Let’s not sugarcoat it: toxic salon culture kills businesses.
If your salon feels tense, gossipy, or just flat-out negative, you’re not just dealing with unhappy staff, you’re bleeding talent, losing clients, and wrecking your reputation without even realizing it.
But here’s the kicker: toxic culture is always a leadership problem.
Yep. Either the leader allowed it to happen, failed to fix it or worse, became part of it.
The good news? If you’re willing to lead differently, you can turn it around. Let’s talk about how to spot it, stop it, and rebuild a salon culture you can actually be proud of.
What Does a Toxic Salon Culture Actually Look Like?
Spoiler alert: it’s not just screaming matches in the back room. Toxicity is often way more subtle and way more dangerous because of it.
Here’s what to watch for:
- Cliques — little “mean girl” groups isolating others (hello, high school flashbacks)
- Gossip — team members or even managers casually throwing others under the bus
- Bad communication — mixed messages, cold shoulders, crossed wires everywhere
- No teamwork — “that’s not my job” attitudes infecting the floor
- Leaders playing favorites — especially letting high earners get away with murder
- New hires getting the cold shoulder — no welcome, no support, just… crickets
Bottom line?
If your staff don’t feel valued, protected, or part of a team, you’ve got a problem brewing. And left unchecked, it will spread like wildfire.
If There’s Toxicity, Look at Leadership First
Hard truth incoming: toxic cultures start at the top.
You either:
- Allowed toxic behaviors to sneak in.
- Or you modeled toxic behaviors yourself (even without realizing it).
For example:
- Joining in on “casual” gossip? Toxic.
- Talking trash about an ex-employee after they leave? Toxic.
- Letting one high-performing stylist act like they own the place because they “make you money”? Toxic (and short-sighted).
Your team is always watching.
Every word, every reaction, every double standard…they see it. And they take their cues from you.
How to Spot Structural Problems Before They Blow Up
Sometimes the problem isn’t just who, it’s how the salon is set up.
⚡ Old-school hierarchies
Senior stylists sitting pretty while juniors scrub floors? Nah. That breeds resentment fast.
⚡ Rushed hiring
Hiring without trial days or vibe checks? You’re asking for misfits, cliques, and drama.
⚡ No check-ins
No formal one-on-ones = staff bottling up frustrations… until they explode into gossip and division.
If you want a healthy culture, you need a better system not just better people.
How to Build (or Rebuild) an Unbreakable Salon Culture
Ready to change the game? Here’s where to start:
1. Create Regular, Structured One-on-Ones
Not an “open door policy.” (Spoiler: no one uses that.)
Set scheduled quarterly meetings where every team member knows they have a safe space to be heard. We call them development meetings, part performance check-in, part open forum for them to raise anything on their mind.
Prevents bottled-up resentment. Builds trust.
2. Set (and Actually Live By) Your Core Values
Core values aren’t just words on a poster.
They’re behaviors you expect and enforce daily.
- Introduce them in onboarding.
- Bring them into daily huddles.
- Reference them in staff meetings, workshops, everywhere.
In our salons, our core values include things like:
- Great communication
- Supporting your teammates
- Showing initiative (And trust me, they get drilled in until they’re second nature.)
3. Reward the Behaviors You Want to See
What you celebrate, repeats.
Catch people doing the right things and shine a spotlight on it:
- Shoutouts in team meetings
- Small rewards
- “Employee of the Quarter” (based on core values, not just revenue)
Even your most challenging staff will start chasing positive reinforcement when they see it actually matters.
4. Lead by Example (Especially When It’s Hard)
You can’t expect honesty, positivity, and professionalism from your team if you’re secretly venting to your receptionist or talking smack about ex-staff.
Vent at home.
Keep it clean at work.
Every interaction sets the tone for your entire team.
5. Create Systems That Support Equality
Daily chores? Everyone, even the highest-earning stylist, sweeps the floor.
Sales competitions? Make them team-based, not cutthroat individual battles.
Structure your salon so no one can coast or feel “above” the basics.
How to Fix a Toxic Salon Culture (If You’re Already In It)
Already feeling the toxicity? Here’s the real roadmap:
Act fast. The longer you ignore it, the worse it gets.
Discipline or remove toxic staff. You can’t “nice” them into changing. They either adapt or they leave.
Shake the tree. When you reset your standards, the bad apples will fall off and that’s exactly what you want.
Anonymous feedback. Give your team a safe way to tell you the real issues without fear of retaliation.
Relaunch your culture.
Hold a workshop. Set new expectations. Make it exciting and positive, but clear that it’s a new era.
Your Culture IS Your Brand
Here’s the real cost of letting toxicity fester:
- You’ll lose your best people.
- You’ll scare off great clients.
- You’ll destroy your own business from the inside out.
On the flip side?
When you nail your salon culture, the ripple effect is insane:
- Staff stay longer. (Less retraining, less turnover cost.)
- Clients feel the vibe and love it.
- You become the place where everyone wants to work and book.
Culture isn’t “soft” business. It’s the foundation.
So here’s your move:
Pick one action from this blog and implement it this week.
Whether it’s setting one-on-ones, tightening your hiring, or having that awkward convo you’ve been avoiding, just start.
Because remember:
Small shifts lead to big changes.
And the sooner you shift, the faster you’ll build the salon (and the life) you actually want.
