Coworking + Beauty: A Deep Dive into Beauty Coworking Spaces

The global salon service market was valued at $215.65 billion in 2022, with an expected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of nearly 8% through 2030.

This means there’s no better time to start a salon service business than in the next six years.

But as the market grows, so does the opportunity for innovation. One such innovative approach to the traditional salon model is beauty coworking spaces.

Part salon, part coworking space, they are the ideal way for budding beauty entrepreneurs to start their own business — and they just may be the future of the industry.

What is a beauty coworking space?

A beauty coworking space is a shared workspace designed specifically for hair stylists, makeup artists, nail technicians, and other beauty professionals. The spaces are typically turn-key, meaning they are equipped with all of the services and amenities someone would need to run their own business. They are also able to be customized to the individual.

In theory, any beauty professional could walk off the street and rent space in a beauty coworking space on a daily, hourly, or monthly basis. 

Key features of beauty coworking spaces include: 

• Shared equipment like chairs and wash basins
• Flexible rental options on-demand
• A mix of spaces for different services
• Unique amenities like mentoring opportunities and networking events

Who uses beauty coworking spaces?

Beauty coworking spaces are best suited for salon professionals who want a low-cost way to work for themselves. This includes:

• Hair stylists
• Makeup artists
• Beauticians
• Nail technicians
• Aestheticians

While some shared beauty spaces will target one or two specific crafts, most are equipped to handle a variety of different service providers. This is part of the magic of a beauty coworking space compared to a traditional salon.

A brief history of beauty coworking spaces

Though beauty coworking spaces are gaining traction now, many are surprised to learn that the concept is not new. 

The first reported beauty coworking space, IMAGE Studios, opened in Utah in 2009. After seeing how the industry limited the growth of beauty professionals, Founder Jason Olsen created a space where salon professionals could access the equipment and space they needed to find success independently. 

He designed a physical space that resembled a collection of private offices in a coworking space. But instead of desks and chairs, each private room housed a unique salon set-up customized to the individual — whether they needed a space to cut hair or thread brows.

Today, there are over 30 IMAGE Studios locations across the US offering clean, modern, and professional work environments for beauty professionals, as well as hundreds of independent beauty coworking spaces all over the world.

So why is the trend catching wind now?

The rise of beauty entrepreneurship

We’ve talked a lot about how entrepreneurship is shaping the coworking and flex space industry, and beauty coworking spaces are no exception.

Lash technicians, hair stylists, makeup artists — they all want the freedom and space to practice their craft independently. Rather than invest the time, money, and effort it would take to open their own salon, they can work out of a shared workspace and get many of the same benefits as owning their own business, but at a fraction of the cost.

Beauty coworking spaces vs. booth rentals

Traditionally, salons and other spaces for beauticians operate under one of two models:

• Commission based: the owner of the salon takes a cut of every service done by the stylist (ie. 50% of a $100 hair cut)
• Booth rental or chair rental: the stylist pays daily, weekly, or monthly rent to the salon owner (ie. $150 a week)

In both of these models, the owner of the salon is typically responsible for providing all materials (with some exceptions) and managing the space including cleaning, back-end operations, and hiring.

Beauty coworking spaces are similar to the booth rental model in that members pay a flat fee in order to use the space. Some equipment is provided to them, too.

The main difference is that beauty coworking spaces serve a variety of beauty professionals (vs. a traditional salon that may just serve hair stylists or lash technicians), are focused on community building, and truly offer a flexible approach to working.

The benefits of coworking spaces for beauty professionals

As with many niche coworking spaces, the greatest benefits of shared spaces for beauty professionals are cost-efficiency, flexibility, networking opportunities, and creative freedom.

Cost-efficiency

Beauty coworking spaces offer lower overhead costs compared to traditional salon ownership or a commission model. They are turn-key so that stylists only need to worry about their craft, while other costs and expenses are taken care of. These costs are then shared across many members and factored into the membership plan at a lower cost per member.

Flexibility 

Coworking spaces pride themselves in flexible membership plans and beauty coworking spaces are no exception. Members aren’t usually locked in to long-term agreements and can rent space on-demand, providing greater flexibility to fit their changing schedules.

