Salon Suite Franchises: Costs, Rent and Brands

A salon suite franchise is a property business more than a salon. The owner leases a large unit, divides it into many small, lockable studios with a chair, a shampoo bowl and storage, and rents each one by the week to a stylist, barber, esthetician, nail tech or massage therapist who runs their own business inside. The tenants set their own prices and hours and keep what they earn; the owner collects rent and keeps the building clean, secure and full.

Because tenants staff the building, an owner needs few or no employees and can often run it alongside another job. The shared studio model listed apart rents space in an open, high-end salon floor rather than closed suites.

The salon suite franchises

Salon suite buildings

Salon suite buildings, most US locations first, with the change in locations over three years
Brand	Cost to open	Locations	Change
Sola Salon StudiosA Sola Salon Studios franchisee runs a salon suite business renting private studios to beauty professionals.$950K–$1.75M	$950K–$1.75M	744	+98
Phenix Salon SuitesA salon suite business licensing equipped private suites to independent beauty professionals.$923K–$2.27M	$923K–$2.27M	418	+80
My Salon SuiteA My Salon Suite franchisee runs a salon suite rental business leasing private studios to beauty professionals.$995K–$1.82M	$995K–$1.82M	371	+108
Salons by JCA Salons by JC franchisee rents salon suites to independent beauty, wellness and personal care practitioners.$1.35M–$1.9M	$1.35M–$1.9M	168	+33
IMAGE StudiosAn IMAGE Studios franchisee rents turnkey salon suites to independent salon professionals.$773K–$1.73M	$773K–$1.73M	129	+91
Beauty BungalowsA Beauty Bungalows franchisee operates a salon suite rental business for independent beauty professionals.$942K–$1.96M	$942K–$1.96M	6	+4
The Look Salon SuitesA salon suite studio leasing private suites to independent salon professionals.$676K–$1.22M	$676K–$1.22M	6	–

Shared salon studios

Shared salon studios, most US locations first, with the change in locations over three years
Brand	Cost to open	Locations	Change
bex+Co.A high-end shared workspace salon that leases private studios to independent licensed beauty professionals.$403K–$634K	$403K–$634K	7	+1

What salon suite franchises cost to open

The typical brand here costs $932K at the low end of its estimate and $1.78M at the high end. The lowest starting cost is bex+Co.’s, from $403K. Use each brand’s full range for budgeting: the low end is a small site in a cheaper market.

Typical cost to open by kind of business
Kind	Brands	Typical cost to open
Salon suite buildings	7	$942K–$1.82M
Shared salon studios	1	$403K–$634K

Where the money goes: share of a typical brand's high-end cost to open (8 brands with a full breakdown)

Building, rent and fit-out75%
Equipment, furniture and signs15%
Working capital5%
Franchise fee4%
Opening marketing1%

Nearly all of the cost is the build-out: walls, plumbing to every shampoo bowl, ventilation, electrics and finishes for each studio. That is why these franchises cost more to open than a typical haircut salon, and why the size of the unit, and the rent on it, decides the budget. The franchise fee is a small share by comparison.

Fees and royalties

The typical franchise fee is $58K and the typical royalty 5.5% of sales, plus 1.5% for marketing. One brand charges a flat, tiered or other royalty instead of one percentage. Royalties come off sales before rent, wages or loan payments. The fees and royalties guide compares industries.

What locations sell

Of these brands, 4 publish a comparable yearly sales figure per location; the typical one is $452K. Sales are before costs, so they say nothing on their own about profit.

Yearly sales per location, as each brand reports
Brand	Yearly sales	Sales ÷ cost
Salons by JC2025, 142 locations	$553K median	0.3×
My Salon Suite2025, 264 locations	$455K	0.3×
Phenix Salon Suites2025 calendar year, 190 locations	$449K	0.3×
Sola Salon Studios2025, 653 locations	$448K	0.3×

Which salon suite franchises are growing

All 7 brands with three years of location figures grew from 2023 to 2025, a net change of +415 locations between them. The typical one lost 0.4% of its franchised locations a year to closures, terminations and non-renewals, against 3.0% across all franchises. One of the 8 is on the SBA Franchise Directory, so SBA-backed loans are open to it.

Before you buy

The business stands or falls on occupancy. Ask owners how long it took to fill their suites, what share stays let through the year, and how much tenant turnover they see. Ask what weekly rent studios fetch in your market and how many competing suite buildings are open or planned nearby, since the brands here are all adding locations.

Read the lease as closely as the franchise agreement. The owner signs a long lease on a large unit and carries the rent whether or not the studios are let, so check the term, the personal guarantee and what the landlord pays toward the build-out.

Questions

Do salon suite tenants pay a share of their sales?

No. Tenants pay a fixed weekly or monthly rent for their studio, usually with utilities, Wi-Fi and cleaning of shared areas included, and keep everything they charge clients. That makes the owner's income predictable once the building is full, but it doesn't rise when tenants have a good year, so rent increases at renewal are how income grows.

Do I need a cosmetology license to own a salon suite franchise?

Generally no, because the owner rents space rather than doing hair, and each tenant holds their own license. Some states license the building as a salon or require each suite to meet salon rules, so check with your state board before choosing a site.