Tips and advice

All the equipment a hair salon needs

The complete list of equipment, items and gear a hair salon needs, from a salon stool and mirror to lighting, extraction and towel warmers.

18. August 2026

After more than 30 years, we know virtually all the equipment a hair salon may need—not just the chairs. Here is the complete list of things and equipment you need to have under control before opening your doors, or when you simply need an overview of what a salon really consists of.

If you need help choosing between the specific models, I have written a complete guide to choosing fixtures and furniture. This list is about getting the overview first.

At the workstation

The workstation itself is the heart of the salon. You need a salon stool for yourself, a styling chair for the client, and a professional-quality mirror—ordinary bathroom mirrors are not built for daily use in a salon. You also need a trolley for your tools and a color trolley if you work with larger quantities of hair color.

Lighting you rarely think about until it is missing

Good lighting is the piece of equipment people most often forget to include on their list, but it determines whether you achieve the right color and precise cut. Without proper professional lighting, you will not notice mistakes until the client has gone home.

For hair washing

A good washing unit is just as much about your own back as the client's comfort. This is one of the places where you spend the most time standing, bent forward, throughout the day.

At reception

Your reception desk is the first thing a new client sees. If you sell products to your clients, the reception area should also include a retail shelf, so the products do not simply lie scattered across the reception desk.

The waiting area

Waiting furniture is easy to cut costs on, but it is the first impression for clients who arrive a little early, and a place where many actually decide whether to come back.

Hygiene and working environment—the things that keep you in the profession

Extraction systems and towel warmers for disinfection often end up at the bottom of the list because they are not visible to the client. But they determine whether you can still stand in the salon ten years from now without your body or lungs having suffered damage along the way.

See everything in one place

If you want to see our entire range of salon equipment at once, you can view the full selection here. If you are unsure what you really need, or would simply like to talk about what your salon should be used for, write to me, or drop by our showroom and see everything up close.

Written by Rasmus Østergaard

Author at Just Add People

Meet the author

Rasmus Østergaard is editor and journalist at Just Add People. Rasmus is responsible for making useful information about the hairdressing profession and the beauty industry accessible to everyone.

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