Design 1 Salon Spa
Design 1 Salon Spa is a privately held, multi-location hair salon and day spa founded in 1981, operating four locations in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area and serving West Michigan individual consumers with hair, spa, nail, and beauty services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1981
- HeadquartersGrand Rapids, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Design 1 Salon Spa does
Design 1 Salon Spa is a privately held multi-location hair salon and day spa operating four locations across the Grand Rapids, Michigan metropolitan area (Plainfield, Cascade, Grandville, and Gaines). Founded in 1981 per firmographic records, the company employs 101-250 staff and serves individual consumers in West Michigan communities including Grand Rapids, Rockford, East Grand Rapids, Ada, Caledonia, Kentwood, Jenison, Holland, Cascade, and Byron Center. Its service catalog spans hair services (color and lightening, cuts and extensions, styling and texture including bridal styling), spa services (facials, massage and body treatments), nail services (manicures, pedicures, acrylics), and beauty services (brow and lash, hair removal, makeup, permanent cosmetics), complemented by men's grooming. Service delivery is organized through a five-tier stylist system (Associate, Designer, Senior Designer, Master Designer, Elite Designer) with internal Educators supporting ongoing advanced training.
The company does not operate a proprietary technology platform; its digital infrastructure is built on third-party integrations including Meevo for online booking and gift card sales, SalonInteractive for per-location e-commerce storefronts, Glammatic for the corporate website, and JoinMyA for a stylist matchmaking survey ('Discover Your Design 1 Pro'). Retail revenue is generated through a proprietary SKU (D1's Custom Hair Treatment) and a cross-sold partner line (Aura Beauty Bar essentials). A points-based loyalty program (Design 1 Salon Spa Points), spa packages, gift cards, and an active Instagram presence support customer retention and acquisition.
Design 1's revenue model is direct-to-consumer, pay-as-you-go service delivery priced on a tiered unit basis that varies by stylist level, with supplementary one-time retail and gift card transactions. Customer acquisition is driven primarily by local word-of-mouth, online reviews, the stylist matchmaking tool, and social media. The company shows no evidence of external venture or private equity backing, no M&A activity, and no disclosed financial metrics, consistent with a founder-/operator-owned, mature local services business.
Design 1 Salon Spa firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Design 1 Salon Spa
- Legal name
- Design 1 Salon & Spa
- Website
- https://design1.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1981
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Design 1 Salon Spa is a privately held, multi-location hair salon and day spa founded in 1981, operating four locations in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area and serving West Michigan individual consumers with hair, spa, nail, and beauty services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Design 1 Salon Spa industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Hair Salon and Spa Services
- NAICS
- Beauty Salons (812112), Hair, Nail, and Skin Care Services (81211), Other Personal Care Services (81219)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Day Spas (HSALAFAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Day Spas (Facials, Body Treatments & Packages) (HSADAKAA), Spa Packages & Ritual Experiences (HSALAFAN)
Keywords
Where Design 1 Salon Spa is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Grand Rapids
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Design 1 Salon Spa business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Hair and Beauty Services: The company generates revenue through providing hair care, spa, nail, and beauty services at four physical salon locations. Services are booked per-visit and include haircuts, coloring, facials, massages, manicures, pedicures, and brow/lash services.
- Product Sales: The company sells hair care products through separate shop pages for each location using SalonInteractive e-commerce platform, including D1's Custom Hair Treatment and Aura Beauty Bar products.
- Gift Cards: The company sells gift cards through the Meevo platform, enabling customers to purchase monetary credits for services.
- Spa Packages: Bundled service packages that can be applied to various services, offering customers combined treatments at value pricing.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Service pricing varies by professional level |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels4 records
Design 1 Salon Spa product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Design 1 Salon Spa is a multi-location hair salon and day spa operating four storefronts in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area. The company delivers professional hair services (cuts, color, extensions, styling and texture treatments, bridal styling), spa services (facials, massages, body treatments), nail services (manicures, pedicures, acrylics), and beauty services (brow and lash, hair removal, makeup, permanent cosmetics), complemented by retail hair care product sales, gift cards, and bundled Spa Packages.
