Most nail and beauty menus are priced by copying whatever the salon down the street charges. It works until margins quietly disappear. A better approach starts with three numbers you already have: material cost, chair time, and technician skill level.
Start with true cost, not guesswork
Add up product cost per service, the technician’s effective hourly cost, and a fair share of fixed overhead like rent and utilities for that time slot. That’s your floor price — anything below it is a loss, no matter how busy the chair looks.
Layer in skill and demand
A senior technician’s time is worth more than a junior’s, even for an identical service — price accordingly instead of flattening everyone to one rate card. Popular add-ons and premium finishes deserve a premium, not a token 10% bump.
Review pricing quarterly, not yearly
Material costs move faster than most owners update their menus. A quarterly five-minute review — comparing current cost to current price — catches margin erosion before it becomes a real problem.