What's in a name? Some say nothing. Some say everything! Isn't it true that we wouldn't give another look to something if its name didn't strike us? Something like a beauty salon, which boasts of beautification and screams for attention, definitely needs to have a name that attracts people like bees to flowers. There are some factors that need to be taken into account before you name your salon.

• What you want to be seen as: Do you want to be portrayed as an upscale and lavish salon, or do you want to be seen as an affordable salon?
• Your target clientele: Whom do you want to cater to: someone who runs to a salon to fix a chipped nail or someone who might get a manicure once in a couple of months? What age group are you looking to serve? Are you going to cater to male and female clients or just one gender? Are you looking to cater to working students or people with families?

Once you have a fair idea of your proposed clientele, you'll be able to gain perspective and think of a name that is apt and appealing. Your salon needs an identity. And you're the best person who can render this identity to it by doing something as simple as including your own name in the name of the salon. There are a lot of things that you can do with your name for this purpose.

• However cliché it may sound, alliterations do work. Try and incorporate this into the name of your salon. For instance, if your name begins with the letter
  S
  , you can use names like
  Sophie Snips
  . If it's the letter
  K
  then you could do something like
  Kathy's Kurler
  . These are just some very rudimentary examples, but you get the drift, right? Plus, using your own name gives others less chances of using the rest of the name too.
• You could also keep it plain and simple. Something like
  Joanna's
  works perfectly well. It gives your salon a brand name, it makes it easily recognizable, easy to remember, and makes it seem more friendly.

Another way to attract a lot of attention, and in turn, a lot of customers is to use a name that has an interesting play of words in it. A good example of this is 'Curl Up and Dye' (which is already the name of a salon so unfortunately you can't have it). Puns and phrases can be turned into something really innovative, when you sit down and think about them with a fresh mind. Make sure that all the words you use are related to the various treatments and services that you will be providing at your salon. Plus, the name should be something that appeals and entices people to come and visit you. You can't name your salon something like Crème Brûlée and expect people to miraculously guess that it's a hair and body salon. You could do something on these lines.

• Chic (pronounced sheek) in a Flick
• Snip It Up
• Strands-n-Streex

There are many reasons why you can think of using words from languages other than the predominantly spoken one in your area. It can add a bit of culture to the name, especially if you have roots in another country. Plus, using foreign words in your salon's name raises the enigma factor; people will get curious about your salon and will definitely want to not only find out what it means, but also find out what are the services that you provide. Keep one thing in mind though: don't use a word that is extremely obscure. Stick to words that people are more likely to be familiar with. You can simply choose a fancy word and get it translated in the language of your choice and use it within or as your salon's name.

• Éclat (pronounced eklaa) - French for 'sparkle'
• Divino - Spanish for 'divine'

When a person walks into a beauty salon, he/she has an idea of what he/she wants the ultimate result to be when walking out of that door. You can use this expectation of the clients as an idea for your beauty salon's name. For this, you can conduct a covert survey and find out what people expect from a beauty salon. Once you know what they want, choose the perfect word that represents their expectations and use it in the name. Alternatively, you can use a word that will sum up the final result that you, as the owner of the beauty salon are guaranteeing to every person that walks into the door of your salon. It could revolve around words like

• Glamor
• Style
• Metamorphosis
• Subtlety

or a combination of them. Just make sure you find the perfect word and live up to the claim that you make. Coming up with the perfect name for your beauty salon is just one of the many steps that you need to take to establish your business. But it sure is one of the most important ones because it is the first impression that your prospective clients will have of your salon. So, think well and come up with something truly original and something totally YOU!