Sola Salons, the over-750-unit salon suites franchise, has dominated the industry with a stable, high-support model, offering an incredible opportunity for entrepreneurs looking to scale. With the salon suite industry continuing to grow, it’s clear that beauty pros are seeking a more independent model that allows them to build something for themselves. For franchise candidates, there’s never been a better time to join the system.

Here are five reasons to invest in a Sola Salons franchise this year:

A Real Estate-Forward Model With High Retention

While Sola Salons holds a place in the beauty and wellness landscape, it’s a sophisticated real estate investment. Rather than managing stylists or focusing on the day-to-day operations of a service model, Sola franchisees serve as landlords and mentors for beauty professionals. 

“Sola is a recurring revenue model that allows owners to step away from the daily grind of service operations,” said John Pantera, vice president of franchise development. 

The ability to step away from the day-to-day details allows franchisees to truly focus on the relationships they hold with the beauty pros in the salon suites, and this boosts pros’ satisfaction and increases retention — ultimately driving stability for the franchisee.

“Sola is built on high retention and predictable cash flow,” said Liam Finn, director of franchise sales. “The beauty professional is the heartbeat of the model. We want stylists to stay five years or more. And once franchisees’ suites are full, they’re not constantly cycling through new tenants. They’re building successful businesses inside their space, which makes the portfolio more valuable every year.”

A Low-Labor, Highly Scalable Model

In addition to the financial stability of the model, Sola Salons offers additional predictability with its low-labor model, which Pantera describes as a “zero- to one-employee” model. Because stylists are independent beauty professionals, franchisees are not managing them. Rather, owners are either completing ongoing tasks, like maintenance requests, themselves, or paying a single team member to do so.

This keeps the labor burden low, but it also positions franchisees to scale, bringing in additional revenue while enjoying economies of scale with the ability to share labor across multiple locations.

“Because Sola doesn’t require much labor, it’s feasible for a new owner to come in and build five to 10 locations in five to seven years,” Pantera said. “With most other franchises, you’re relying on people (or yourself) to be there constantly. That is incredibly hard to scale. At Sola, scaling is a reality.”

Recession-Resilience and a 20-Year Track Record

Sola’s long history and unique position in the market provide additional security for franchisees. Having weathered multiple economic cycles, the model has proven its ability to thrive in any climate.

“Beauty services are incredibly sticky,” Finn said. “People continue to get their hair done regardless of economic cycles. Because we empower stylists who run high-margin businesses, our suites stay full even when the economy softens.”

Unmatched Brand Dominance and Support

Sola Salons is the largest player in the industry, and its size and experience allow it to offer a level of support that smaller competitors simply cannot compete with. The brand has become synonymous with the industry itself, giving franchisees an immediate advantage in their markets.

“Reputation is everything,” Pantera said. “Sola is by far the biggest player, and people know our name. There are beauty pros who will say, ‘I got a Sola’ in reference to any salon suite space — even one with one of our competitors. That alone is reflective of market dominance, but our scale positions us to continue widening the gap between Sola and our competitors.”

With a larger franchisee network and more mature brand, Sola has the resources and expertise to drive continued success, funneling leads to franchisees, reviewing and honing operations, and launching innovative solutions to keep the brand at the forefront of the industry.

“Because we’ve passed the 750-unit mark, we’re dealing with a different economy of scale,” Pantera said. “We have a deeper level of digital marketing and operations talent that competitors just can’t touch, and that gap continues to widen.”

Be a Part of a Steadily Growing Brand

While Sola has established a strong national presence, there is still plenty of potential in the industry. Still, Sola is growing steadily with qualified entrepreneurs, and availability in some key markets is dwindling. Entrepreneurs who are interested in investing and scaling with Sola should inquire to secure their prime territory.

“I call it a beautiful problem,” Finn said. “We have so many owners who continue to reinvest and buy up more territories and consistent interest from new franchisees that availability is thinning out. In major hubs like Dallas, Houston and parts of California, those multi-unit growth opportunities that will allow you to be the consolidator in the market aren’t going to be around much longer.”

“If you want to partner with the best in the industry, you have to recognize that the runway isn’t infinite,” Pantera said.

For entrepreneurs seeking a 2026 investment, Sola Salons offers a unique combination of financial predictability, brand strength and economic resilience that will position them well for long-term scale and success.

To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/sola-salons.