Plenty of new salons get planned from the outside in. Starting with the mood board, followed by paint, and then searching for the latest salon equipment two weeks from opening day is all wrong – and it's costly.
Why? Because equipment is bulky, expensive, and difficult to ship back, and it determines how the floor actually functions. A thorough salon equipment list prepared before buying it will eliminate almost all of these concerns at the initial stage.
This article deals with the equipment that is needed by a brand-new salon, ranging from chairs to credit card terminals. What follows next is choosing, pricing, and things you need to avoid when purchasing them. Let's begin.
Complete Salon Equipment List for a New Salon
These aspects determine what you really require. Consider this part of the guide as a menu and make choices based on it.
Salon Furniture and Reception Furniture
Let's start with furniture, as it determines the layout of the whole salon. First of all, there is a reception desk to consider. This piece of furniture should accommodate check-in procedures, payments, and maybe even some retail products; hence, its size is often underestimated. Further on, it is time for salon chairs and styling stations. Don't forget to look at the counter size – two stylists working with one tray will definitely become a nuisance. Every station must have a mirror, comfortable waiting chairs or even a sofa able to endure the peak hour, and also trolleys, storage furniture, and shelving.
Do not buy any chair before sitting in it for ten minutes. Your back will give you an honest review.
Hair Salon Equipment
These machines run all day, so skimping here backfires.
- Professional hair dryers, plus hood dryers if you offer roller sets or treatments
- Straighteners, curling irons, and wands (buy a few of each, because they get borrowed)
- Clippers and trimmers
- Hair steamers
A home-grade dryer copes with a few blow-dries a week. It won't cope with eight hours of them. Planning a hair salon or a barbershop specifically? Match your kit to the services on your opening menu.
Hair Cutting and Styling Tools
And now for all the little things: scissors, razors, combs, brushes, clippers, spray bottles, coloring bowls and brushes, cape, towels. Not very costly on a quote, right? But multiplied by the number of hairstylists you have, it will really add up. Buy full kits per person plus extras because someone always loses a clipper.
Equipment for Hair Wash and Treatments
Shampoo sinks and backwash units need plumbing and should therefore be considered during the planning stage rather than later on in the process. Then check the water heater. Can it keep up when three basins run at once? Towels and towel warmers belong here too, and you'll use more towels than you'd guess. Treatment steamers and hair treatment machines can wait until clients show they'll pay for those services.
Salon Equipment for Beauty and Skincare Services
Facials, nails, and waxing each bring their own kit and floor space. Buy only for treatments you'll offer on day one.
Facial and Skincare Machines
Buy a good-quality facial bed and skincare trolley first. Get yourself a magnifying lamp, facial steamers, and a hot towel cabinet next. The facial machines are expensive and hence should be purchased after training your therapists on how to use them. A machine nobody trusts just gathers dust in the corner. If you're building a spa or an aesthetic skin clinic, this is where most of your budget will go.
Manicure and Pedicure Tools
Manicure tables, nail lamps, nail drills, nail polish storage, and all the other tools are necessary at nail stations. Pedicure chairs and foot spas are the bigger pieces of equipment, so make sure that your doorways have enough height to accommodate them before buying. Yes, really. And size your sterilizers to the number of clients you expect, since tools can't go back into use until they've been cleaned.
Waxing and Hair Removal Equipment
The one-off buys are wax heaters, a waxing bed, applicators, storage containers, and a few accessories. Disposable sheets are different. They run out, and you'll reorder them every month, so treat them as a running cost rather than a setup cost. Inventory management helps you spot when stock is running low.
Salon Hygiene and Safety Equipment
Clients notice dirty tools and wet floors immediately. Rules differ by municipality, so check what yours expects before you stock up.
Cleaning and Sanitization Equipment
- Tool sterilizers (and UV sterilizers, where they suit the tool)
- Disinfectant containers and everyday cleaning supplies
- Waste bins, ideally with lids
- A washing machine and dryer for towels and capes, because that laundry never stops
Critical Safety Features of Each Beauty Salon
Your first aid kit and fire extinguishers must be kept within easy reach of everybody. Remember to ensure that your employees are aware of where these are located. Anti-slip mats should be made available in all wash stations. Your protective gloves should be within easy reach for coloring and cleaning purposes. Hair dryers, steamers, and heaters consume much more electricity than other devices; you will have to consider your number of power outlets and wiring and not use a daisy-chained extension cord. Ventilation.
