The most successful hair salons with the most loyal clients are those that go the extra mile for their guests, never forgetting the personal touches that can make a salon visit really special. It’s all about attention to detail, as well as listening to and getting to know your client’s likes and dislikes. Put simply, you need to make your client feel special.

To achieve this, follow these top tips:

1. Make comfort a priority when buying salon chairs, facial beauty tables, backwash units and other pieces of salon furniture. A comfortable client is one that starts to relax more quickly and has a better overall experience.

2. Offer refreshments, even if it’s only a glass of water or a coffee. You could even set up a hot drink station in your salon, offering season-appropriate teas, coffees and other beverages.

3. Get the ambience right, using lighting, music and colour to achieve just the right mood

4. Listen to your client and give them your full attention

5. Try offering other extras, such as the latest magazines or mp3 players during colour treatments, or giving away complimentary products at the end of a visit

The Wild Life Hair salon in Sydney, Australia has one hugely exciting feature that few salons can replicate, no matter how elaborate their design scheme may be. The selling point of Wild Life is a breath-taking view of the awe-inspiring Sydney Harbour, which guests can drink in and savour through salon-length panoramic views.

The salon is owned by Phil Cordony, Gary Latham and Jayne Wild, who spent seventeen years in their previous premises before deciding to upgrade to the extraordinary and perfectly placed Point building, which overlooks Bradfield Park and the world-famous Harbour Bridge.

As for the design of the salon, Jayne explains that they wanted to enhance the sense of light and space, whilst also using the style of upmarket Sydney restaurants for inspiration. She explains:

“The theme of our salon is an extension of the surroundings,”

“It’s very light, clean and bright with white or mirrored walls, green accents and timber flooring.”

The salon also uses the plentiful space available in a very innovative way. As well as sharing space with beauty salon Essential Therapy, the salon features roll-away salon furniture and sliding mirrors. This means that the space can be transformed at the drop of a hat and can also be used for presentations, functions, open days and launches.

Are you planning to open a new hair salon? If so, it is essential that you do your homework and work out ahead of time exactly what you need to make your business a success.

One thing that is for certain is that you can’t achieve success without the right salon furniture and equipment. Use the following checklist to work out what you need to keep your clients happy, make the salon run more smoothly and offer all of the treatments and services you have in mind.

• Reception desk. Every hair salon and beauty spa, regardless of its area of expertise, needs a reception desk. This is the first and last point of contact for clients; without it, there would be chaos.

• Waiting benches. Allocate enough seating for waiting clients to avoid anyone having to stand or the salon becoming too cramped.

• Salon chairs. You can’t cut and style hair without somewhere suitable for clients to sit.

• Styling stations. These consist of a mirror, storage for accessories and optional footrest and shelf.

• Backwash units

• Manicure stations. You can either have individual stations or a nail bar; whichever suits the style of your salon best.

• Pedicure stations

• Massage chairs. Why not treat your clients to a relaxing automated massage whilst they wait or have their hair wash?

With so many pop-up salons and beauty parlours crowding the High Street and shopping centres, it can be hard to stand out from the crowd and attract enough clients to stay afloat. Some salon owners resort to ever-more desperate tactics to get new clients through the door, which can often end up costing them more money than they make.

However, there is one very simple way you can boost your salon clientele. You can hold an open day at your salon, inviting potential clients to come and check out the vibe of your salon. It is a low-pressure way of attracting clients who may normally be nervous about booking an appointment at a new salon.

Preparing for the open day

This is your chance to impress, so make sure that you put all your effort into preparing for your open day. You need to think about:

• Salon furniture. Are your salon chairs too tatty or poorly maintained? Do they need replacing? Scuffed, dirty or faulty salon equipment and furniture can give a very poor impression of your salon.

• Cleaning. Show your salon off to its best by giving the whole place a professional clean.

• Marketing your event. Put posters up, affiliate your salon with local brands and businesses, hand out vouchers and promise discounts (make sure you don’t give away too much though)

• Refreshments

• Complimentary beauty treatments or hair styling

Celebrity hairdresser Nicky Clarke has opened a brand new hair salon in the up-and-coming area of Spinningfields in Manchester.

The launch event for the new Nicky Clarke salon, located on the Avenue, took place last week and was attended by a host of famous faces.

Amongst the 200 VIP guests present at the launch were soap stars Kieron Richardson, Jorgie Porter and Hollie-Jay Bowes from Hollyoaks, England cricketer James Anderson, the actor John Thomson and premiership footballer Morten Gamst Pederson. The guests enjoyed complimentary cocktails from The Alchemist bar and also cake-shaped treats courtesy of Hey Little Cupcake, both of which are nearby.

The stunning new salon is notably very spacious, being as it is spread over two floors and with elegant and luxurious high ceilings. Along with state-of-the-art salon equipment and two private treatment rooms for VIP clients, the salon boasts a team of experienced stylists on hand to deliver expert advice and inspiration.

Nicky Clarke has other plans for 2011 aside from the new Spinningfields salon, as he is set to launch a care and styling range as well as a line of innovative electrical products.