When winter rolls in with grey skies, rain and chilly winds your salon can become a warm retreat—a comforting cocoon where your clients can unwind, feel pampered, and escape the elements. This is your opportunity to elevate your salon experience with thoughtful, sensory-rich touches that show clients just how much you care.
Below I have put together a few ideas and suggestions to transform your winter services from ordinary to extraordinary.
- A Warm Welcome the Moment They Walk In
First impressions in winter count more than ever. Make arriving at your salon feel like stepping into a luxury hotel lobby after walking through the cold.
- Heated Hand Towels on Arrival: Offer guests a warm, scented towel as they sit down. This simple gesture can immediately make someone feel pampered. Infuse the towels with calming essential oils like lavender or uplifting citrus to enhance the experience.
- Umbrella Assistance: Keep a small stand of branded umbrellas at the door for clients who arrive in the rain or forget theirs. Even get them branded with your salon’s name, it’s both helpful and a subtle marketing tool.
- Coat and Scarf Check: Offer to store heavy jackets, scarves, and bags so clients can fully relax without feeling bulky in the chair.
- Welcome Greeting: Train your team to warmly greet every guest with eye contact and a compliment or cheerful comment about the weather—it’s a small thing, but it makes people feel seen.
- A Seasonal Beverage Bar That Delights
Swap out the usual tea and coffee for something more special in winter. You can turn this small ritual into a signature touch of hospitality.
- Hot Chocolate Station: Offer luxurious hot chocolate with optional extras like mini marshmallows, a dusting of cinnamon, or whipped cream. Presentation matters—serve in cute mugs or takeaway cups with sleeves.
- Specialty Herbal Teas: Think of warming blends like ginger, turmeric, lemon, or cinnamon apple. Offer caffeine-free options for those avoiding stimulants later in the day.
- Mulled Wine: This my fav winter beverage! U can make a batch which takes no time and heat up as you need it. The aroma to your salon space is great.
- Signature Drink of the Season: Create your own salon-exclusive drink such as the “Winter Glow Latte” made with oat milk, honey, cinnamon, and a hint of vanilla.
- Heated Comforts While They Sit
Clients spend a lot of time sitting in winter with cold feet, stiff necks, and chilly hands. Offering warmth while they sit shows that you understand their comfort is a priority.
- Warm Neck Wraps or Heat Packs: Offer lavender or eucalyptus-scented heat packs that sit comfortably around the neck. These work well during processing times and help ease tension in the shoulders.
- Lap Warmers: A small heat pack placed discreetly on the lap can add a cozy element without being intrusive. Or a cosy heated lap blanket or soft throw.
- Seasonal Add-On Treatments for Dry Hair & Skin
The winter months can be brutal on the scalp, hair, and skin. Position your salon as a place of repair and revival.
- Warm Oil Scalp Treatment: Offer a relaxing scalp massage using warmed oils infused with rosemary, peppermint, or tea tree to soothe flaky scalps and boost circulation. This is not only relaxing but also beneficial for winter dryness.
- Hydrating Hair Masques: Recommend deep conditioning treatments or glossing masks. Wrap hair in a warm towel or use a steam cap to help products penetrate more deeply.
- Leave-In Conditioning Mist: At the end of the service, finish with a lightweight moisture mist to lock in hydration and give hair a winter-ready sheen.
- Extra Pampering Touches: Hands and Lips
It’s often the little things that clients remember.
- Mini Hand Massage: While a client is waiting during colour processing, offer a mini hand massage with thick, nourishing winter creams. It turns idle time into indulgent time. I have been to a salon where this is done and honestly it is sublime!
- Lip Balm Offer: Many people forget lip balm and suffer from cracked lips in winter. Offer a complimentary swipe of balm at the end of the service or retail small tubs at the front desk.
- Optional Paraffin Hand Dip: A 5-minute paraffin dip leaves hands soft and moisturised. Offer this as an upgrade or complimentary extra for VIP clients.
- Creating a Cozy Atmosphere
Make sure the salon environment reflects the season in a comforting way.
- Lighting: Switch to warmer-toned lighting to create a relaxed, cozy feel. Use lamps or fairy lights instead of relying solely on overhead fluorescents.
- Seasonal Scent: Diffuse wintery aromatherapy oils like cinnamon, pine, orange, or clove. The scent should be subtle but noticeable—think spa, not candle shop.
- Music: Adjust the playlist to suit the mood of the season. Choose mellow, acoustic, or ambient tunes that make the space feel calm and nurturing.
- Retail Touchpoints & Winter Survival Kits
Use retail as a helpful extension of the service, not just a sales pitch.
- Winter Hair Survival Kit: Put together a small set of products—like a leave-in conditioner, dry shampoo, and frizz serum—into a gift-ready pack.
- “Cold Weather Combos”: Bundle hydrating shampoo, treatment masks, and scalp oils as “cold weather must-haves” and offer them at a seasonal promotional price.
- Special Winter Services and Mini Treatments
Create simple, express services that clients can add on without needing a full booking.
- Fringe Rescue Service: For clients on the go, offer a quick tidy-up of the fringe and a smoothing spray to tame flyaways.
- Hat Hair Reboot: Many clients wear hats in winter. Create a mini styling service that revives flat roots, adds volume, and gives a quick finish with shine mist or dry texture spray.
- Winter Touch-Up: Offer a 15-minute dry styling session to get rid of frizz, smooth ends, or refresh curls before a night out.
- Thoughtful Little Extras
Sometimes, it’s not about the big add-ons, but the tiny details that show care and intention.
- Appointment Reminder with Seasonal Tips: Send a reminder text that mentions the warm drinks or treatments available, e.g., “Don’t forget, we’ve got a warm hot chocolate waiting for you!”
- Reading Corner with Throws: If you have a waiting area, add soft blankets and seasonal magazines to make waiting feel relaxing, not boring.
- Salon Loyalty Extras: Offer double points or a free hand massage with certain bookings during the colder months.
Final Thought
Winter is a time when people crave warmth, comfort, and care—and your salon can be the place they find it. By layering small, thoughtful details into your everyday services, you build not just loyalty, but kindness.
Clients will walk away not only with great hair but with the feeling that they’ve been genuinely looked after. And that’s what keeps them coming back.