Product overview
Design 1 Salon Spa operates as a multi-location salon and spa business offering a comprehensive portfolio of beauty and wellness services. The company operates four locations in the Grand Rapids, MI area (Plainfield, Cascade, Grandville, and Gaines) providing hair services (Color & Lightening, Cuts & Extensions, Styling & Texture including Bridal Styling), spa services (Facials, Massage & Body Treatments), nail services (Manicures & Pedicures, Acrylic Nails), and beauty services (Brow & Lashes, Hair Removal, Makeup, Permanent Cosmetics). The business complements its service offerings with retail products including the proprietary D1's Custom Hair Treatment, Aura Beauty Bar partner products, and a loyalty program (Design 1 Salon Spa Points). Additional offerings include Spa Packages for bundled services and Gift Cards for gifting occasions. The company uses a tiered stylist level system (Associate, Designer, Senior Designer, Master Designer, Elite Designer) to structure service delivery and pricing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- D1's Custom Hair Treatment: Custom hair treatment product offered by Design 1 Salon Spa.
Products and services
- Color & Lightening Hair coloring and lightening services delivered by expert stylists to enhance each client's unique sense of self with personalized color treatments.
- Facials Luxurious facial treatments that rejuvenate skin and restore natural glow, with each treatment tailored to unique skincare needs by experienced estheticians.
- Cuts & Extensions Precision haircuts and hair extension services where experienced staff fulfill client needs and preferences, recognizing hair as a reflection of individual identity.
- Brow & Lashes Specialized brow and lash services including shaping, tinting, and lifting techniques to accentuate unique features and achieve a polished look.
- Styling & Texture Hair straightening, perms, and texture services designed to add smoothness or stunning waves, with techniques tailored to unique needs; includes Hair Styling, Bridal Styling, and Permanent Texture Services.
- Massage & Body Treatments Body therapy combining sea benefits with essential oil therapy using high-quality essential oils to stimulate or soothe the body; includes Massage, Body Masques (Dead Sea mud or natural clay), and upgrades such as cupping and hot stones.
- Manicures & Pedicures Luxurious nail care services for hands and feet including manicures (with paraffin spa and shellac options), pedicures, acrylic/sculptured nails, and nail art or French polish upgrades.
- Men's Services Tailored men's grooming services including precision haircuts, expert coloring with complimentary beard trims, precision styling, and men's facials designed to cleanse, exfoliate, and hydrate skin.
- Hair Removal Professional hair removal services performed by skilled technicians using various techniques tailored for client comfort and satisfaction.
- Makeup Professional makeup services for various occasions using high-quality products to create looks tailored to individual style.
- Permanent Cosmetics Long-lasting cosmetic procedures offering effortlessly flawless brows and lips in a comfortable setting.
- D1's Custom Hair Treatment Proprietary custom hair treatment product developed by Design 1 Salon Spa, offered for retail sale to clients across all four locations.
- Spa Packages Pre-configured or customizable service packages combining multiple salon and spa services, applicable to listed services or any service/product of choice.
- Salon & Spa Gift Cards Gift cards available for purchase for salon and spa services, redeemable across all Design 1 locations.
Companies that use Design 1 Salon Spa
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Design 1 Salon Spa technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Design 1 Salon Spa partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- MeevocoreMeevo provides the online booking and appointment scheduling platform for Design 1 Salon Spa. Customers can book appointments at all four locations through Meevo's portal. The platform also handles gift card sales.
- Aura Beauty BarminorAura Beauty Bar is an external brand whose products are sold through Design 1's shop. Design 1 offers Aura Beauty Bar's 'essentials' collection to customers.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights3 records
Design 1 Salon Spa competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Ulta Beauty: National beauty retailer with selected in-store salon services and a much larger product and brand portfolio. Competes with Design 1 both for the retail beauty product sale and increasingly for salon services.
