Sarah Mourtos We spoke to Salon Lane’s Lance Kalish to find out more about the concept, which has been in the US for over two decades.
The largest communal salon studio is set to open in Sydney this October. Salon Lane, located in Surry Hills, will be the first of its kind in Australia. It offers both private studios and open workstations available for daily or monthly lease for freelancers and small businesses in the beauty industry.
Lance Kalish, Co-founder and Executive Director, says that Salon Lane removes the headache and stress of owning a salon. Members have access to all the facilities you’d find in any clinic or spa, such as a front desk, laundry and showers, along with additional extras like social media content creation rooms and a coffee bar.
“We provide members with an incredible space and atmosphere, and they bring their passion, talent and clientele,” Kalish said.
Rent-a-space salons have been operating in the US for over two decades. Kalish says they have been in a steady phase of growth until now. Many professionals are choosing to branch out on their own or scale back to stay profitable, especially in the current economic climate. Before bringing the salon studios to Australia, Kalish worked with key players overseas and undertook months of research to determine what the Australian industry needs.
“Professionals in the Australian beauty, hair, and wellness industries are smart, and they’re savvy, and we think they’re ready for the next evolution of the industry – and salon studios are it,” he said.
Salon Lane is suitable for all professionals working in the beauty industry and understands that each profession warrants different requirements. It offers spaces designed for dermal clinicians, injectors, aestheticians and wellness professionals. The studios are temperature, light and sound controlled and fitted out with premium furniture and finishes. There are even options for members to customise their studio to match their style and speciality, and Salon Lane is willing to work with them to hire and potentially finance expensive equipment.
“We understand that every business is different, so we have created an offering that works in with that. Members can also opt for additional extras such as wholesale beauty and hair products, product and personal lockers, equipment hire, towel rental, tax and bookkeeping services, new business set up, and even marketing services. We’ve thought of everything so you can focus on what you do best,” Kalish adds.
Hygiene is at the forefront of any aesthetician’s mind, and it can quickly become anxiety for those working in any communal space. Salon Lane has also taken this into account. It provides a cleaning service with daily cleaning of high touch and common areas and complies with the latest COVID safe standards through mandatory sign in and social distancing.
The flagship Sydney site is currently the only Salon Lane location in the country, but there are plans for a “bold” national roll-out across Sydney and Australia says Kalish.
“As far as we’re aware, there’s nothing like Salon Lane available currently, but there are a few smaller co-working spaces for specific elements of wellness or hair dotted across the country – and I think that demonstrates that this concept is something that freelancers and businesses are looking for,” Kalish concludes.
Would you use Salon Lane? Let us know in the comments.
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