A salon awaits its winter maintenance routine before the cold weather hits.

How to Maintain Your Salon This Winter
Your Guide to Saving & Elevating Your Space This Season

Take a good, hard look at your salon as the winter months start creeping in. Are there changes you can make? Things you can fix? Costs to be cut? The answer–for any salon, shop, or spa–is most likely a resounding yes! Why? Because every beauty space needs an update seasonally–and every shop needs regular maintenance.

Not sure where to start? We’ve got some must-consider suggestions for maintenance, ideas for how to elevate your space affordably, and tips on how to cut costs just in time for the winter season.

Tips for Maintaining, Saving, & Elevating Your Salon This Winter 

Our best advice? Before the chilly frost of late December and early January makes its way to your salon, take a crack at some of these tips to elevate your space, maintain your salon, and even save costs!

Here are a few must-consider elements and must-try tips to help you keep your salon running smoothly this winter. 

A man cleans out his inventory of his salon, a must for winter maintenance.

Tackle the Plumbing & Pipes Check-Up

There’s no time like right before it gets super cold to make sure your plumbing and pipes are all checked out. Why? Because the last thing you want is for your plumbing to freeze up when the really harsh winter blows in.

Think about how much of a challenge your winter months will be if you have to deal with frozen, broken pipes. Your hot water, your bathroom situation–anything that requires water is going to be out of commission.

This winter, take the time to resolve any problems and check on the health of your plumbing and pipes before it becomes a problem.  

Make Your Space a Cozy Winter Haven 

Wintery smells, alluring decor, and a cozy atmosphere–this might not fall under the maintenance or savings categories, but if you’re ready to elevate your space, this is the perfect place to start. Try to give your space a little wintery makeover for seasonal comfort.

If you’re still hanging on to light, bright summery decor, swap it out for cozy winter vibes. Have a fireplace? Light that baby up. (Pro tip, if you have a TV in the salon, you could always play a YouTube video of a crackling fireplace for fun!).

Need to make your waiting area comfy? Cozy blankets are a must! Swap out your wine and sparkling water for hot cocoa and warm tea. Light a seasonal candle to really set the mood! No matter how you want to change things up, elevating your space into a cozy haven in the middle of a winter wonderland is a must! 

Do a Hard Cleanse of Your Inventory 

There’s no time like wintertime to invest in a few solid weeks of inventory. Yep, even if this is your least favorite thing, it’s a good time to do a cleanse of your inventory and swap out your spring and summer products for your fall and winter items.

This should happen for both your retail and your back bar because, as you know, you don’t always use the same products for every season. Swap out your lighter summer products for your heavier, hydrating winter products to help your clients battle the harsh temperatures, dry air, and high winds that winter can sometimes bring. 

Invest in Seasonal Decor  

Take your holiday decor and opt for something a little more seasonal. In other words, even when the holidays are over, you can still embrace the seasonality of winter! Update all flora and fauna in your shop for hardy plants for the winter.

Keep your wreaths but make them January-March appropriate (AKA ditch the Christmas themes). Make sure the choices you make are investments so you can bust your decor out every year after! 

Check for Drafts, Leaks, and Issues with Windows 

Maintenance is a must–especially before the winter winds kick in! Now’s the perfect time to  check all your windows, walls, and doors for drafts, leaks, and issues. Want to make sure you’re getting the most out of your windows (and saving cash on heat costs while being more sustainable)?

Call in some specialists to give your space a once-over and audit how well your walls, windows, and doors are retaining your precious heat. Guess what? This isn’t just a winter cost saver–this will help when the temps rise in the summer, and you want to save money on and conserve your AC! 


When it comes to your personal list of to-dos this winter, remember your priority should be to take care of your space! If you can’t elevate your salon this winter, opt to maintain it. If you can’t go all out with decor this year, try to cut costs.

The ultimate way to care for your salon this season? Prepare for the unexpected, unintentional, and unlikely with beauty pro liability insurance from Elite Beauty Society.

There’s no wrong move for seasonal care so long as you’re doing your best to keep your space running smoothly! 

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