Reception and Customer Experience Equipments
Reception is where everyone enters and leaves your salon, so it's worth getting this right.
Check-In and Queue Management Technology
Your reception desk will need a computer or tablet, as well as check-in software integrated with your appointment software, so that your receptionist will know who is on the schedule and who just arrived. Display boards and a queue management system will be necessary if you get a lot of walk-ins; otherwise, they can wait.
Payment and Billing Equipment
The standard kit: a POS system, a card payment terminal, a receipt printer, and a cash drawer. Selling retail? Add a barcode scanner. One Saudi-specific catch is that e-invoicing rules apply, so check what your hardware has to support before you buy. Salonist's guide to e-invoicing for salons in Saudi Arabia is a decent place to start. If your clients ask to pay in installments, see how Tabby and Tamara work for salons.
Technology Every Modern Salon Should Consider
Once the room is kitted out, two kinds of software are worth sorting before your first client walks in.
Appointment Scheduling Software
Online Booking is another feature to look out for, along with calendars for each employee, appointment reminders, and centralized customer data. Reminders are the big one. A missed appointment is an empty chair you're still paying for. See how salons can predict and prevent no-shows.
Customer Communication Tools
Text messages and WhatsApp messages take care of most of that. Conclude the visit with a brief message requesting feedback on the visit. Promotional messages are fine as long as you are not flooding them. Select whichever medium your clients prefer. This guide shows how to use WhatsApp to confirm, remind, and rebook clients, and marketing automation handles the promotional side.
How Salonist Can Help You Run Your Salon Beyond the Tools
Everything so far is something you can touch. This part covers what you can't: how the business actually runs, day after day.
Manage Appointments and Employees Using One Tool
A salon management system such as Salonist combines all appointments and employees' schedules in one single calendar. This ensures that everyone has the same schedule, so it is much harder to make any double bookings.
Enhance Client Experience with Salonist
Clients can make their appointment booking online, and they receive reminders automatically. All the information on the client is stored in one place, and therefore it takes less time to check clients in because the front desk is aware of who is coming in for their service. Also, Salonist offers Arabic support across its calendar, POS, and receipts. See how customer management keeps client records together.
Billing, Sales, and Salon Management
All payment and billing functions, sales management, and performance reporting are integrated into one solution. Thus, at the end of the shift, you do not have to put pieces together from three different apps. Not sure which numbers matter? Start with these salon KPIs to track weekly.
Turn Your Salon Equipment Into a More Efficient Operation
A great chair won't rescue a messy schedule. Equipment is the physical side of your salon. Software is the digital layer that keeps track of the business happening around all that gear. For the full picture, read the salon management guide.
How to Choose the Right Salon Equipment
Start from your own business, not a supplier's catalog. These four questions narrow the list quickly.
Consider Your Salon Services
A hair-only salon and a full-service beauty salon are different animals. List all your services you'll be selling in the first few months, and purchase for that list. All other things can be postponed.
Think About How Much Space You Have
First, determine the square footage of a room and draw a floor plan including plumbing, outlets, and pathways. Lay out your equipment on paper first. If you pack too much in, your staff will shuffle sideways between equipment, and your clients will notice.
Strive for Value Over Price Tag
What is economical today may not be economical tomorrow. Think about durability, maintainability, warranties, and lifespan. Pose that dreaded question: Who maintains this in the neighborhood, and how fast are replacement parts delivered?
Customer Comfort Counts
It is always incredible to observe people's reaction when they enter your salon. Comfortable seating, lighting, stations, easy to use equipment all make a difference.
Salon Equipment Checklist Before Opening
Try to go through this before you pay any bills. Anything you can't tick off is a gap to close before opening day.
