A trip to the hair or beauty salon can make or break a week for any of us. Whether you’re preparing for your big day, picking yourself back up after a breakup, or just having a little regular treat, it should be in an atmosphere that makes you feel relaxed and valued, and encourages you to unwind. 

The effect music can have on our subconscious can cause changes to our moods, habits and behaviour, which means that, from a business perspective, we can use this to engage customers and encourage their return.

Customer Enjoyment and Relaxation

It’s been proven that certain types of music have beneficial effects on our physiological functions, slowing the pulse and heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and decreasing levels of stress hormones in our bodies. These effects all contribute to a sense of relaxation, which is one major reason why customers frequently enjoy visiting a hair or beauty salon.

Whilst music can be a great basis for interaction and conversation - something that customers seeking a more social experience would take pleasure in - the right music can provide a distraction from our everyday stresses, allowing us to switch off, sit back and relax.

Employee morale and productivity

Similarly, the sense of enjoyment gained from music translates across the workforce and the benefits of this are endless. Background music has been used in the workplace for centuries and it’s been proven that this can increase employee productivity, improve alertness, encourage team interaction and prevent days taken off through illness.

A five-week study of workers at the University of Windsor CA also observed that “positive mood change and enhanced perception of design” were recorded with the addition of music in the workplace. As a hair or beauty salon owner, ensuring that your business has a creative and positive environment should be a priority. Employees who feel happy and inspired by their workplace will be more motivated to give customers the high level of service they deserve, and playing music that suits the style of your workforce and their desired behaviour is an easy way of achieving this.

Brand identity and perception

The hair and beauty industry is one that relies heavily on fashion, trends and culture, which all have strong links with music, and the highest-ranking businesses in the field are those that optimise these things. Music should be part of the package, with a carefully-selected soundtrack to market and enhance your offering. Although it may be a subconscious impact, this will help to mould your customers’ view of your brand when they visit your salon.

For example, a top high-street clothing store with a young demographic will be continuously monitoring and keeping up with the latest trends and fashions, in order to stay ‘on-top’. Equally, their in-store music (as well as that used for marketing campaigns, adverts etc.) should be new, exciting and relevant. The same principle applies to hair and beauty businesses, where thought should be given to a soundtrack that compliments your brand and supports your image.

Customer spend and dwell-time

Using music to assist in providing an enjoyable customer experience and great service will create trust and persuade customers to both recommend you, and return themselves. We also know that, in retail, people are likely to take their time and spend more money when listening to music that they like, particularly if it has a slow tempo. There's a lot of science behind this.

Most salons display retail products near their waiting area and this provides a host of opportunities; heightening consumer senses with clever selection of background music; entertaining customers and building an ambience whilst they wait and browse; creating the perfect setting for increasing customer spend - all the while prolonging the in-store journey.

The Best Music for Hair and Beauty Salons...

Of course, the choice of music for your salon is completely dependent on the brand perception you’re trying to put across. 

But, we can make some suggestions! For example, our music team recommends the Startle playlists Warm & Classic, and Calm & Comforting. This is because they are well-rounded, feel-good playlists that gradually build in energy and hit high valence scores throughout. Calm & Comforting has much lower energy parameters which is great to help relax and soothe customers in an environment like a beauty salon. Some customers will spend hours in these types of places (especially for treatments like hair bleaching), meaning high-energy music or anything too commercial will only agitate them.