IMAGE Studios Celebrates Record Growth in 2025 With 35 Openings and 50 Units Awarded

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<a href="https://www.imagestudiosfranchise.com/">IMAGE Studios</a> is best known for its thoughtfully designed salon suites that allow beauty, health, and wellness professionals to operate independently. In 2026, the brand is expanding that focus with the launch of&nbsp;<a href="https://imagestudios360.com/image-pro-academy/">IMAGE Pro Academy</a>, a new education and support platform created to help professionals strengthen their business skills and grow with confidence.IMAGE Pro Academy represents the next evolution of&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/image-studios/info">IMAGE Studios’</a> long-standing approach to business and marketing education. Built directly from feedback gathered from professionals across the system, the program reflects a deeper investment in education, accessibility and long-term success.<h2>Building an Ecosystem, Not Just Studio Space</h2>According to Director of Education&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewjameslandis/">Matthew Landis</a>, IMAGE Pro Academy is about far more than adding a few new courses. It’s about reshaping how IMAGE Studios supports professionals throughout their entire journey.“IMAGE Pro Academy is the next evolution of our business and marketing education for our Pros,” Landis said. “We do a lot of surveys, we listen to their pain points and challenges, and we restructured this program to meet those needs.”The result is a centralized learning ecosystem that brings together live courses, master classes, on-demand education, and downloadable tools. Rather than requiring professionals to search across multiple platforms, everything will live within a single learning management system designed for ease of use and flexibility.<h2>Education Designed for Every Type of Professional</h2>A key differentiator of IMAGE Pro Academy is its focus on business fundamentals rather than skills-based training. IMAGE Studios intentionally avoids teaching technical services like hair cutting or esthetics, choosing instead to focus on the universal challenges faced by solo entrepreneurs.“We have never focused on any specific skill set,” Landis said. “It's geared towards business owners, solo entrepreneurs, and creative people who just happen to be artisans and service providers.”That approach ensures the content applies equally to professionals in hair, skin care, tattoos, brows, wellness and other beauty services. Even within a single category like hair, Landis noted, professionals specialize in vastly different services, making a one-size-fits-all technical approach ineffective.<h2>More Access, More Formats, More Flexibility</h2>Feedback from IMAGE Studios professionals showed that busy schedules and limited awareness often kept people from participating. To address that, IMAGE Pro Academy adds more classes and offers several ways to take part, making it easier for professionals to fit learning into their schedules.Professionals will have access to an on-demand, self-guided learning library featuring short, focused video modules — typically around three minutes long — paired with worksheets, case studies and practical exercises.“People want shorter, more concise content,” Landis said. “We’re busy, we have so many distractions, so in our self-guided learning modules, it's my goal to keep the content down.”This multi-format structure allows professionals to learn in ways that suit their individual styles, whether they prefer listening, reading, analyzing or hands-on activities.<h2>Support for the Hardest Conversations</h2>Beyond numbers and strategy, IMAGE Pro Academy also addresses some of the most emotionally challenging parts of running a beauty business, from raising prices to letting go of clients who are no longer the right fit.“There is a lot of emotion that goes into it because what we do is a very intimate experience,” Landis said. “We have very close relationships with our clients, and so sometimes the money part of it can feel complicated.”To support professionals through these moments, IMAGE Studios offers free, confidential 30-minute coaching sessions with Landis, who is a certified coach with decades of industry experience.<h2>Practical Tools That Drive Real Business Decisions</h2>Another strength of IMAGE Pro Academy is the set of business tools available to professionals. These resources help take the guesswork out of pricing, finances and operational decisions.Among the most widely used tools is IMAGE Studios’ Raising Prices Calculator, which helps professionals take emotion out of pricing decisions and approach them strategically.Additional tools include pro formas, break-even worksheets, budget templates, compound interest calculators and waste-tracking worksheets, all designed to help professionals run healthier, more sustainable businesses.<h2>Why IMAGE Pro Academy Matters to Franchise Owners</h2>IMAGE Pro Academy is also a strategic advantage for franchise owners.“The more engaged a pro is, the more likely they are to renew their lease, refer a friend and make more money,” Landis said.&nbsp;The brand has also seen a clear correlation between owner engagement with education programs and higher opening occupancy rates. Professionals who take even one class are more likely to continue participating, creating stronger, more connected studio communities.Importantly, access to IMAGE Pro Academy begins early. Professionals can start taking courses as soon as they reserve a suite, even before a location opens, helping them prepare for day one and stay engaged during the build-out phase.“We want people to be successful on day one,” Landis said. “We don’t want them to wait until they have the key.”<h2>Growing Alongside the Brand</h2>As IMAGE Studios continues to expand nationwide, IMAGE Pro Academy is growing right alongside it. The platform will also feature master classes led by respected industry voices, bringing fresh perspectives from across the beauty and wellness space.With the launch of IMAGE Pro Academy, the franchise reinforces its position as more than a salon suite provider. It’s building a complete ecosystem of education, tools and support, empowering beauty, health, and wellness entrepreneurs to grow stronger businesses and helping franchise owners build more successful studios in every market they serve.To find out more information on the costs to buy this franchise, please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/image-studios.">https://1851franchise.com/image-studios.</a>&nbsp;

