What is hidden beneath a beauty salon's elegant floor
Beneath a salon's elegant room is the engineering that decides whether it works every day: water and drainage for backwash units, powerful electrics for equipment, extraction of colour and lacquer fumes, and moisture-resistant walls. These layers are designed first and the beauty after.
Chairs, backwash units and workstations stand where water, waste and sockets reach them, and moving them later is expensive, because drainage needs a fall and electrics usually run in the floor or wall. So the layout and equipment list are approved first, then service routes, and finishes last.
A premium salon differs from an ordinary one in its materials and, above all, in that the engineering goes unnoticed: quiet extraction, uninterrupted hot water, concealed hatches, sockets in the furniture, light without shadows on the face. When all this is provided for, the staff work without stopping and the client sees only a calm interior.
How much power a salon needs
Power is calculated from the equipment list: hairdryers, tongs, colour hoods, water heaters, sterilisers, air conditioning, lighting, monitors. There is no universal figure, but in a salon it is always higher than it seems, because many devices run at once.
How it is calculated. A list of devices is drawn up with their power and simultaneity. A hairdryer per station typically draws about 1.5 to 2 kW, the water heater for backwash units goes on its own line, and drying hoods and aesthetic equipment add more. The total is multiplied by a diversity factor and a margin for growth added. A three-phase supply and an increase of contracted power with the utility are often needed.
What the design does. Separate circuits for backwash units and heaters, climate, lighting and station sockets, with breakers and RCDs. The board is accessible but concealed. An engineer does the calculation and prepares the documents for the connection. It is better to learn a unit's available power before renting.
How to organise extraction for colour and lacquer fumes
Extraction for colour and lacquer is local and general: at colour stations and in the nail area air is captured next to the source, and general ventilation renews the room's air. A single ceiling fan is not enough.
Sources of smell. Hair colouring and bleaching (ammonia, peroxide), lacquer and styling products, nail liquids and acrylics, solvents. Concentration is highest at the technician's table. So desktop extractors or side-capture units are fitted for nails, extraction beside the colour station, and general supply air with recovery.
The discharge is taken where it does not bother neighbours: above the roof or into a courtyard by agreement. That too is a matter for the community. The extract fan must not drone. RITE is used for airflows; exact figures are set by the engineer. Smell and dust must not pass into other parts of the building.
How moisture-resistant walls and floors are made
In the backwash and shower zone walls and floors need to be moisture-resistant: waterproofing under the finish, tile or panels, non-slip floors and sealed junctions. Ordinary paint and plasterboard swell and peel away quickly there.
What is done. A waterproofing membrane goes under the tile and turns up the wall. Walls around backwash units are finished in porcelain, HPL, glass or stone that does not fear water and dye. Worktops are chosen to resist colour and bleach: Corian, porcelain, stainless steel. The floor is non-slip, with a fall to the drain in the wash area. Joints are filled with epoxy grout because dye penetrates cement grout. Mirrors and furniture are protected from water at the perimeter.
For a premium look, large formats and stone are used, but kinds that do not stain: pale marble darkens with dye, and that risk should be weighed in the choice. Practical materials can be made beautiful and beautiful ones practical if chosen together with the stylists.
What light mirrors and work stations need
Mirrors and work stations need light with a high CRI (90 or more) and a neutral temperature of about 3500 to 4000 K, or the shade of a colour will look different in the salon and outside. The colourist must see the colour as it will look in daylight.
In practice. Soft light on both sides of the mirror or around the frame removes shadows on the face and does not dazzle. Over the station, light comes from above and slightly in front, without direct glare. A neutral white suits the colour zone; the main floor and reception are warmer to keep the atmosphere cosy. Daylight is not blocked with heavy curtains: a window beside the station helps judge colour.
For a premium look scenes are added: a bright working one and a soft evening one. Control is by zone, and fittings in the work area are chosen flicker-free so staff do not tire their eyes and video for social media is not distorted.
How to separate private rooms
A private room in a salon is built with a real door and acoustic insulation, not a curtain: the client must be sure they are not seen or heard. That is what separates a premium salon from a chain.
What is done. Partitions to the slab with double boarding and wool, a door with seals. Room lighting is adjustable and has a warm mode for treatments. Separate ventilation so smell from the main floor does not enter the room and vice versa. A basin and water supply if treatments are done. Storage: concealed cabinets so devices and products stay out of sight. Access to the rooms does not pass through the main floor but through a separate corridor or recess.
We approach it as a project with one person responsible: site visit and measurements, a staged estimate, our own crew and vetted subcontractors, payment under contract, in Russian and Spanish. We reply to enquiries within an hour. Price is set in the estimate after seeing the unit. We have experience in commercial premises, for example a children's psychology centre in Eixample, with climate control and air heat recovery.
Frequently asked questions
How much power does a beauty salon need?
There is no universal figure: power is calculated from the device list and their simultaneity, for example about 1.5 to 2 kW per station hairdryer, plus water heater, climate and lighting. A three-phase supply is often needed. An engineer calculates it, ideally before renting.
How do I organise extraction for colour in a salon?
Local extraction at the colour station and nail area, plus general supply and extract ventilation with recovery. The discharge goes above the roof or into a courtyard by agreement. Airflows are set by the engineer under RITE. It is better to build extraction in from the start than add it after neighbours complain about smell and noise.
How are moisture-resistant walls made in a salon?
A waterproofing membrane under the tile turned up the wall, porcelain, HPL, glass or stone around backwash units, and epoxy grout. Pale marble darkens with dye, so it is chosen with care. For a premium look the stone is chosen in advance with the stylists, testing a sample with dye.
How do I separate private areas in a salon?
A real door with seals and partitions to the slab with double boarding, separate ventilation, adjustable warm light and access that does not pass through the main room. Storage is hidden in closed cabinets. If a room needs water, the supply is planned before wall finishes, or finished tile will have to be broken.