Opening a Nail Salon in the US: Understanding Startup Costs

Are you planning to open a nail salon in the US and looking to find out how much money you’ll need to get started? Do you want to have a clear understanding of the initial investment required to open a nail salon? Then, check out this article to gain some insights. In this article, T-Spa will help you calculate the costs based on a nail salon of approximately 2000sqf.

Location

Location is a very important factor in business as it directly affects the revenue of the salon. To save costs, many people choose to rent a long-term space for their nail salon (5 years, 10 years, 15 years, etc.) instead of building a nail salon by buying land.

In addition, people often choose locations for their salon in shopping centers or mixed-use areas with many types of businesses such as restaurants, cafes, hair salons, etc. to attract more customers.

Doing business in a mall is also not a bad idea because there are a lot of customers there. However, the cost of renting a space in a mall is usually very high, so you should think carefully about choosing a location for your business.

Developing the Concept for the Nail Salon

You need to have an idea for your nail salon to help facilitate your business. There are two ways to come up with ideas for your salon: coming up with ideas yourself or seeking support from a team. On average, for a nail salon of the size that T-Spa has mentioned (~2000sqf), the cost falls around $2,500. This is the total cost, including 2D, 3D designs, layout, etc. that suit the owner’s taste.

Building and Construction Costs for the Nail Salon

This is considered the most important part of owning your own nail salon. However, this part is also influenced to some extent by the salon’s location and depends on the construction team that you choose. The more prime the location, the higher the cost of this part. In the US, the cost of construction and design ranges from $100 to $120 per sqf. Therefore, for a 2000sqf salon, you will have to spend about $200,000 – $240,000.

Furniture and Decor for the Nail Salon

The process of decoration and furnishing the interior of the nail salon also incurs a cost depending on the requirements of each nail salon and the style it is pursuing. On average, this part will account for one-third of the construction cost. This means that you have spent about $60,000 to $80,000 on this step.

Which Spa Chairs are Reasonable for the Nail Salon?

Choosing a line of spa chairs that suits the budget, style, and criteria of the salon is not a simple task. On average, a good pedicure chair on the market ranges around $2,000. Depending on the number of seats you want (10 seats, 15 seats, 20 seats, etc.), in this article, T-Spa will choose 15 seats for you to refer to.

The cost for spa chairs will be: 15 x $2,000 = $30,000.

Equipment and Utilities for the Nail Salon

This will be the cost of equipment such as cameras, POS systems, sales systems, exhaust fans, TVs, etc., in the nail salon. After being installed in the salon, the total cost of these equipment will be around $20,000, accounting for about 10% of the construction cost.

Nail Supplies

Nail polish bottles with full colors, nail powder, gel, etc. will be included in this part of the cost. Typically, opening a nail salon will cost an average of $20,000 for this step.

Incidental Costs

Not every time you plan your budget, the actual cost will be the same as the number you set. There will always be incidents that you cannot predict in advance and only when you start doing business, you will realize that there are many incidental costs. This incidental cost can range from $15,000 to $20,000.

In summary, we would spend about $300,000 to $400,000 to carry out a nail salon for ourselves. Hopefully, with this article from T-Spa, you will have a more objective and comprehensive view. You can also plan to build your own nail salon in the future and we wish you success.