Modern Love Salon

What Modern Love Salon does

Modern Love Salon is a single-location, stylist-owned hair salon collective based in Vista, California, founded in 2011 (per copyright notice) and operating with approximately 7 employees. The business model is built on two revenue streams: in-salon hair services (cuts, color, highlights, balayage, perms, barber fades, blowouts, makeup, bond repair/OLAPLEX treatments) delivered by independent stylists who each specialize in different techniques and operate within a shared storefront; and online retail via referral/affiliate links to roughly ten professional hair care product distributors (Kevin Murphy, Alfaparf, Stylecraft, ELEVEN Australia, Incommon, Davines, OLAPLEX, AMIKA, Raindrops, VIVISCAL PRO, Color WOW), where the salon earns a commission on orders placed through its branded links without holding inventory. The published operating hours are Friday-only by appointment (9:00AM–3:00PM), with COVID-era staggered scheduling, mandatory masking, and temperature checks; service pricing is not publicly disclosed and is set by individual stylists.

The company's go-to-market is local and direct-to-consumer, anchored by a registered "Modern Love Salon®" trademark and reinforced through #buylocal / #shopsmall messaging. Bookings are captured online or by phone, and customer retention is supported by a 10-day minor-adjustment guarantee on cut/color services. Distribution of product sales is hybrid: services are delivered in-person at the salon, while products ship directly from third-party distributors under the salon's referral links. The business is privately held, has no disclosed funding, no parent company, no apps or APIs, and operates within a single domestic geography with no stated expansion plans.

Public revenue is not disclosed. The operational footprint—7 employees and one published service day per week—positions Modern Love Salon as a micro-business with a primary reliance on stylist-led service fees rather than scaled retail. Its principal vulnerability is concentration in a single physical location and a narrow weekly operating window; its principal upside is the diversified affiliate-product referral layer, which monetizes brand relationships independent of chair-time utilization.

Name

Modern Love Salon

Legal name

Modern Love Salon

Website

https://modernlovesalon.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Modern Love Salon is a single-location, stylist-owned hair salon collective in Vista, California, offering in-salon hair services (cuts, color, balayage, perms, makeup, OLAPLEX) by appointment and earning supplemental income via affiliate commissions on professional hair care products sold through referral links to multiple distributors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hair Salon Services

NAICS

Beauty Salons (812112)

akta.pro primary industry

Barber Shop + Salon Hybrid Services (Unisex) (HSALABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Unisex/Family Hair Salons (HSALAAAC), Salon Retail & Backbar Consumables (Disposables, Capes, Towels, Sanitizers) (CRABALAJ)

Keywords

• Hair salon services
• Professional hair styling
• Hair coloring treatments
• Salon appointment booking
• Hair care products

Headquarters

HQ city

Not specified

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Hair Services: In-salon hair services including haircuts, coloring, highlights, perms, barber cuts/fades, blow outs, makeup, and bond repair treatments. Services are provided by multiple stylist-owned businesses operating within the salon. Appointments are booked in advance, typically 1-2 weeks ahead.
2. Product Sales via Referral Links: Online sales through referral links with product distributors (Kevin Murphy, Alfaparf, Stylecraft, ELEVEN Australia, Incommon, Davines, OLAPLEX, AMIKA, Raindrops). Orders ship directly from distributors. The salon earns referral commissions when customers purchase through their links, supporting the small salon business.
3. Gift Cards: Square gift card sales for the salon, allowing customers to purchase gift certificates for services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Modern Love Salon is a local, by-appointment hair salon that delivers in-salon hair services (haircuts, barber cuts/fades, coloring, highlights, Balayage, perms, blowouts, makeup, Olaplex/bond repair) through multiple independent stylists operating within a shared salon space. The salon also monetizes secondary demand via referral links to third-party distributor sites (Kevin Murphy, Alfaparf, Davines, OLAPLEX, Incommon, AMIKA, Raindrops, ELEVEN Australia, Stylecraft, VIVISCAL PRO, Color WOW) and sells salon gift cards through Square.

