Beauty Salons, Spas See Spike In Business

Signs that the economy is starting to rebound can be found at some Rock County beauty salons.

Customers who may have cut or colored their hair at home during the recession are now returning to area salons, according to some local business owners.

Around the nation beauty salon sales have grown more than 5 percent in the last two years, according to financial analysis company Sageworks.

Rudy Mahan heads to Clippers and Curls in Beloit every two weeks to get a trim.

"I make arrangements for that," said Mahan.

Mahan's on a fixed income and said his hair cuts are an important apart of his monthly budget. His stylist of 22 years, Patricia Majeed, said many of her other clients aren't as fortunate as Mahan.

"Some people used to come every week, but a lot of those people are gone now because they worked at the GM plant or one of those plants that serviced the GM industry," Majeed said.

Salon manager Mary Sandlin said as many as 25 percent of their clients skipped the salon to save a few dollars.

"The whole area started to go down, people moved away so we really saw a big loss at that time," Sandlin said.

She said in the last few months business has begun to pick up.

"Now that we've got two or three factories coming in the area, and we can see more of an increase in income, it's not as much because the pay is not as much, but people are starting to work," Sandlin said. "They're starting to come back out."

Sandlin said long term clients like Mahan helped them weather the economic storm until their other clients got back on their feet.

"They aren't running out the door, but they're coming back a little more regular," Sandlin said.

Several other salons in Rock County said they are also seeing an increase in business.

The owner of Nu Attitude Salon in Beloit said news about jobs returning to the area has filled up the chairs in her salon. She said business has gone up about 15 percent, and many of her new clients are coming to get a fresh hairdo before going to a job interview.

Stacy Jersild, the manager at Ahvia Salon and Spa in Janesville, said more folks seem to be treating themselves. She said requests for massage services have gone up about 25 percent in the last few months.

Brenda Brotzman of A Glo Spa and Salon said they didn't see a drop in clients during the recession but an increase.

"I'd say more people skipped going on a vacation and pampered themselves at home," she said.

Brotzman said their business has increased about 5 to 10 percent since 2009.