WORKING HER MAGIC — Stylist Dawn Scrivner blow-dries the hair of customer Tracy Clemente in Scrivner’s workspace inside My Salon Suite in Orange City.
BEACON PHOTOS/JOE CREWS
HALL OF POSSIBILITIES — Rental spaces line both sides of this interior hallway at My Salon Suite. The business has nearly two dozen suites that can be rented to hairstylists, nail technicians and other beauty-salon professionals.
Hairstylists, nail technicians and other beauty professionals now can have their own private suites rather than sharing space with others.
My Salon Suite, a collection of nearly two dozen luxury professional spaces, has opened in the West Volusia Towne Center on Harley Strickland Boulevard, next door to Goodwill Industries.
Although the Orange City suites just opened in early April, all but four of the 23 spaces already have been leased, said franchise owner Mario Pineda, who also owns My Salon Suites in Ocala and Lakeland.
My Salon Suite is a collection of individual upscale workspaces, each fully equipped with the latest in salon equipment, a styling station and full-length mirror, a shampoo sink, a color station and storage. The professionals, who are called members in My Salon Suite parlance, can decorate their suites as they wish.
The suites average about 135 square feet — roughly 11 feet by 12 feet — and rent for $200 a week and up, depending on location and whether there is a window, Pineda said.
Most of the Orange City suites are set up for hairstylists, but two are equipped for barbers, two for spa professionals (such as aestheticians and massage therapists), and one for a nail technician.
“It’s a ‘turnkey’ operation — they just bring their tools and their customers, and they’re ready to go,” Pineda said. “Everything is included in the rent — heating and air conditioning, water, and Wi-Fi.”
Each suite individually can be locked by its member, who can access that suite at any time of the day or night, Pineda said. Other amenities include a state-of-the-art security system that customers in the lobby use to contact the member to gain entry, and upscale communal restrooms that feature touchless fixtures.
Generally in the salon industry, stylists and other professionals rent a chair or workspace in an open environment, which doesn’t provide much, if any, privacy for the customer and professional. That is not the case at My Salon Suite.
Armando Mendoza, who rents one of the two barber suites, said his customers appreciate the difference.
“They think it’s more exclusive,” Mendoza said. “They feel like they’re getting more personal attention and not being interrupted as much.”
My Salon Suite was founded in 2010 in New Orleans, and now has more than 40 franchised locations in 16 states and Canada. The company plans to add 200 franchise partners and 300 salons in the next five years, according to a news release.
For more information about Pineda’s Orange City suites, call 386-866-9988 or go to www.mysalonsuite.com/orange-city.html/.
— Joe Crews, joe@beacononlinenews.com