Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or Winter Solstice, the winter holidays are a great time to bring joy and cheer to your salon. Clients appreciate the little decorative touches as much as they do the special holiday services or the gift bags. Just a little effort can quickly turn a first-year client into a life-long loyal. BY TIM CROWLEY 

Greencastle, Pa.’s, Valentine’s Spa & Salon celebrates Christmas with a tree decorated with custom-made ornaments for clients to take home, and a visiting Santa to spread Christmas cheer. From left to right are Kayla Burkholder, Michelle Brechbiel, “Santa”, Ashley Link, Jamie Hess, and owner Patti Valentine.

Greencastle, Pa.’s, Valentine’s Spa & Salon celebrates Christmas with a tree decorated with custom-made ornaments for clients to take home, and a visiting Santa to spread Christmas cheer. From left to right are Kayla Burkholder, Michelle Brechbiel, “Santa”, Ashley Link, Jamie Hess, and owner Patti Valentine.

As the cold comes in during the winter months, the holidays become little moments of warmth for us to express our gratitude for everything we have in life. The feelings of love and family that exist in homes during this time can easily be carried over to the salon with the lightest of touches. From a profit standpoint, it can be an excellent way to entice customers with seasonal services like holiday-themed spa manis and pedis, gift certificate packages, and special group discounts. And on the personal level, it’s a great way for salons to show how much they appreciate their clientele and show how much pride and passion goes into their work every day.

Salon business is often a close extension to the home, in that it’s a line of work where relationships easily form ­between clients and nail techs, and true bonds can begin to grow along with the professional connection. For many techs, their livelihood is founded on their regulars — the ­clients they’ve built a rapport with who come in every two to three weeks for their mani-fill.

The appreciation they each have for the other goes ­beyond that of a business obligation. Salon owner Vickie Foster of European Body Wraps in Olive Branch, Miss., says, “I have always felt that my salon owes its success to our clients. They could go to any salon to have their services performed, but they choose me.” And it’s with this spirit that holiday traditions have carried on in nail salons and will likely continue to thrive.

Whether it is a simple decoration like a Christmas tree of nail art or a holiday-packed retail shelf that’s ­teeming with goodies that make registers sing, the point is to make sure your clients know you value them as people and appreciate their business. Your clients will likely be just as thankful to you for making the salon a place they’ve come to love. We asked salon professionals to tell us what makes it look a lot like Christmas at their salons. From nail art trees to custom-made goodie bags, these salons know how to celebrate the season.

European Body Wraps

Vickie Foster, Olive Branch, Miss.

Vickie Foster opened her quaint Mississippi salon in 1995. Her ­passion for nails and caring demeanor led to a surprise when her clients ­actually initiated her salon’s Christmas traditions in the early years by giving her gifts of thanks. “I thought I should be giving my clients gifts, for they give to me all year long — and so a tradition was born.”

Foster soon began making her own gift bags to hand out to clients as a way of saying thank you for a wonderful year. The gift bags include simple travel-size skin care products and some polish, and when years are tough financially she hands out “Merry Christmas” coupons of 10% off any product or service. “I would say that is their favorite gift of all!” says Foster.

European Body Wraps owner Vickie Foster (right) hands 13-year patron Brenda Carter a holiday gift bag. “I feel like I get extra special treatment during the holidays,” says Carter, “Even though I get special treatment every time I come in for a service. The extra thought really heightens my holiday spirit.”

European Body Wraps owner Vickie Foster (right) hands 13-year patron Brenda Carter a holiday gift bag. “I feel like I get extra special treatment during the holidays,” says Carter, “Even though I get special treatment every time I come in for a service. The extra thought really heightens my holiday spirit.”

Avanti Salon      

Lisa Anderson, Sparks, Nev.

The goodie bag is Anderson’s specialty. She has been giving these out for the past 18 years, making every year different with homemade skin care products she gets from a friend. Ranging from bath salts and body soaps to scrubs and lotions, Anderson has a knack for making well-presented gift bags that have become a client favorite. Each bag contains at least three items, and Anderson even includes new clients on these goodie bag giveaways.

“I love my clients,” says Anderson. “They are like an extended family to me.” Clients are equally appreciative of Anderson, and she has many long-time regulars who have been with her for years.

 

Lisa Anderson (left) has been doing Megan Williford’s nails and toes since 1990, and Williford says of the gift bags, “It is so nice to receive such a thoughtful gift that truly makes me feel appreciated as a client.”

Lisa Anderson (left) has been doing Megan Williford’s nails and toes since 1990, and Williford says of the gift bags, “It is so nice to receive such a thoughtful gift that truly makes me feel appreciated as a client.”

