Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Suggested service price
$130
Exact calculated price
$125.33
Total chair-occupied minutes
80
Labor/overhead value of time
$113.33
Implied hourly rate at raw price
$94.00
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How to use this
- 1Enter target hourly rate for the chair ($).
- 2Enter active service time (min).
- 3Enter processing / downtime (still occupies chair) (min).
- 4Enter consultation + cleanup buffer (min).
- 5Enter product cost for this service ($).
- 6Read your suggested service price on the right — it updates as you type.
- 7Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Most salons price services by copying competitors or nudging last year's price list, which drifts away from actual costs over time. This calculator flips the process: you set the hourly rate the chair needs to generate to cover labor, overhead, and target profit, then it prices each service based on how long it actually takes plus its product cost. Enter your desired hourly rate, the service's chair time in minutes, product cost, and a processing/downtime buffer, and you get a defensible price. This method catches services that look profitable on paper but actually lose money once true time (consultation, processing, cleanup) is counted, which is extremely common with balayage, keratin treatments, and other long-format services.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Target hourly rate for the chair: 85 $
- Active service time: 45 min
- Processing / downtime (still occupies chair): 25 min
- Consultation + cleanup buffer: 10 min
- Product cost for this service: 12 $
Results
- Suggested service price: $130
- Exact calculated price: $125.33
- Total chair-occupied minutes: 80
- Labor/overhead value of time: $113.33
- Implied hourly rate at raw price: $94.00
What each field means
Inputs
- Target hourly rate for the chair ($)
- The target hourly rate for the chair used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 85 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Active service time (min)
- The active service time used in the calculation, measured in min. Starts at 45 min so you have a working example on load.
- Processing / downtime (still occupies chair) (min)
- The processing / downtime (still occupies chair) used in the calculation, measured in min. Starts at 25 min so you have a working example on load.
- Consultation + cleanup buffer (min)
- The consultation + cleanup buffer used in the calculation, measured in min. Starts at 10 min so you have a working example on load.
- Product cost for this service ($)
- The product cost for this service used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 12 $ so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Suggested service price
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Exact calculated price
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total chair-occupied minutes
- Returned as a whole number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Labor/overhead value of time
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Implied hourly rate at raw price
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
Why include processing time in pricing?
Processing time (color developing, keratin sitting) occupies the chair even though the stylist isn't actively working, which means it's still opportunity cost — the stylist can't book another client in that slot unless they're double-booking. Pricing that ignores processing time systematically undervalues color and chemical services.
How do I pick my target hourly rate?
Add your desired stylist compensation per hour, the salon's overhead cost per chair-hour (rent, utilities, admin divided by total booked hours), and a profit margin. A common range for full-service salons is $60-$120 per chair-hour depending on market and stylist level; luxury and med-spa markets run higher.
Should every service round to the same price ending?
Rounding to the nearest $5 keeps a clean, easy-to-read menu and avoids odd cents that look unprofessional. Some salons deliberately price at $X9 (e.g., $89, $129) for perceived value; either works as long as it's consistent across the menu.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
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Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Service Pricing from Target Hourly Rate. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/salon-service-pricing-target-hourly
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/salon-service-pricing-target-hourly" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Service Pricing from Target Hourly Rate — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Service Pricing from Target Hourly Rate — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/salon-service-pricing-target-hourly) (2026).