Station planning, which is the business plan
| Station type | Footprint | Clearance behind | Revenue note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Styling station | 1,500 × 900 mm | 1,200 mm for the stylist and the chair | The core earner; do not compress below 1,400 mm width |
| Wash unit | 1,200 × 1,600 mm | 700 mm at the head end | Two wash units serve four to six styling stations |
| Pedicure station | 1,400 × 1,400 mm | 900 mm | Needs its own supply and a drain, or a pump-out unit |
| Manicure table | 1,100 × 700 mm | 750 mm each side | Extract at the table for acrylic and gel work |
| Treatment room | 80 – 120 sq ft | 700 mm on three sides of the bed | The highest revenue per square foot in most spas |
| Reception and retail | 100 – 200 sq ft | 1,200 mm queuing | Retail typically 8–15% of salon revenue |
| Back area — colour bar, laundry, store, staff | 18 – 25% of total | — | Undersizing this is the commonest salon planning error |
Plumbing, the trade that decides the layout
- Locate the drainage before the design. Wash units, pedicure stations, the colour bar and the laundry all need a drain with a fall. In a unit with a single drainage point at one end, every wet function ends up at that end, and the plan follows.
- Hot water capacity is a real calculation. Each wash cycle uses roughly 12–18 litres; six washes an hour needs 90–110 litres an hour of hot water. A 25-litre domestic geyser will fail you by the second hour on a Saturday.
- Hair traps at every wash unit and in the main line. Accessible, not buried. This is a maintenance item that becomes an emergency if it is not designed for.
- The colour bar needs a deep sink, a dedicated supply and a separate waste with a settlement trap, because colour and bleach should not go straight into the main line.
- Pedicure stations either need plumbing or a pump-out unit. Pump-out is more flexible and far more common in retrofits; it needs a drain within about 10 m and a power point.
- Laundry is a wet function too. Two machines, a dryer, a supply and a drain, plus somewhere for the towels to actually go. Salons underestimate towel volume by roughly half.
Ventilation and chemical services
Colour, bleach, keratin treatments, acrylic nails and solvent-based products all release fumes. A salon that relies on the air conditioning for ventilation is uncomfortable for clients and genuinely unpleasant for staff who spend eight hours in it.
- Eight to twelve air changes an hour in the main floor, with a dedicated extract rather than just an AC return.
- Extract low as well as high. Many salon chemical vapours are heavier than air and settle at working height, which is where the stylist is breathing.
- Source capture at the colour bar and the nail tables. A local extract arm or a downdraft table removes fumes at the point of release, which is ten times more effective than diluting them across the room.
- Make-up air. Extracting without supplying pulls unconditioned air in through the front door and ruins the cooling.
- Keep the treatment rooms on a separate air path from the chemical floor. A spa treatment that smells of ammonia is not a spa treatment.
- Plan the outdoor unit and extract discharge positions early. In a mixed-use building this is frequently the constraint, and it is a consent issue as much as an engineering one.
Mirror lighting, which is the whole job
Every client in a salon spends the session looking at their own face in your lighting. This is not an area to save on, and there are exactly four rules.
| Rule | Specification | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Vertical, not overhead | Two vertical sources either side of the mirror, centre height 1,600 mm | An overhead downlight casts shadows under the eyes and jaw |
| 4000K, consistently | Across the whole styling floor | Colour matching fails if the stylist works under 3000K and the client checks under daylight |
| CRI 95 with R9 above 60 | Specified, not assumed | Hair colour and skin tone both depend on the red end of the spectrum |
| Diffuse, not point | A frosted or opal linear source, minimum 25 mm wide | A bare point source creates a specular highlight and a hard shadow |
| Treatment rooms are the opposite | 2700K, dimmable to 5%, no light in the client’s eye line lying down | A ceiling downlight above a massage bed is the commonest spa complaint |
We ask every salon owner to sit in the chair and look at themselves under the lighting sample before we order anything. About half the time it changes the specification.
