount of the deposit, as well as any information about when and how it must be paid (i.e. how long in advance). 

Gift Card/Gratuity Policy

It is essential to specify a gratuity policy in your salon policy to ensure that all clients understand what payment methods are accepted and how tips should be handled. Note if you require tips and even explain what’s an acceptable tip in the industry. 

Privacy Policy

This policy should include details of how any information collected from clients will be used in your salon policy. This will help ensure that clients are aware of how their personal information will be handled and stored. If you store client info on a POS system, you’ll want to note that, for example. 

Age Restrictions

If you have age restrictions for the services offered in your salon, it’s important to include this in your salon policy. This can help protect both your employees and clients from any potential legal issues. 

Cell Phone Rules

Having a policy on the use of mobile phones in the beauty salon is a great way to ensure that clients are not distracted while receiving their treatments. Maybe clients can text, but cannot answer calls while waiting or receiving styling. With the rise of TikTok and other social media platforms, it’s also a good idea to have a policy about filming videos. Do you want clients to be able to film their services? Do you want to be the one that does that? Will you leave it up to the individual stylist?

Pets Policy

If you allow pets in your beauty salon, it’s important to include a policy in your salon policy specifying the types of animals allowed, as well as any other restrictions. Also, consider service animals and the local and state laws regarding animals in commercial spaces. 

Eating and Drinking Policy

If you wish to allow clients to eat and drink in the beauty salon, make sure to include details of the types of food and beverages allowed in your salon policy. This can ensure that the salon remains clean and tidy. 

Health History/Illness Policy

Having a policy in place to protect the health and safety of your staff and clients is important. This policy should include information on any health and safety standards that must be met, such as ensuring clients disclose any medical history (that may affect the services they’re getting) or illness (like a cold, the flu, or even COVID) prior to their appointment.

Personal Hygiene Policies

Your salon policies should also address the need for clients to follow basic personal hygiene standards. For example, the policy could include things such as you won’t cut or style anyone’s hair that has lice. While this may seem like an over-the-top policy to include, it’s still important. 

Safety Policy

To ensure the safety of both clients and staff, a safety policy should be established. This should include information on the types of products and tools used in the salon and any safety measures that are in place. Additionally, many businesses include in a safety policy that no guns, knives, or weapons of any kind are allowed in the business. 

Right to Refuse Policy

You may want to have a policy in place that allows your salon to refuse services in certain situations. This could include refusing to provide services to clients who are under the influence of alcohol or drugs or who exhibit violent or aggressive behavior.

Helpful Tools to Help You Create and Update Salon Policies

As the owner or manager of a beauty salon, creating, implementing, and updating your salon’s policies can often be a daunting task. Fortunately, there are many helpful tools available to make this process easier.

• Digital organization. Digital organization can be a great way to keep your policies updated, organized, and easily accessible to your clients. Consider using a document management system such as Google Drive or Dropbox so that policies can be shared securely. This also makes them easier to find and update as necessary. 
• Customer service platforms. Using a platform such as Zoho is a great way to automate customer service. This can be a useful tool for handling customer inquiries, and reiterating your customer policies. 
• Communication tool. A communication tool such as Slack is a great way to stay on top of any appointment cancellations or changes. It also allows you to quickly communicate with your team and ensure that everyone is aware of any changes in policy or procedure. 

How to Communicate Your Policies to Customers?

In order to ensure that your beauty salon policies are properly communicated to clients, you need to consider the various methods of communication you can use. Below are a few ideas for how to communicate your policies to customers:

• Display in the salon. Posting a copy of your policies in the salon is an effective way to communicate with current and potential customers. You can place the policies in a visible location, such as near the front desk or inside a brochure folder.
• Add it to your salon website. Adding a section to your salon's website dedicated to your policies can help customers easily locate this information. You may also want to consider incorporating a link to your policies in the footer of your website, so it is immediately visible on each page.
• Post on social media. Sharing updates about your policies on social media is a great way to quickly communicate with customers.
• Email updates. You can send out email communications to inform customers of policy updates and other important information.

How to Enforce Salon Policies?

Enforcing salon policies may not always be the most pleasant thing for you or your staff, but it’s a must. It ensures that customers are properly serviced and that your business is profitable. Here are some tips on how to enforce salon policies:

• Effectively communicate policies to customers. You’re the one that wrote the policies, so you’re the one who has to enforce them first and foremost. Make sure customers are aware of the salon’s policies. 
• Post your financial-related policies in easy-to-find areas. Clearly define payment and refund policies and make sure they are strictly enforced. This will ensure that the salon is profitable and no customers are taking advantage of the arrangements. 
• Have the staff enforce the policies. All staff should be aware of the salon’s policies and should be expected to abide by them. Establish rules of conduct for staff, and assign specific people to enforce them. Make sure staff are trained in customer service and how to handle difficult customers. 
• Look for alternative solutions in case of a difficult client. Try to avoid confrontation with customers, so if a situation arises where a policy needs to be enforced, consider finding a mutually agreeable solution. You can try to offer the customer alternative services or options. 

Final Word

The success of any beauty salon lies in the comfort and satisfaction of its clients, and being very clear about the procedures and policies in place helps to ensure that every visit is a pleasant one. Establishing and adhering to clear policies sets a professional standard and client expectations, while also providing legal protection.