Product overview

Modern Love Salon is a service-based hair salon offering in-salon hair care services (haircuts, barber cuts, highlights, color, perms, blow outs, Olaplex treatments, bond repair, and makeup) provided by multiple stylist owners operating independently within the salon. The salon also operates an online retail platform through referral links to third-party distributors, offering professional hair care products including Kevin Murphy, Alfaparf, Incommon Beauty, Davines, VIVISCAL PRO, Color WOW, OLAPLEX, AMIKA, Raindrops, ELEVEN Australia, and Stylecraft. Services are available by appointment Wednesday through Saturday, with individual stylists specializing in different techniques such as Balayage, highlights, color, cuts, kids cuts, wet sets, make-up, and perms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hair Services In-salon hair care services including haircuts, barber cuts/fades, highlights, hair coloring, blowouts, perms, Balayage, kids cuts, wet sets, and specialized treatments such as Olaplex and bond repair. Services are delivered by appointment by multiple independent stylists who each specialize in different techniques. Services are non-refundable but include a satisfaction guarantee for free minor adjustments within 10 days.
• Makeup Services Professional makeup application services offered by select stylists at the salon as part of the salon's beauty service offerings.
• Gift Cards Square gift cards for the salon, allowing customers to purchase gift certificates that can be used toward in-salon services.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Kevin MurphyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHair care product line available through salon referral link on saloninteractive.com. Orders ship directly from distributor with free shipping on orders $50+. Self-checkout platform available.
• AlfaparfminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHair care and skin care products. Ships directly from Alfaparf with access to other lines including Dibi Milano Skin Care and Yellow Care.
• StylecraftminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHair care product line available through salon referral link on saloninteractive.com alongside Kevin Murphy products.
• ELEVEN AustraliaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAustralian hair care brand newly available through salon. All orders ship directly from distributor with free shipping on orders $50+.
• Incommon BeautyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHair and skincare products. Ships directly from Incommon. Free shipping on orders $50+. Self-checkout requires account creation for referral link to work.
• DavinesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHair care products available through salon referral link. Also mentioned alongside VIVISCAL PRO and Color WOW.
• VIVISCAL PROminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHair growth supplement/professional products available through salon referral link.
• Color WOWminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorColor-specific hair care products available through salon referral link.
• OLAPLEXminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBond repair hair care products. Available through affiliate link. Also offered as in-salon service.
• AMIKAminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProfessional hair care products. Ships directly from Amika via referral link.
• RaindropsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHair care product line available through salon referral link.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Great Clips: Largest U.S. hair salon franchise with thousands of walk-in locations. Comparable as a competing hair-care service provider targeting value-oriented consumers, though Modern Love operates by appointment with specialty color services rather than walk-in cuts.
• Sephora: Global beauty retailer selling premium haircare, skincare, and cosmetics. Comparable on the product-retail dimension where Modern Love earns referral commissions from brands also carried by Sephora.
• Ulta Beauty: Largest U.S. beauty retailer carrying cosmetics, haircare, and salon services. Comparable on the retail product side (Modern Love sells the same brands via referrals) and as an in-store salon services competitor.
• Cost Cutters: Value-priced hair salon franchise offering cuts, color, and styling services nationwide. Comparable as a competing salon service provider, though Modern Love positions higher via specialty color and boutique collective model.
• Supercuts: National walk-in hair salon chain owned by Regis Corporation offering cuts, color, and styling services. Directly comparable category competitor serving mass-market consumers with similar core hair services.
• Regis Corporation: Parent company of Supercuts, Cost Cutters, and other salon brands; operates one of the largest networks of corporate-owned and franchised salons in the world. Comparable as a scaled incumbent in the same hair salon service category.
• Fantastic Sams: Full-service franchised hair salon chain offering cuts, color, and styling for the whole family. Comparable as a unisex/family hair service competitor, though Modern Love differentiates via independent stylist specialists.

Direct peers

• Sport Clips: Franchised hair salon chain specializing in men's and boys' haircuts in a sports-themed environment. Comparable as a hair service provider with a defined demographic focus, though Modern Love also serves women and offers color services.
• Sola Salons: Salon suites concept that provides independent stylists with their own studio space under one roof. Highly comparable to Modern Love's stylist-owned collective model, offering similar autonomy and service breadth within a single location.
• Salon Lofts: Salon suites operator that leases individual studio spaces to independent stylists. Closely comparable business model to Modern Love's collective of independent stylists operating their own businesses within a shared location.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/modern-love-salon

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Modern Love Salon