Greenbox commercial fit-out lead
Rates by format
| Format | ₹ per sq ft, ex-GST | Typical area | Programme |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unisex neighbourhood salon | ₹1,600 – 2,200 | 400 – 800 sq ft | 5 – 7 weeks |
| Full-service salon with wash and treatment | ₹1,900 – 2,800 | 800 – 2,400 sq ft | 8 – 12 weeks |
| Premium salon and academy | ₹2,600 – 3,400 | 2,000 – 5,000 sq ft | 10 – 16 weeks |
| Day spa | ₹2,400 – 3,600 | 1,200 – 3,500 sq ft | 10 – 14 weeks |
| Luxury spa with wet areas | ₹3,200 – 4,000+ | 2,500 sq ft+ | 14 – 20 weeks |
Ex-GST. Includes civil, joinery, plumbing, electrical, ventilation coordination, lighting and finishes. Excludes chairs, wash units, beds and equipment.
Finishes that survive a salon
A salon floor takes bleach, colour, hair clippings, water and chair castors, every day, for years. The finish specification is a maintenance decision and it is where most first-time operators overspend on the wrong things.
| Element | Specify | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Floor, styling area | Homogeneous vinyl or large-format porcelain, R10, mid tone | Light or very dark floors — both show hair within an hour |
| Floor, wash and pedicure | R11 porcelain with a fall to a drain, epoxy grout | Any floor without a fall; standing water is a slip claim |
| Station joinery | Compact laminate or post-formed laminate, 2 mm PVC edge | Veneer and PU — colour and bleach mark it permanently |
| Station tops | Solid surface with a coved upstand | Stone with an open silicone joint at the wall |
| Walls at chair-back height | Washable acrylic emulsion with a 1,000 mm splashback panel | Wallpaper and textured paint behind the chairs |
| Mirrors | Copper-free, silicone-backed, 6 mm, on a ventilated batten | Direct adhesive fixing to a damp wall |
| Ceiling in wet zones | Moisture-resistant board or an accessible slat ceiling | Standard gypsum above a wash bay |
Where we work
We design salons and spas nationally and build them across Mumbai. For local rates, society drainage constraints and water storage realities, see salon interior designers in Mumbai. Related formats are covered on gym and fitness studio interior design and hotel and hospitality interior design.
Selected commercial work by Greenbox Design Studio. Tap any image to enlarge.
Frequently asked questions
How much space does a styling station need?+
1,500 × 900 mm with 1,200 mm of clearance behind it for the stylist and the chair. Below 1,400 mm of width the stations feel crowded and clients notice it immediately. Two wash units serve four to six styling stations comfortably.
What does a salon fit-out cost per square foot?+
₹1,600–₹2,200 for a unisex neighbourhood salon, ₹1,900–₹2,800 for a full-service salon with wash and treatment rooms, ₹2,600–₹3,400 for a premium salon or academy, ₹2,400–₹3,600 for a day spa and ₹3,200–₹4,000 and above for a luxury spa with wet areas. Ex-GST, excluding chairs and equipment.
Why is plumbing such a big part of a salon budget?+
Because almost every function is wet. Wash units, pedicure stations, the colour bar with its settlement trap, the laundry and the staff facilities all need supply and drainage with a fall. Together they take 18–24% of the fit-out, and the position of the existing drainage usually decides the layout before any design begins.
How much hot water does a salon need?+
Roughly 12–18 litres per wash cycle, so six washes an hour requires 90–110 litres an hour of hot water. A domestic 25-litre geyser will run out by the second hour on a busy Saturday. Size the storage and the recovery rate to the peak hour, not the average.
What ventilation does a salon need?+
Eight to twelve air changes an hour through a dedicated extract rather than the air conditioning return, with low-level as well as high-level extract because many salon vapours settle at working height. Add source capture at the colour bar and the nail tables, and supply make-up air so you are not pulling hot outside air through the front door.
What lighting should a salon mirror have?+
Two vertical diffuse sources either side of the mirror at a centre height of about 1,600 mm, at 4000K with CRI 95 and R9 above 60, consistently across the whole styling floor. An overhead downlight is the worst possible arrangement: it shadows the eyes and jaw and makes colour matching unreliable.