Salon Update 2025 "a fresh start"

2024 was quite a year... My leasing partner and I took on a risky endeavor- studio suite rental! Last March, we underwent construction to join our original suite 105 the neighboring suite 104.

We played the back-and-forth game with numerous city and state offices, inspectors, electricians, plumbers and other contractors.

We've done a lot of DIY construction, decorating, painting and spending (so... much... spending!).

In July, we were FINALLY able to officially open Studio Eleven-17, a massage and beauty establishment for independent professionals! We have Maribel, my colleague from Fantastic Sam's, running her salon, Dream Cut & Color, in suite 104C. Bertha, our newest tenant, is practicing massage therapy as Birdie's Healing Touch in suite 105D. We still have room for two more!

I am very proud of how it turned out, but the biggest accomplishment of 2024?

Lots and lots of HOT WATER!!

Yes- after six years, we finally have a big water heater and no one has to get a cold blast when getting their hair washed anymore!

On-site laundry is a close second. It's the "little" things, right?

Me, when the HOT water started flowing!

If you've been in the salon recently, you've heard me talk about all kinds of new stuff going on for 2025!

Now that the bulk of the work is done for the studio expansion, it's going to be a new year of action for me, with laser-focus on my salon.

To be completely real… I MUST get out of my pandemic hermit mindset and resuscitate my business... or it will die.

I can no longer hide from the general public... at least not business-wise... but this is not a "woe-is-me", it's a "let's do this"!

So, I've been busy making changes to my website and booking system for the last several weeks. My goal, always, is to make booking easier for you, my beloved clients... but it is always a work in progress. I am also taking into consideration the current economical challenges that so many are facing, and shifts in consumer behavior.

So here are the changes that are being made:

NO PRICE INCREASES

• Well, this one isn't a change- but pricing will remain the same as it has been since 2021, until demand for my services determines that prices need to go up. I do not expect my demand to increase to this level until late 2025 or early 2026.

• If demand increases significantly before this estimate, I will reopen for a fourth day before increasing prices.

SAME DAY APPOINTMENTS

• Shorter services (haircuts, express color, treatments, styling) - for Established Clients only- can be booked SAME DAY, as soon as two hours ahead of time! I still recommend booking ahead, as openings cannot be guaranteed if you wait until the "day of" to book.

DIRECT BOOKING FROM MY WEBSITE + NEW PAGES

• New Guests can book haircuts now, not just color, and they can book directly from my website. However, they can only book the full-service option- cut, wash, and style (see EXCLUSIVE SERVICES)

• I have also created service and session menus on my website with direct booking links to PocketSuite for Established Clients. If you don't see something in the PocketSuite app, it should be on the website- I'm still tweaking the app to line it up, please bear with me!

• Established Clients are welcome to book New Guest Sessions! These sessions are essentially bundled services that can be booked without multiple steps.

• I hope you take a few minutes to look at my website- just tap on the 3 lines in the top right corner of this screen from your phone, or on the top menu bar fom your computer! I added pages about gray hair transformations and how to pick the right highlights for you. There are some hidden pages about how to prepare for your appointment and after care for color, that will be linked in automated texts before and after your color appointments. I also have lots of ideas for more pages to come!

BUY NOW/PAY LATER OPTION AVAILABLE

• I am now offering Buy Now/Pay Later options with Affirm, AfterPay, and Klarna! If you want to pay this way, your appointment can be booked right away, but must be pre-approved and paid before the appointment time via invoice. Every appointment $50 and up will let you choose this option when booking.

NEW ONLINE STORE

• I have also joined the Amazon Associates program and am working on adding a "store" to my website. So now you can order all your favorite Milk_Shake products, as well as many other hair products, tools, accessories, and extras that I recommend and use, from Amazon, via my website. Many of these products have same-day delivery, so you don't have to wait until your appointment or coordinate a time to pick up! I can't beat Amazon's prices because of the increase in my distributor's shipping (which went up significantly in 2024), but the links will be to the manufacturers' Amazon storefronts, so you know you're getting authentic product. It won't cost you anything extra, and you'd be supporting a local, small business with a small commission, whenever you follow a link from my site! It will also allow me to reduce excess inventory in my salon- but don't worry- I'll still have product in stock, and matching Amazon's regular prices.

NEW SERVICES

• I will now be offering Hydrojelly mini-facials, brow tinting, and high-frequency scalp treatments as add-ons to your color and haircut sessions. Brow lamination will also be offered soon! I also have a new standalone scalp detox treatment where I look at your scalp through a microscope!

EXCLUSIVE SERVICES

• Some appointments- Express (Dry) Haircuts, Haircut + Wash and Go, Express Root Retouch, and a few other shorter services and add-ons- will be available exclusively to my Established Clients. I have created pages on my website and am currently working on QR code cards for direct but exclusive access. You can always text me for a direct link to any service you are wanting to book, and save time by not scrolling through my website and booking app altogether- but try to get it done online if you can so you don't lose your spot waiting for me to reply!

• I'm also working on creating custom services by client- with your own VIP card and QR code that has a direct link to an appointment, set up with your own private menu and custom timing!

• I also renamed "Loyal Guest" to "Established Client" throughout my website, just because it sounds fancier.

• I've eliminated booking fees for longer services. I have also changed the settings to the contract that requires a signature every time you book, so that your signature of acknowledgement will only be required once every six months, when you book. The terms still apply year-round, though!

HAPPY MAIL ADDRESS UPDATE

• I will be sending out Happy Mail opt-in forms via text message every January from here on out so that you can update addresses and other information, and hopefully join if you haven't already. I consistently sent out birthday and holiday cards for 2024, and now I'm hooked! I did have a few clients who moved sometime last year, so I want to make sure everyone is updated.

THE BAD NEWS (ONLY FOR SOME, THOUGH)

• On a less happy note, I will also be enforcing my Late Cancellation, No-Show, and Tardy policies starting January 1, 2025, due to an increase in last-minute cancellations, last-minute reschedules and tardiness recently. I let it slide when I can, but I need to keep things orderly, you know? Cancellations, no-shows, and tardiness affect everyone in the salon that day, so make sure you read that contract that you're signing, and leave a few minutes early to beat the never-ending construction traffic to avoid paying those fees!

• ALL cancellations must be done by you, through the PocketSuite app or by tapping on the link in your confirmation text message. If you cancel within 24 hours, you will be charged 50% of the cost of what you booked for. So please make sure you keep track of your upcoming appointment, because the reminders usually get sent within 24 hours, and I cannot adjust them! Do text me if you’re sick so I can cancel for you and waive the fee, but also know that you only get one of these “passes”, and it’s on the honor system.

• PocketSuite support says add-ons with timing will be rolled out soon, but for now they are added as products and don’t account for time. So If you see a service time that seems ridiculously long, it's because I had to add extra time to every appointment. This allows for add-on services, but also to make sure I have enough time to pamper you! I will also be taking a lot more pictures for my social media platforms (but only with your permission, of course)!

I hope you are as excited as I am for these new changes! I'm ready to start the next chapter, and I'm looking forward to rebuilding and growing my business. I wish us all a prosperous 2025, and I appreciate YOU so much for being with me through this journey!

Hope to see you soon!

Sonia