Nail Services
Nails, like hair, have long been a woman's pride and joy. Many women go to extensive lengths to preserve the benefits and improve the look of their nails. You, the salon owner, could capitalize on this great love of nails. There's not a woman in the world who doesn't want to look pretty, and that includes not only her skin and hair, but also her hands. Of course, the overall appearance of the hand only can be as good as the nails which grace it.
There are a myriad of services available for either beautifying natural nails or adding to them. Those services include sculptured nails; nail tips with acrylic overlays; overlays over natural nails; linen nails made from a combination of glue and linen or tips with linen overlays; silk with a silk linen overlay; paper wraps made out of a tea-bag type material and placed over natural nails; manicures; manicures with liquid wraps and fiberglass wraps; or tips with a fiberglass overlay.
There are so many services that it can be overwhelming, so let's take things one step at a time. The benefits a tanning or full-service salon can reap from incorporating nail services are tremendous. The main thing a salon needs is money, and nail services have the capability of increasing salon revenue.
Besides the obvious monetary benefits, what other benefits can you receive by adding nail services? The salon owner must be aware that by hiring a cosmetologist, they are not only licensed to do nails, but also hair and make-up. Put this to use; make it work for you. Don't let that tanner leave your salon and go down the street to get their nails done. You do it for them.
One of the most important factors in adding nail services is that it takes up very little space. All it requires is a small, roll-around manicure table and stools for the manicurist and the client.
Before you think about incorporating nail services into your salon, you need to know which services will be conducive to the tanning environment. You should be aware that all nail services are not conducive to this salon environment. It's important to your business that you don't find out the hard way that acrylic nail services don't work well in your type of salon.
Regardless of the ventilation systems on your tables and in your salon, the smell that acrylics produce is very strong. In fact, the warm environment in a tanning salon can amplify the smell of acrylic tremendously. Probably half of a tanning salon's customers are men, and men have a hard enough time putting up with nail polish remover; can you imagine how they'd feel about the smell of acrylic?
The bottom line is that you don't want to lose 50 percent of your customers just to bring in acrylic nail services. Bring in services such as manicures, pedicures, silk wraps, linen wraps and fiberglass nails.
If you already have a cosmetologist in your salon, you already have personnel licensed to perform nail services, so take advantage of it. All you need to do is get them into some training classes. The procedures can be picked up quite easily by a cosmetologist, and the return profits are great. For example, manicures are performed once a week and all other nail services are done once every two weeks. This means that clients won't be coming in just to tan or tone; they also will be coming in weekly to have their nails serviced, adding that much more to your income.
Can you be assured that nail services are going to be a hit in your salon? You weigh the odds. In this day and age, both men and women must work, and women who work believe they deserve to pamper themselves a bit. They like to do things that will add to their self-confidence in their personal life and their career. Like the face and hair, hands are constantly on display. There is nothing that looks worse or destroys a nice business suit than chipped nail polish or unkempt nails. It's no great secret that when a woman's nails look good, she feels good about herself, and this is why the beauty business is booming.
A point that most people don't realize is that having their nails done helps to cure the perpetual nail biting habit. Ninety-nine percent of the time, if nail biters have their nails done, they will stop biting them for two reasons: one, they look so pretty; and two, it cost about $40 to $50 to have them done.
In the past, nail services were treated rather lightly, as a sideline service. It was an extra service that hair salons offered to please clientele. However, those days seem to be long gone. Nail services have grown into their own entity. Not only has the concept of nail services changed, nail styles have changed as well. Long, curved, red nails are no longer in. The shorter, more natural nail is in vogue now. The ideal nail is one-quarter to one-half inch past the fingertip. It's not shaped to a point because that makes the nail weak. Nor is it squared on the end because that is too abrupt. The look today is the slightly squared oval shape. Heavy polishes are not as popular as the natural, French-manicured look. This look can be achieved two ways: it can be done with polish, or with the actual acrylic product that is white and pink.
The trend toward the natural look is due to the fact that women no longer want to look "made up," yet they still want to look well-manicured. It's an overall successful look.
Nail services are so successful in salons today because the majority of women have poor nails. Women utilize every trick in the book to try to improve their nails, such as gelatin and nail vitamins. Unfortunately, the gift of good nails can be attributed mainly to hereditary factors. Only about one in 10 women have nice nails that can grow long, strong and healthy, and in most cases, their mothers probably had good nails too. Most women have thin, frail nails. For this reason, nail services will appeal to many salon customers.
The Nail Technician
What should you look for in a nail professional? It's very important to employ a nail professional who has a good background and knows what she's doing. It is also important, to get someone that is extremely enthusiastic. If they have a lot of enthusiasm about their work, you know they are going to do a good job. In most cases it's just as important as experience. A nail professional knows if he or she doesn't do an excellent job, no one is going to seek his or her services. Working with a subject as tedious as nails, it's very difficult, if not impossible, to disguise a poor job. So, when choosing a nail professional, look for someone who is excited about their work.
When reviewing credentials for hiring, look for someone who has complete manicuring or cosmetology school and has attained a license. The individual you choose really is going to have a great influence on the success of your nail business. Look for a pleasant, outgoing personality, but make sure they're not overly friendly to the point of being overbearing. Nail professionals claim you not only need to hire someone who does good work, but also someone who can work quickly and accurately. You won't reap much profit if your nail technicians take their own sweet time.
Pay, per hour, for nail technicians varies from state to state. However, typically they work on commission with a range of 30 percent to 70 percent of the appointments they book, based on gross profits. They either can choose salary, commission or salary plus commission. Salary plus commission means the rate drops once they double their salary. Going with salary or commission means the technician receives either $275 a week, or a percentage of all appointments they book; whichever brings in the most money. For example, if a technician receives 50-percent commission and books $1,000 worth of appointments per week, they receive $500 instead of the $275 base salary. A good nail technician always chooses commission because they know they will make so much more than the base salary.
Today especially, it is crucial that a manicurist have good hygiene habits. Things like using a new emery board and new solutions for every client could save a salon owner a lot of heartache.
If you are interested in incorporating nail services into your salon, you may be wondering how to begin. Research manufacturers to see which one you like best and which one has the products you want.
As soon as you decide on a manufacturer, call them and ask if they have extended training on their products or if they can recommend a nail professional who is familiar with their products. The prices for training programs are usually very reasonable, and they usually include the products.
Before tanning salons may bring in nail professionals, they must apply at their state board for a license to perform nail services. From there, they need to find a nail professional they think will complement their salon and do a good job.
