Sola Salon Studios, which introduced the salon-suite franchise model to the U.S. and Canada, recently opened its 700th location—a milestone for both the company and beauty industry as a whole.
With more than 20,000 salon and spa professionals renting suites, Sola is the world's largest salon studio franchise. It's currently developing 26 more locations in California, Texas, Michigan, and South Carolina, company representatives say.
Salon "booth rentals"—a micro-business model in which beauty and wellness professionals work independently out of leased spaces—have grown steadily since Sola launched its first dedicated salon-suite building in 2004.
The model boomed post-pandemic, generating several new salon-suite locations around the U.S. and Canada. Fellow franchises Phenix Salon Suites has more than 375 in the U.S. and abroad, while MY SALON Suite recently opened its 300th location in North America.
Sola's 700th space is in a Minneapolis suburb and contains 65 salon studios, 54 of which were pre-leased before opening day, according to Sola executive Lori Merrill.
"We are proud to reach the significant milestone of our 700th location," says Merrill, Sola's Vice President of Franchise Sales. "Our mission is to support the growth and freedom of the independent beauty professional community."