With so many options and price points on the styling chair market, finding and investing in the best salon chair(s) for your salon can be intimidating, overwhelming, and unclear when wading through the various options and companies out on the web – but it doesn’t have to be! The salon equipment experts over at Buy-Rite Beauty have put their 85 years of experience in the industry to help create the below guide for salon owners and/or stylists looking to source new chairs for their shop.
Whether you are looking for a brand-new styling chair to fill a new space or just looking to upgrade your current setup, follow these vital 8 tips from the long-time experts before finalizing your new furniture investment.
1. Client Comfort
This may seem to be an obvious point to consider, but it should be one of the first factors you contemplate before making the investment. Providing a comfortable, satisfactory experience for your clients is undeniably one of the most important factors to consider when finding the best and most comfortable salon chairs for your salon. Clients may be sitting for hours depending on the service, and the key to a comfortable salon chair is full lumbar support, high-density foam cushions, and a width that can be comfortable for all sizes of clientele. When evaluating client comfort, it is also important to consider the shape and structure of the chair. Does it have metal arms or cushioned arms? Does the chair open on the sides or is it closed in? The answers to these comfort questions will vary by shop as every salon has a different clientele. Ask yourself, what does comfortable mean to my clients? A comfortable experience for your clients makes them feel appreciated and increases the probability of them becoming returning clients!
2. Stylist Comfort
Like client comfort, it is important to analyze what does “comfortable” mean to your stylists? The day-to-day work of a stylist is physically demanding, and it is extremely important to consider the long-term comfort of your stylists. First, make sure to purchase a chair with a hydraulic base that adjusts in relation to your stylist’s height. A stylist's height is super important to consider preventing stylists from having to bend over for hours with a chair that’s too short or having to reach awkwardly with a chair that’s too tall. Some hydraulics have higher travel ranges for those taller stylists, while other chairs are built lower to the ground for shorter stylists. Aside from it being a hydraulic chair, it is also important to make sure your potential salon chairs are lockable at the preferred height, and that they provide maximum mobility.
3. Quality
Construction is key when searching for your perfect salon chair. Dependent upon your budget, there is a wide range of high-quality styling chairs from which to choose. Quality salon styling chairs come at an increased cost, but are a solid, long-term investment for you and your salon, and will save you money in the future. Look for quality signals like warranty information, brand name, company reputation, specific-product reviews – all of these characteristics will speak to the quality of a product. Most noticeable, furniture and equipment made in America have proven to be the leading source of the highest quality salon equipment on the market, so don’t forget to keep a special eye out for American-made equipment.
4. Budget
The cost of a hair salon chair can range from a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars per chair, so it is important to have a realistic budget – and stick to it! When setting your budget, keep in mind that investing a little extra into your styling chairs will pay off long-term as the salon chair is the focal point of the service you are providing. Typically, chair prices rise due to higher-quality materials used on the hydraulic pump system and/or the vinyl material used in the production of the chair top. When purchasing from a reputable source, you can feel confident that spending more on the front-end for your salon chair will pay for itself in longevity and use. Ideally, we could all afford the highest-quality salon styling chairs, but there are plenty of mid-priced, high-quality options available that check off the boxes for fashion and function.
5. Material
Often overlooked in the purchasing process, it is extremely important to know the materials of your potential salon styling chairs. Steer clear of fabrics and opt for high-quality vinyl for easy maintenance and long-lasting results. For the metal portions of your hair styling chairs, chrome is a durable material and provides a chic look, while its powder coating hides scratches and general wear and tear. Additionally, be conscious of your base options, and which base is not only the best for your aesthetic, but also your clientele. Standard round, flat round, flat square, star, and Italian bases each have pros and cons, so consider stability, weight distribution, upkeep, and maintenance. Special base coating options like black-powder coated bases are very popular in today’s market as they provide a dependable resistance against the common wear-and-tear signs.
6. Easy to Clean
Ease of upkeep is another huge consideration to contemplate throughout this process. To keep your hair salon’s chairs looking brand new, it is important to consider material and color, how products, hair color, and bleach will affect your chair’s look, and the design of the chair. Darker colors in general will wear better over time, while your lighter and brighter colors will show signs of use much more quickly. Fabrics and leather materials wear quickly and are challenging to keep clean, while you can easily clean high-quality vinyl. Also, don’t forget to investigate the structure of the chair to locate the creases, openings, and cleaning shoots. These structure points will help control the ease of removing hair from the chair constantly. Being able to quickly clean the hair out of a chair between services while not having to fight through tight creases is very important to take into consideration.
Although the chair may be your main focus, don’t forget about cleaning your chrome base to keep your station looking clean and sleek. Additionally, a salon chair designed with an open back or sides creates the ability to easily remove hair from the salon chair, and in turn, allows you to have a more sanitary salon.
7. Aesthetic
This is the fun part! During your search for the perfect salon chair, you will come across a multitude of design options to choose from. An easy way to sift through the endless number of products is finding a styling chair that matches your salon’s personality – is it classic, modern, retro, or contemporary? Looking at style and your color palette is key in this step of your process. Buy-Rite Beauty offers a “Shop By Style” section of their website that allows you to find the perfect salon chair aesthetic fit by shopping your desired style. Take the time to consider your salon design to create a one-of-a-kind, custom styling chair unique to your salon!
8. Warranty
Looking at a company’s warranty policies will show a lot about the quality and durability of your salon’s potential styling chairs. Beware if there is no warranty that this could be a sign of low-quality materials with a short lifespan. The best salon chairs will be backed by at least a one-year warranty. Along with a warranty, check to make sure that they have a dedicated customer service team ready to assist you with any questions that may pop up. With each purchase, Buy-Rite Beauty has a unique support process where at the time of purchase each customer is assigned a real-life Support Specialist who serves as your direct contact for any post-purchase questions, issues, or concerns that may arise after your purchase. You will have that contact’s name, email address, and phone number because Buy-Rite Beauty views the purchase event as the start of the long-term partnership, not the end.
9. Assembly
If the chair requires assembly, check if they come with clear instructions and are easy to put together. This can save you time and frustration during the setup process. Don't forget to inquire upfront regarding this assembly process. When trying to open and integrate a new chair or replace an old one, the last thing you want to worry about is assembly & installation issues. Most quality chairs come in just a few components - steer clear of the ones that require heavy assembly as that's a sign of a low-quality product.
Purchasing your beauty salon chairs online can sometimes leave you with more questions than answers, so make sure to contact a dedicated equipment expert to help guide you through the process of selecting a salon styling chair. The search for the best salon chairs can be a challenge – but follow our top 8 tips and you can balance fashion and function, all while staying within your budget!
