We spend a lot of time looking at what salons charge. The spread is enormous — a basic gel manicure runs anywhere from $25 to $65 depending on the market, sometimes within the same zip code — and the salons at the bottom of that spread are usually not the ones doing best. Pricing low doesn't fill more chairs; it just means you need more clients to make the same money, with less room to pay technicians well or invest in the space. Here's how to actually think about it for 2026.
Price the technician's time, not just the polish
The most common mistake is pricing a service to cover materials plus "a bit for labor," instead of starting from what an hour of a skilled technician's time is actually worth in your market. Work backwards: figure out your target hourly rate per chair (rent, technician pay, supplies, and a real profit margin — not just break-even), then price each service against how long it genuinely takes, including cleanup and sanitation between clients. A gel-X full set that takes 75 minutes needs to clear more than a 30-minute polish change, and the price should reflect that gap clearly, not blur it.
Separate "base service" pricing from add-ons
Bundling everything into one flat price (a manicure that "includes" nail art, or a pedicure that "includes" a longer massage) undercharges clients who use the extras and overcharges the ones who don't — and it makes it hard to see which add-ons are actually worth offering. Price the base service clearly, then list add-ons (extra-long massage, nail art per nail, gel removal, French tip) as separate line items with their own price. Clients who want more pay for more; clients who want the basics aren't subsidizing them. It also gives your team an easy, guilt-free way to upsell, because the add-on has a real price attached instead of feeling like a favor.
Check what nearby salons charge — then decide if you want to match them
Competitor pricing is useful information, not a ceiling. If three salons within a mile all charge $35 for a basic pedicure, that tells you what the local market is used to paying — it doesn't mean $35 is the right number for your salon specifically. A salon with a nicer space, more experienced technicians, or a loyal client base built on quality can often charge 10-20% above the local average and keep the chairs full, as long as the price increase is introduced clearly rather than sprung on returning clients.
Review prices on a schedule, not just when costs spike
Supply costs, rent, and technician pay all drift upward over time, but menu prices often stay frozen for a year or more because nobody wants to be the one to raise them. Put a specific date on the calendar — once or twice a year — to actually sit down and review the full menu against current costs and current local rates, rather than waiting until margins are visibly squeezed. Small, regular adjustments (a dollar or two per service, once or twice a year) are far easier for returning clients to absorb than one large jump after two years of flat pricing.
Tell clients before you charge them
However you adjust pricing, the complaint that actually costs you a client isn't usually the new number — it's finding out about it at checkout. A simple heads-up (a sign at the front desk, a line in your booking confirmation text, a post on your Google Business Profile) two to three weeks before a price change goes into effect turns a surprise into an expected update, and most clients accept it without friction.
If you're tracking your menu in a spreadsheet today, moving it into your booking software means every price change, add-on, and package updates everywhere at once — the booking page, the client's confirmation text, and your point-of-sale checkout all stay in sync automatically, so nobody's charged the old number by accident.