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Feng Shui For Your Salon
Posted on April 26, 2022
Sola Salon Studios
At Sola, we want you to create the salon of your dreams with space and structure that empowers your business to flourish. We provide the space, but it is your creative and entrepreneurial spirit that truly brings your studio to life. Your Sola is your castle, your oasis, your creation station, your zone of genius - and it is up to you to make it support your highest goals and dreams.
As a salon owner, it is important to set yourself up for success by maintaining a studio that supports your overall wellbeing, professional growth and prosperity. We love to glean inspiration from the Chinese system of Feng Shui (pronounced Fung Schway) because the tips from this ancient art of design are applicable in any space, large or small, at home or in the salon.
For more than 5,000 years, the Chinese have practiced Feng Shui in rooms, homes, buildings, offices, gardens and any other constructed sites to promote a flow of energy that supports health, good fortune and overall wellbeing. Simply put, Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese system for creating a harmonious environment.
This complex system is rooted in the concept of balancing energies, such as the yin and yang, feminine and masculine, passive and active, dark and light, cool and warm, in order to create a space that feels balanced and whole, for the body, mind and spirit. These time-tested tips work to bring balance, comfort and calm to any space, improving the look and feel of your salon for both you and your clients.
Here are a few Feng Shui inspired principles to balance the look and feel of your salon studio:
Welcome Sounds 🎶
Have you ever been to an esoteric store or spa where you hear a bell as you open the door? Feng Shui recommends chimes and bells to bring prosperity and fortune to any environment, especially in your place of business.
These chimes do not need to be specific to Feng Shui, however, you can purchase Feng Shui bells and chimes with a quick Amazon search. No matter what you choose, your unique welcome chime should emulate some kind of soothing sound that is created with movement and wind - so any bell, chime or even electronic sound that soothes your soul and feels like movement.
Feng Shui literally translates to “wind and water,” which the system deems as the two fundamental elements of life. The sounds of wind and the flow of water are said to bring in good energy, peace and calm through blowing and washing any stagnant energy away.
Energetically, the warm welcome of Feng Shui bells and chimes at your salon door can bring in good luck, positive energy, more customers and better business. Just make sure you LOVE the sound and do not put up with a sound that annoys you. This should be a sound that is soothing and non-disruptive. If the sound becomes an irritation, take it down immediately!
Salon Colors 🎨
When designing your salon space, choose your colors wisely! Your color scheme is perhaps the most important component in setting the stage for the energetics of the space. There is a ton of research out there on how color affects our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. Color has the power to enormously shift our mood and mindset. So before choosing, think to yourself - what environment are you trying to create for yourself and your clients?
Amy Preiser of House Beautiful recommends choosing color families based on your desired outcome for the space. Amy recommends “fire colors” such as red, orange and yellow for creating dynamic, stimulating and vibrant energy. Think of these fire colors as a color scheme that will fire up your space, infusing it with active and uplifting energy. She recommends blue, green and neutral color schemes for quieter spaces to ease into a more soothing, calming and mellow energy.
Here are some specific color and vibe associations, inspired by Feng Shui color psychology, to guide you in your search for the perfect color scheme:
Red: for an energizing and stimulating space. This can create an aggressive energy and is best used in a space that intends to be high-energy and dynamic
Orange: for happiness, joy and positivity
Yellow: for enhancing self-awareness, self-esteem, health and wellbeing
Green: for healing, renewal, vitality and growth
Blue: for soothing, calming, contemplation and relaxation
Purple: for intuition, insight and wisdom. Feng Shui recommends using this color in moderation, as its impact is very strong and can overpower a room.
Think about the color scheme and vibration you would like to create for your salon before choosing paint colors, furniture and decor. A little bit of color scheming and planning can ultimately go a long way in crafting the studio of your dreams.
Choosing or updating color scheme does not necessarily need to result in fresh paint and a full salon interior overhaul. If it is not time to paint your studio, or if you prefer the versatility and cleanliness of more neutral hues, you can still add splashes of color through your decor, artwork and furniture. From funky pillows to crystals, flowers, framed art and functional accessories, you can choose decor that colors your world, without having to commit to new paint.
Plants and Flowers 🌻🍃
It is great Feng Shui to have live plants and/or fresh flowers in your space for air purification, vibrance and lively energy. Feng Shui cautions against cacti and spikey plants with sharp or pointy leaves as they do not inspire comfort. It is best to feature lush plants and flowers, which are more in alignment with abundance, growth and prosperity.
Lush plants are also more likely to provide air purification for your salon. This works wonders for freshening up your studio naturally, plus, they are beautiful! Check out this list of air-purifying plants that we recommend for freshening up your salon.
One of our favorite salon plants is the Guiana Chestnut, also known as the “money tree” and “the good luck tree” in China. In Feng Shui, this plant is customarily utilized in places of business to attract abundance, prosperity and luck. We love this plant because it is so easy to maintain! This is one resilient plant that even the non-green thumbs can keep alive.
Make sure to maintain any plant life and/or flower displays with care. It is essential to rid your space of any dead plants, browned leaves, struggling branches or dried flowers because these are not in alignment with life, flow and new growth. Feng Shui does not support using dead or dried flowers as decor. If you can’t seem to keep any plants alive (we get it!), you can use beautiful silk plants and flowers. They may not be as energetically powerful as the real deal, but they are certainly beautiful and vibrant. Go for the ones that look so real you have to touch them to check if they are fake.
Things and Stuff!
A very important principle of Feng Shui is to keep your space organized and clutter-free because clutter on the floor is believed to weigh down good fortune and new business.
Clutter is your stuff that does not have a place, purpose or function as is. If things are out of place, find them a permanent home. Make sure that all of your items are serving your business in one way or another.
If an item is not serving the highest flourishing of your business, chuck it, or at least bring it home. If an item is worn out, broken, ugly or useless - get rid of it! There should not be anything in your space that does not serve a purpose.
Your space needs to be clean, organized and purposeful so that you can have a clear workspace to best serve your clients and move through your day. Clutter and unnecessary stuff weighs down your ability to move through your space efficiently and effortlessly.
In addition, a cluttered space is no place to bring a client. Even if they do not exactly register the mess as an issue, they will feel more at ease in an organized space. When your clients are more at ease, they will be easier to work with and will be more likely to become a return customer.
For best results, see our Marie Kondo inspired blog on professional organizing and at the very least, make a commitment to keeping clutter off the floor.
These Feng Shui inspired tips are an easy and budget-friendly way to bring good energy into your salon. Enjoy these ancient tricks of the trade for improved wellbeing and better business.