IMAGE Studios Introduces IMAGE Pro Academy to Support Entrepreneurs in 2026

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SALT LAKE CITY, Utah&nbsp;— Following a year of aggressive expansion and consistent innovation, luxury salon suites franchise&nbsp;<a href="https://www.imagestudiosfranchise.com/">IMAGE Studios</a> is closing the year with 35 new locations opened and 50 units awarded. This recent growth has solidified its footprint nationwide, making it operational in 28 states and forging a path to a presence in 36 states by the end of next year.“At the beginning of the year, we opened our 100th unit, and this year, we’ve sold 50 units. It’s impressive when put into perspective like that,” said&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizzielumley">Lizzie Webb</a>, vice president of operations. “We’ve had some real national growth this year, and we’ll continue to push into next year.”This year,&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/image-studios/info">IMAGE Studios</a> entered several new markets, including Minnesota, Arkansas, Rhode Island, Louisiana, Washington and Nebraska, and it strengthened its presence in the Chicago market. Franchise growth remained strong in Florida and California, particularly in the Los Angeles market, while the East Coast saw new units awarded in Virginia, Connecticut, Maryland and New York.This growth is supported by a data-driven approach to site selection. IMAGE Studios continues to focus on awarding units in markets known for entrepreneurial culture and diversity, like Atlanta and Houston.As the industry shifts, IMAGE Studios is also consistently evolving, both within its salon suites locations and beyond.“We’re seeing the continued development of aesthetics within salon suites,” Webb said. “Ten years ago, about 90 percent of our professionals were hairstylists. Now, about 60 percent of our pros are hairstylists. People are investing more in wellness treatments like cryotherapy and weight loss injections and medspa-type treatments like Botox and filler, and we’re seeing that evolution in our spaces, too.”To support the rapidly growing network of owners and beauty professionals, IMAGE Studios has made significant investments in technology, including an internal AI chatbot, IMAGE After Dark, which assists owners in anything they need at any time of day, and Sally, an external chatbot that improves the inquiry and leasing experience for prospective tenants.Heading into 2026, Webb says IMAGE Studios looks forward to growing to over 170 units, launching its IMAGE Icons program to recognize standout professionals nationwide and opening flagship locations in key markets.“We’re doing some amazing stuff,” she said. “Pros are expanding with us and growing to house their businesses in multiple IMAGE locations, which is very exciting for us.”ABOUT IMAGE STUDIOSIMAGE Studios® is an exclusive salon suite that provides modern, high-end salon studios at affordable rates to salon professionals. Our core values of creativity, freedom and success are the driving forces that empower us collectively and embody all that we do as professionals in this industry. We strive to improve the communities we live in with the creation, support and growth of independent franchisees across the country.

