How to open a salon.
You know the craft. This is the business side: licenses, setup, a menu that pays, and a booking system clients actually use.
Free forever Not a trial. No card, no contract, unlimited staff. Card payments cost 3.9% + 30¢. Our promise →
Free means all of it
Free software
Clients, appointments, checkout and reporting, for $0 a month.
Free booking
A 24/7 booking page with text confirmations and reminders.
Free accounting
A real double-entry ledger built in, so you can drop QuickBooks.
AI receptionist, with the phone system
Part of the $79/month* phone system: answers your calls 24/7, answers questions, books appointments into real openings, takes messages, and transfers to you.
Unlimited users
Every stylist, tech, trainer and front-desk person, $0 each.
The honest part
Card payments you take cost 3.9% + 30¢, and optional bill pay from your accounting is $39 a month per office.
1. Licenses
Most states license both the people and the place. In Florida, the Board of Cosmetology (part of DBPR) licenses cosmetologists and nail specialists, and a salon needs its own salon license. Barbers and massage therapists have their own boards. Check the current requirements and fees on myfloridalicense.com.
2. Set up the business
- Form an LLC with your state (Sunbiz in Florida) and get a free EIN from the IRS.
- Open a business bank account.
- Insurance: general and professional liability.
- Decide booth rental vs. commission vs. hourly for your team; it changes your payroll and taxes.
3. Price your menu
Price each service from time (including processing time), product and overhead. Use the free service price calculator.
4. Booking, reminders and checkout
TotalPro360 gives a new salon a booking page, text confirmations and reminders, a service menu, chairs that can't double-book, checkout and books, for $0 a month. Free salon booking software · Nail salons.
5. Grow through referrals
Your clients ask you who you recommend. On the TotalPro360 network, referrals to other businesses that book and get paid earn your salon a share of the network fee.
What "free" means here, in plain numbers
- Software: $0 a month. Unlimited users. No contract, no setup fee, no card to sign up.
- Card payments you collect: 3.9% + 30¢.
- ACH bank payments: up to 1.8% (never more than $10).
- Online bill pay to your vendors (optional, from your accounting): $39 a month per office, only in months you pay bills through it, unlimited users, plus Stripe's cost at cost (bank debit 0.8% capped at $5, 0.25% + 25¢ per vendor payout, $2 per active vendor per month).
If you never take a payment through the platform, you never pay us anything. If you do, the fee is the same whether you have one employee or fifty.
“I’ve got a person for you.” Get paid for it.
Your clients ask you for recommendations all the time. On the TotalPro360 network, when your stylist sends a client to a massage therapist on the network and that appointment is booked and paid, your business earns a share of the network fee. The business that receives the referral pays nothing for the lead itself, only a network fee after the job is booked and paid. How the referral network works · Our sister network for home services.
Questions people ask
Do I need a salon license in Florida?
Yes, Florida requires salons to be licensed in addition to the individual licenses of the people working there. Confirm current rules with DBPR.
Is there free salon software for a new salon?
Yes. TotalPro360 is $0 a month with unlimited staff. Card payments cost 3.9% + 30¢.
Set up your account in about two minutes.
No card, no contract, no sales call. Pick your business type, and you'll land in your dashboard with a starter service menu and a short setup checklist.
Get started free*Included minutes and texts cover typical use. Usage above the included amounts is billed as overage, and larger or high-volume companies may be quoted higher phone and texting rates. See our Terms.