- Great Clips: Largest U.S. hair care franchise with thousands of locations. While focused on value haircuts, it competes with Design 1 for entry-tier and walk-in customers in the Grand Rapids market.
- Regis Corporation (Supercuts, Cost Cutters, SmartStyle): Public parent of multiple hair salon brands including Supercuts and Cost Cutters. Overlaps with Design 1 in hair services at the value and mid tiers and represents a much larger incumbent in the multi-unit salon category.
Emerging players
- European Wax Center: Franchised chain specializing in waxing and related skin services. Overlaps with Design 1's brow, lash, and hair-removal offerings and represents the single-category franchise thesis that may cherry-pick Design 1's high-margin wax/hair-removal revenue.
- The Now Massage: Fast-growing boutique massage studio concept with a modern, membership-driven model. Competes with Design 1's massage and body-treatment services and exemplifies the boutique studio threat to traditional multi-service salons.
Direct peers
- Salon Lofts: National salon-suite concept where independent stylists rent private chairs. Competes with Design 1 for both customer spend and senior stylist talent, representing the dominant 'salon suite' alternative to a traditional chain model.
- Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa: National multi-unit day spa and massage franchise offering facials, massages, and hair removal services in a multi-location retail footprint. Directly comparable to Design 1's spa, facial, massage, and waxing service lines and brick-and-mortar multi-unit model.
- Woodhouse Spa: Multi-location day spa chain offering facials, massage, body treatments, and nail services across the Midwest and beyond. Closely matches Design 1's spa service portfolio and multi-location suburban retail model.
- Massage Envy: Largest U.S. franchised massage and skin care services chain with hundreds of locations. Competes with Design 1 on massage, facials, and skin-care service lines, sharing the multi-location model and tiered membership/loyalty mechanics.
- Floyd's 99 Barbershop: Multi-location barber/lifestyle concept offering men's haircuts, beard services, and color. Directly comparable to Design 1's men's services category and to the multi-unit walk-in service model in suburban markets.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Design 1 Salon Spa social profiles
Digital presenceDesign 1 Salon Spa financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Design 1 Salon Spa leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Design 1 Salon Spa funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Design 1 Salon Spa M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Design 1 Salon Spa
What does Design 1 Salon Spa do?
Design 1 Salon Spa is a multi-location hair salon and day spa operating four storefronts in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area. The company delivers professional hair services (cuts, color, extensions, styling and texture treatments, bridal styling), spa services (facials, massages, body treatments), nail services (manicures, pedicures, acrylics), and beauty services (brow and lash, hair removal, makeup, permanent cosmetics), complemented by retail hair care product sales, gift cards, and bundled Spa Packages.
Is Design 1 Salon Spa a public or private company?
Design 1 Salon Spa is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Design 1 Salon Spa founded?
Design 1 Salon Spa was founded in 1981. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Design 1 Salon Spa based?
Design 1 Salon Spa is headquartered in Grand Rapids, United States, in the North America region.
How does Design 1 Salon Spa make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Hair and Beauty Services are the primary driver. The others are product Sales, gift Cards and spa Packages.
Who are Design 1 Salon Spa's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Ulta Beauty, Great Clips and Regis Corporation (Supercuts, Cost Cutters, SmartStyle). Emerging players are European Wax Center and The Now Massage. Direct peers are Salon Lofts, Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa, Woodhouse Spa, Massage Envy and Floyd's 99 Barbershop.
Does Design 1 Salon Spa have an API?
No public API is recorded for Design 1 Salon Spa.
What industry is Design 1 Salon Spa in?
Design 1 Salon Spa's product category is Hair Salon and Spa Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSALAFAA, Day Spas, with a secondary code of HSADAKAA, Day Spas (Facials, Body Treatments & Packages). Its NAICS code is 812112.