Starting and growing
Opening a beauty salon: the real costs, item by item
A realistic budget for opening a beauty salon in Italy: premises, renovation, equipment, licences, launch marketing and the contingency fund nobody budgets for.
In this guide
The budget item by item
Opening a beauty salon with 2 treatment rooms generally costs between 40.000 and 120.000 €: the range depends mainly on renovation work and the equipment you choose.
| Item | Realistic range |
|---|---|
| Renovation and utilities installation | 10.000-40.000 € |
| Basic equipment | 10.000-40.000 € |
| Furniture, treatment rooms, laundry | 8.000-15.000 € |
| Paperwork, licences, management software | 2.000-5.000 € |
| Launch marketing (3 months) | 3.000-6.000 € |
| Contingency fund (6 months of fixed costs) | 10.000-20.000 € |
Mistakes that lead to overspending
The three classic mistakes: buying all the equipment upfront, underestimating renovation work and starting without a marketing budget or contingency fund.
- Equipment: choose 1-2 key machines carefully and rent the rest until demand is proven.
- Renovation: always arrange a technical inspection before signing the lease (drainage, electrical system).
- Marketing: the launch is not the opening event, it is the first 3 months of local campaigns.
- Contingency fund: without 6 months of fixed costs covered, every slow month becomes an emergency.
How long it takes to recoup your investment
With a client acquisition plan in place from day one, salons that get off to a strong start cover running costs between the third and sixth month and recoup their investment in 2-4 years.
The deciding factor is not the furniture: it is how quickly you fill your appointment book. That is why marketing must be budgeted as a start-up cost, not an expense for "when there is money left over".
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