- Reception and furniture: desk, chairs, styling stations, mirrors, waiting seats
- Hair equipment: dryers, heat tools, clippers, shampoo units
- Beauty and skincare equipment: facial bed, steamer, lamp, trolley
- Nail equipment: tables, pedicure chairs, lamps, sterilizers
- Hygiene and safety supplies: sterile supplies, First Aid kit, extinguisher, non-slip mats
- Point of sale (POS) and payment equipment: terminal, receipt printer, cash drawer, scanner
- Technology and booking software: reception tablet or computer, scheduling system
- Storage and cleaning supplies: shelving, bins, laundry gear
- Staff essentials: capes, towels, gloves, full tool sets
How Much is Salon Equipment?
Price will differ depending on the city you are based in, equipment brand, and salon service menu. Take this price tier structure as a reference point for your planning.
Basic Salon Equipment Package
The basic package includes: chair(s), station(s), shampoo chair, basic equipment kit, sterilization system, and POS system. Nothing fancy. It works.
Mid-Range Salon Setup
You pay more for quality and get more services. Consider better dryers and chairs, along with a facial or nail area if you offer such services.
Premium Salon Setup
Designer furniture, advanced beauty machines, and technology running through the whole operation. That's a reasonable goal once you've proven the demand, and a risky starting point before that.
How to Control Your Initial Salon Setup Costs
Four habits keep the first bill sensible:
- Buy the must-haves first, then add as bookings grow
- Spend on durability where gear works all day, like chairs and dryers
- Skip machines for services you don't offer
- Consider leasing or phased purchases for the expensive equipment
Software costs matter too. Check Salonist pricing when you build your launch budget.
Mistakes You Should Avoid in Purchasing Salon Equipment
These six turn up again and again. Spotting them early costs nothing.
Buying Too Much Equipment Too Early
Idle machines tie up cash. Buy for your launch menu and add the rest as bookings justify it.
Choosing Price Over Quality
A cheap device that breaks down quickly will cost you double: once in purchasing, and once in replacing.
Disregarding Space and Plan Layout
If it does not work in the floor plan, it is nothing but an obstacle. Take measurements first.
Neglecting Hygiene and Safety Equipment
The sterilizer and fire safety equipment may be unexciting, but they have precedence over decoration.
Not Thinking about Future Expansion
Reserve some electrical outlets, some floor space, and some budget, just in case you would need another station in the future.
Overlooking Salon Management Technology
Chairs don't take bookings. The scheduling, client records, and payment system must be in place right from the beginning.
Final Salon Equipment Checklist for New Salon Owners
Sort all the items into 3 piles before ordering anything. It keeps that first purchase focused.
The categories don't change: furniture, tools for each service, hygiene and safety, payment gear, booking software. The timing does.
- Must-have: what you need to serve clients safely on opening day
- Nice-to-have: things that add comfort or speed but can wait a few months
- Future purchases: gear for services you might add later
The strongest setup pairs good equipment with a sound way of running the business.
FAQs About Salon Equipment
What equipment does a new salon need?
A new salon needs furniture and a reception desk. It needs tools for each service on your menu. It also needs hygiene and safety gear and payment equipment. Booking software completes the list.
How much does salon equipment cost?
It depends on your city and the brands you choose. It also depends on your service menu. A basic package covers chairs and stations with a sterilization system and a POS. Mid-range and premium setups add better gear and more services.
What should a new salon buy first?
Buy the must-haves first. These are the items you need to serve clients safely on opening day. Add comfort items and gear for future services as bookings grow.
Does a new salon need management software?
Yes. Chairs do not take bookings. Scheduling and client records and payments should be in place from the start. A salon management system keeps all three in one place.
Does Salonist support Arabic and e-invoicing in Saudi Arabia?
Salonist offers Arabic support across its calendar and POS and receipts. E-invoicing rules apply to salons in Saudi Arabia. Read the Salonist e-invoicing guide to check what your setup has to support.
Conclusion
A salon may be equipped with stunning decor and top-of-the-line equipment, but it may not The salon can have beautiful furnishings and the best equipment available, but not run effectively. Creating a salon equipment list is essential to keep expenses in check and the standard of service level consistent. Together with salon management software, it will help to keep track of everything.
Ready to run the business behind your equipment with less guesswork? Start a free Salonist trial and test it on a real week of your own bookings.