As&nbsp;<a href="https://www.imagestudiosfranchise.com/">IMAGE Studios</a> continues to scale nationwide, Atlanta has quickly become one of the most significant growth markets on the brand’s development map. With new openings in Roswell and Alpharetta and more locations in development, the city’s mix of creativity, ambition and entrepreneurial energy aligns directly with what&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/image-studios">IMAGE Studios</a> is built for.“Atlanta’s just that great mix of creative and entrepreneurial spirit that really mirrors who we are as a brand,” said&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylor-lamont-37317287/">Taylor Lamont,</a> Chief Operating Officer and Managing Partner at IMAGE Studios. “It’s a city built by independent professionals who are chasing growth on their own terms.”<h2>A Market That Naturally Fits the IMAGE Studios Model</h2>The IMAGE Studios mission is to empower beauty and wellness professionals to become successful business owners. A typical location houses 25 to 35 independent entrepreneurs, creating a thriving small-business ecosystem all within one address. This structure translates especially well in Atlanta, a city recognized nationally for its strong concentration of minority- and women-owned businesses.According to Lamont, about 90% of IMAGE Pro tenants across the country are women-owned ventures, which makes the metro area’s business culture an ideal match for the brand. “Atlanta has an incredible mix of creativity and business acumen. Entrepreneurship feels like part of the culture, and that makes it a natural fit for IMAGE Studios,” he said.The brand has multiple locations open across Atlanta already and expects to award eight additional licenses in the near future. While some franchise systems follow strict population formulas to determine development capacity, IMAGE Studios evaluates each potential site individually. Everything from demographic and psychographic data to competitor performance is reviewed before approving new growth.“We never want to cannibalize one location on top of another,” Lamont said. “Our franchisees’ success is of utmost importance. Growth is defined by data—population shifts, competitor timelines, ramp-up performance—everything that helps us understand whether the market can support more IMAGE Pros.”<h2>Serving Every Corner of the Beauty and Wellness Industry</h2>While many salon suite brands primarily attract hairstylists or barbers, IMAGE Studios has deliberately positioned itself to serve the full spectrum of beauty and wellness entrepreneurs. Inside a typical location, it is common to see hairstylists, barbers, estheticians, lash and brow artists, makeup artists, nail artists, tattoo artists and registered nurses offering aesthetic services.Lamont says this diverse mix is intentional. “We attract a wide variety of beauty professionals,” he said. “Whether someone is a traditional hairstylist or a registered nurse doing Botox, our aesthetic and our design match the businesses that operate inside our spaces.”Because the studios are built to support such a wide array of services, IMAGE Studios often becomes a destination for highly skilled professionals who want the flexibility of operating independently without the complexity of building out their own brick-and-mortar space.<h2>A Turnkey Path Into Business Ownership</h2>Many IMAGE Pros choose the brand because moving into a studio allows them to open a business in days rather than months. The spaces come fully outfitted with millwork, chairs, mirrors, lighting and storage. For someone leaving a traditional salon or commission structure, this means they can transition into independent ownership with minimal downtime.“Everything is provided,” Lamont said. “They don’t want the overhead of building a brick-and-mortar location. They want to move in and start taking clients tomorrow.”The move-in experience is paired with significant business support through IMAGE Pro Academy, which offers education on scaling a business, client retention, pricing strategy, retirement planning, financial management and general business operations. IMAGE Pros receive checklists and guidance for everything from insurance to licensing, which helps first-time business owners avoid the guesswork of entrepreneurship.“We often say people want to go into business for themselves, but not by themselves,” Lamont added. "And a lot of times that's why they're attracted to IMAGE in comparison to our competitors, because the spaces that we build, even though they have their individual studios, they're all gorgeous glass. They're open. They can see each other. It creates a really wonderful community."<h2>Flexible Real Estate That Fits Atlanta’s Growth Patterns</h2>The Atlanta metro has seen rapid expansion of suburban lifestyle centers—walkable districts where residents can eat, shop and access services within minutes of their homes. While these centers are strong options, IMAGE Studios does not rely on them exclusively.“IMAGE Studios thrives in office space, retail centers, malls and strip developments,” Lamont said. This adaptability is an advantage in Atlanta, where traffic patterns, residential growth and mixed-use development vary widely by suburb.<h2>A High-Growth Brand in a High-Growth City</h2>IMAGE Studios now has 130 locations open nationwide and is opening approximately 40 new sites per year. Atlanta sits alongside Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Charlotte and Tampa as one of the brand’s highest-priority markets moving forward.“This is an attractive franchise model because it’s low overhead, it has recurring revenue and it’s a culture-first brand,” Lamont said. “No franchisee or IMAGE Pro is doing this on their own."What sets Atlanta apart, Lamont added, is the mindset of its people. “Atlanta celebrates ambition. It’s bold, creative, driven—and that’s exactly who IMAGE Studios was built for."To find out more information on the costs to buy this franchise, please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/image-studios.">https://1851franchise.com/image-studios.</a>&nbsp;

IMAGE Studios Expands in Atlanta: Redefining Salon Suites in a Fast-Growing Market

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