Building a profitable service menu

For two weeks, track the actual chair time a service takes: consultation, application, processing, styling, cleanup and anything else genuinely required for the appointment. Most menus are priced against a timeline that never happens.

Revenue per booked hour is the price divided by the booked time. Approximate gross profit per booked hour subtracts the direct product and supply cost first, then divides. Two services with the same revenue per hour can look very different once color, developer, treatment and disposables come out — and gross profit still sits before rent, overhead and taxes.

Rank the menu by approximate gross profit per booked hour and look hard at the bottom. Some should be repriced, some restructured or packaged, some made more efficient with better timing or product usage — and some are worth keeping as-is because they fill gaps, bring in new clients or lead to bigger services. Removal is one option, not the default.

Where complexity, hair density, length, corrective work or product usage varies a lot, a range or "starting at" price plus a consultation protects you. Services that are genuinely consistent can stay at a flat price — not every line on the menu needs a range.

Add-ons like treatments, gloss and bond-building services increase service revenue inside an appointment you're already booked for. Retail and take-home products are a separate revenue opportunity with their own margin. Track them separately so you know which one is actually growing.

Set a recurring time to look at pricing and consider an increase when your costs, demand, booked time, skill level or profitability say it's warranted. When you do raise, give your book clear notice ahead of the change — steady, explained increases land better than one large jump.