 

Anderson’s gift bag this year will contain a scented candle, organic peppermint foaming soap, organic bar soap, and organic lip balm.

Anderson’s gift bag this year will contain a scented candle, organic peppermint foaming soap, organic bar soap, and organic lip balm.

 

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Bella Blanca Salon

Cindy Bosque Watson, Portland, Ore.

“Everyone should have a nail brush to scrub holiday overindulgence out from under their nails,” says Bosque. She gives out gift bags by placing them on a small tree she decorates, with one gift bag for each scheduled client that day. She also likes to offer free nail art, usually just the ring fingers, but she has some special clients who like to go all out for the holidays and wear full sets of Christmas-colored glitters.

The gift bags typically include gift-size hand creams and a candy cane or two wrapped up in a holiday ribbon.

Cindy Bosque Watson sits in front of the gift bag tree she makes for her clients every year.

Cindy Bosque Watson sits in front of the gift bag tree she makes for her clients every year.

Bosque also makes a nail art tree with samples of her designs and other small ornaments.

Bosque also makes a nail art tree with samples of her designs and other small ornaments. 

Nails Please by Janice Reams

Janice Reams, Houston

Janice Reams first owned a salon in 1991, and, before selling it three years later, she learned how much she enjoyed decorating her salon for the seasons. When she became a booth renter, she wasn’t able to lock up her salon so her decorations became limited to little lights and ornaments around her booth. But now she has her own suite in a 60-room salon and spa building with her own lockable door, so she’s able to put up more decorations.

She gives out gift bags starting two weeks before Christmas, which typically contain small packets of cocoa, ceramic mugs, pedicure creams, and lotions. One year Reams got adventurous and had her beer-brewing-enthusiast husband make a small batch of wine, which they bottled into gift-sized wine bottles with custom labels of “Merry Christmas from Nails Please.”

Janice Reams decorates her suite with a small Christmas tree, lights, and a wreath on the door.

Janice Reams decorates her suite with a small Christmas tree, lights, and a wreath on the door.

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Valentine’s Salon & Day Spa

Patti Valentine, Greencastle, Pa.

Patti Valentine is continuing a tradition she started many years ago when her salon was in her home. She made custom ornaments that she hung on a Christmas tree, and clients chose one for themselves to take home. Now the salon has eight employees, and many more clients, but the tradition is still alive and well with a large decorated tree in the reception area for clients to choose their ornament.

According to Valentine’s daughter Jamie Hess, Greencastle, Pa., is a great place to live during the holiday season because of the outgoing show of spirit the town puts forth with its Christmas parade, street caroling, decorated trees, and horsedrawn carriages.

Employees Trinity Ricker (foreground) and Ashley Link help ­prepare the Valentine’s Salon & Spa float for Greencastle’s annual Christmas parade.

Employees Trinity Ricker (foreground) and Ashley Link help ­prepare the Valentine’s Salon & Spa float for Greencastle’s annual Christmas parade.

 

The Valentine’s crew and a client spreading Christmas cheer in downtown Greencastle, Pa. From left to right are Michelle Burkholder, Kayla Burkholder, Ashley Link, Helen Gearhart (client), owner Patti Valentine, and Jamie Hess.

The Valentine’s crew and a client spreading Christmas cheer in downtown Greencastle, Pa. From left to right are Michelle Burkholder, Kayla Burkholder, Ashley Link, Helen Gearhart (client), owner Patti Valentine, and Jamie Hess.

Nail Candy

Alycia Barrett, Redding, Calif.

Alycia Barrett has always been known as a giving person, and when she opened Nail Candy a couple years ago, she fully embraced the giving spirit by not only gifting clients with $10 redeemable gift cards to any service or retail in her salon, but by also granting her staff of three booth renters free rent for the month of December.

“Honestly I was shocked when Alycia told me about our Christmas gift,” says Nail Candy employee Jodi Anderson.

Nail tech Regina Selig chimes in, “In my whole six years of being a nail tech, no shop owner has ever offered that.”

“December in my opinion should be spent with more smiles and less stress, so as long as I am the proud owner of Nail Candy, December will be forever booth-rent free,” says Barrett.  

Nail Candy’s owner Alycia Barrett (center) with two of her three employees: Regina Selig (left) and Jodi Anderson (right).

Nail Candy’s owner Alycia Barrett (center) with two of her three employees: Regina Selig (left) and Jodi Anderson (right).

Nail Candy nail techs make special candy cane nail art during Christmas.

Nail Candy nail techs make special candy cane nail art during Christmas.

 

 

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