Guide · Salon Pricing Calculator
How to raise salon prices without guesswork
Raise salon prices in one planned step: find how far each service is below its target price, pick one increase (a percent or an amount), round each new price up to your menu’s step, check what it adds per month, then send clients a dated notice. On the sample menu below, 5% adds 495.00 a month at the same bookings.
Up to four services, amounts in your own currency. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
Sample menu at +5%: 495.00 more a month. Turn on JavaScript to enter your own.
When is it time to raise your prices?
A raise is due when the numbers behind your menu have moved and the menu has not. Three signs are worth checking before anything else. Your costs went up: new rent, a product line that costs more per bowl, card processing on more of your takings. Your book is full: if clients wait weeks for a slot, your booking rate is high and the market is telling you something. And your services price below target: run one service through the service price calculator with today's hourly rate and enter what you charge now; "below target" or "below cost" is a clear answer.
A fourth, slower sign is time. If you have not changed prices in a couple of years, compare your last raise with how much consumer prices moved over the same period (the Consumer Price Index in the sources). Standing still means your real price went down.
What is the step-by-step method?
- Measure the gap. For each service, compare what you charge with the price your hourly rate, minutes and product cost produce. Write down the biggest gap and the typical one.
- Pick one increase. A single percentage across the menu keeps relative prices intact. A flat amount helps lower-priced services more than long color services. You can raise a few under-priced services separately first.
- Round each new price your way. The app rounds every new price up to that service's own step, so 95 + 5% becomes 100, not 99.75, and a 0% "raise" never nudges a price by itself.
- Check the monthly difference. Multiply each difference by how often you do the service in a month. It is a revenue scenario at today's bookings, not a forecast.
- Pick a start date and tell clients. Send one short, dated notice (below), and post the new price list on the same day.
- Watch one month of bookings. Compare appointments with the break-even count from the next section before you change anything else.
Worked example: a 5% raise on a four-service menu
The first three services are from the planner screenshot above; the gel manicure is added so the menu spans hair and nails. Every new price is rounded up to the next 5.
| Service | Now | +5%, rounded up | Per visit | Visits a month | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full highlight + tone | 270.00 | 285.00 | +15.00 | 12 | +180.00 |
| Balayage retouch | 255.00 | 270.00 | +15.00 | 9 | +135.00 |
| Precision cut + style | 95.00 | 100.00 | +5.00 | 20 | +100.00 |
| Gel manicure | 70.00 | 75.00 | +5.00 | 16 | +80.00 |
The menu brings in 495.00 more a month if bookings stay where they are. Seen the other way round, the highlight could drop from 12 to 11.4 visits a month before its revenue fell below today's. That cushion is why a modest raise rarely costs as much as stylists fear, but it is arithmetic, not a promise about how clients will react.
What should the price increase notice say?
This is the message Salon Pricing Calculator fills in with your date and increase. Copy it as it is, or adapt it:
Hi! Starting November 1, my prices will go up by 5%. This helps me keep up with rising costs and keep giving you the quality you count on. Thank you for your support — I look forward to seeing you soon! Studio Lumen
A shorter version for a text message
Quick note: from November 1 my prices go up by 5%. Already booked? Your appointment stays at today's price. Thank you for coming back to me. Studio Lumen
When only some services change
Starting November 1, color services and balayage go up by 15. Cuts, styling and nails stay the same. If you have questions about your next visit, just reply here. Studio Lumen
Keep it about the date and the numbers. Clients do not need a list of your costs, and an apology invites a negotiation. Whatever rule you choose for existing bookings, state it once and apply it to everyone.
What do I update after the raise?
Change the price everywhere a client sees it on the same day: the booking system, the price list on your social profiles and the menu in the chair. In the app, applying the plan updates your saved services and the price list image together, so the image you post and the prices you charge cannot drift apart. Then leave the new prices alone for a month and compare bookings with the break-even counts you worked out; that tells you more than any rule of thumb about your own clients.
Sources
Questions people ask
How much should I raise my salon prices?
There is no universal percentage. Price one service from your current hourly rate and costs, compare the result with what you charge, and close that gap. If your costs rose evenly, one percentage across the whole menu keeps your price list consistent; if only some services are under target, raise those more.
How do I tell clients about a price increase?
Give them a date, the size of the increase and a thank-you, in one short message. You do not need to apologise or list every cost that went up. Post the new price list on the same day so nobody hears the new prices first at checkout.
Will I lose clients if I raise prices?
Nobody can promise either way. What you can calculate is how many appointments you could lose and still bring in the same revenue: old price × bookings ÷ new price. For a 270 service booked 12 times a month and raised to 285, that is 11.4 bookings: losing less than one a month leaves you even.
Should I round new prices?
Most menus do. Salon Pricing Calculator rounds each new price up to that service’s own step (the next 1, 5 or 10) so a 5% raise on 95 becomes 100 rather than 99.75, and never rounds a price down below the increase you chose.
Should regular clients get the old price for a while?
That is a business choice, not a calculation. Some stylists honour bookings already made at the old price; others give regulars one more visit at it. Whatever you choose, say it in the notice so the rule is the same for everyone.