Hair stylists are normally able to set their own hours because they rent their station, receive around 40% of what they money they bring into the business, or only come in when they have clients available. The stylist may also own the salon or own the location as well which would allow them to manage all of the income that comes to the salon.
Since the stylist makes their own hours many do not work as much as they would in a corporate job or other business and in turn make less money as well. It is common to see hair stylists that work only two or three days a week. Since many stylists work almost only in cash they are able to hide their money from state and federal taxes. They hide their records in case of an audit and since in many cases they pay less tax illegally than we do they may work less hours for more money.
Hair stylists also receive tips which may make up 20% or more of their cash income which is also normally not accounted for accurately. The stylist rarely tip out others in the salon business and seem to be more stingy with helping reception, assistants, and other people who are helping the stylist when compared to tipping out bus staff or hostesses in the food and dining industry.
Many stylists will work one day during the week and one day during the weekend so that their mix of weekday and weekend clients will be able to make appointments ahead of time. Normally their work days start late around 8, 10, or even after noon. Stylists may also stay in their salons to eat, drink alcohol at their work lounge, and take new hair clients as late as 9:00 PM at night.
The problem that many salons face when bringing in new stylists is that they really do not have enough work for them. They can offer a great commission structure with no base and then if there are no clients the stylist will be out time, transportation money, and they may not have made anything because no clients came to their location for the new stylist.
Reception and other staff at hair salons in Los Angeles are normally treated poorly with low income ranging from $10-$20 per hour. They typically receive few benefits, and the stylists may treat them as a lesser part of the salon because they are not dealing with hair directly. If you do work in reception for a hair salon, demand a livable wage of at least over $20 per hour, work into more of a managerial position at the salon, and do not be easily manipulated by stylists and owners.
Hair stylists can take months and months of vacation time because they normally set their own schedule. In some cases when they take 3-6 months off or more they may loose much of their client base because they would have needed to visit another stylist during this time. A 20-30% decrease in clients after a 6 month vacation might be expected based on a few examples we have seen in the area.