Networking Opportunities

Not only are you working alongside other talented professionals, you’re working alongside referral opportunities and even potential clients. A hair stylist and a makeup artist can benefit greatly by working in the same building, sharing client info, and using each other’s services.

Creative Freedom

Renting a chair in a salon or in another studio brings little opportunity for custom branding. You’re operating under another owner and therefore another brand. Working in a beauty coworking space gives you more creative freedom because you get to “own” the space you have. If you’re working in a private office type set-up, this can be greatly freeing.

Fizzy Collective, a UK-based beauty coworking space shared a few more benefits of working in their coworking space in a recent Instagram post including:

• Ability to set your own schedule
• Able to use and choose your own products
• No external sales targets
• Needing to be in the space, even if you don’t have a client

Beauty coworking space examples

Looking to be inspired? Let’s take a look at three Optix clients who are shaping what it means to be a modern, service-oriented coworking space for beauty professionals.

Fizzy Collective

Fizzy Collective is a beauty coworking space in the UK serving hair stylists, beauticians, makeup artists and many more in the beauty industry. 

Started by two sisters, the community is all about inclusivity and sustainability, with a commitment to providing a creative and flexible space to work out of. The space itself is beautiful, colorful, and equipped with everything someone would need to find success.

Kay Taylor Salon Suites

Kay Taylor Salon Suites is a shared space for beauty professionals in Modesto, California. They offer state-of-the-art facilities to empower beauty entrepreneurs in a modern and luxurious space.

At Kay Taylor Salon Suites, members keep 100% of their profits, enjoy private secure spaces personalized just to them, and can set their own prices for their services, making it a complete member-oriented workspace.

LOOK Style Society

LOOK Style Society is a beauty professional workspace in Las Vegas, Nevada. They offer an extensive menu of services from waxing to men’s haircuts to body treatments and so much more. 

Members can enjoy a sense of community, top notch amenities, and access to a wide variety of specialty equipment and materials to perfect their craft.

Gallery Salon Studios

Gallery Salon Studios provides 24/7, move-in-ready studio spaces for hair and beauty specialists in the Netherlands. 

They offer both full memberships, where members get full access to their own private salon space (much like a private office membership), as well as flex memberships for those looking for a more flexible, on-demand option.

Opening a beauty coworking space

At Optix, we’re all about enabling coworking and flex space leaders to thrive. We’ve worked with hundreds of coworking and flex space operators, including beauty coworking spaces, to give them the tools they need to find success in a rapidly changing industry.

Here are a few tips for opening a beauty coworking space, based on learnings from our clients.

1. Location is everything

Location is everything in the world of coworking. 37% of workers say the greatest benefit of a coworking space is the convenient location. When opening a niche or targeted coworking space, location becomes especially important because you need a large enough number of potential clients located near you.

Market research will show you if there is a large enough market to support a beauty coworking space in the area you want. It’s not enough to assume that a metropolitan city can support the concept and a rural location can not. Niche coworking spaces all depend on the concentration of certain people in the area, which could be higher in one location compared to another.

2. Lean into the intangibles

It’s easy to conceptualize having the most beautiful space, fantastic equipment and lovely artwork adorning the walls. But what people really want from a coworking space are the intangibles. The most successful operators are those who invest in community building, networking events, and mentorship opportunities — the things people can’t get anywhere else.

This is what will ultimately get people to commit to your community, more so than anything else you offer.

3. Choose the right technology

An important but often overlooked part of opening a beauty coworking space is choosing the right technology to operate the backend. This part can make or break your business, and choosing technology that is reliable, works well, and that you enjoy using is crucial to success.

At Optix coworking software, we provide coworking and flex space operators, including beauty coworking spaces, the technology they need to automate their operations, engage their community, and grow their business. Automation is the key to doing more with less and running a business, especially as a small team.

See how Optix can transform your business.

The future of coworking spaces for beauty professionals

Our prediction is, like most niche coworking trends, beauty coworking spaces are only going to grow in popularity over the next 2-5 years. As more beauty entrepreneurs look for creative ways to run their business, beauty coworking spaces will take center stage as a solution to the challenges of a traditional salon model.

Within the niche itself, we predict a greater emphasis on community building to more closely resemble a coworking space with events, networking opportunities, and more.

Are you looking to open a beauty coworking space and want to understand how technology fits into your business? Connect with a member of our team today.