Tigerlily Salon
Tigerlily Salon is a gender-free, full-service hair and beauty salon collective in downtown San Luis Obispo, founded in 2005 by Larella Ellsworth. It operates as a single-location platform housing 17 independent beauty providers delivering haircuts, color, extensions, esthetics, microblading, and inclusive wedding services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersSan Luis Obispo, California, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Tigerlily Salon does
Tigerlily Salon is a gender-free, full-service hair and beauty salon operating as a single-location collective in downtown San Luis Obispo, California. Founded in 2005 by master stylist Larella Ellsworth, the salon spans a 3,200 square foot warehouse-style space equipped with 14 stylist chairs, two private salon rooms, and two private esthetician studios. The business is structured as a platform-plus-providers model in which 17 independent beauty professionals rent space, set their own pricing, and collect payment directly from clients; the salon itself functions as a shared infrastructure, brand, and community hub rather than a traditional employer-payroll operation.
The salon's core technology layer is composed of third-party SaaS tools rather than proprietary software: Vagaro provides online appointment booking, Jotform handles digital color consultations and wedding inquiries, and the salon's Wix-hosted website serves as a marketing surface. Service offerings cover haircuts, custom color, balayage, extensions, blow-outs, updos, microblading, esthetician services, tooth gems, and an inclusive wedding hair-and-makeup line. Supporting programs include an in-house Assistant Education Program (originating in 1999) for training new stylists and a rotating community art gallery that participates in SLO County Arts' quarterly Art After Dark events.
Revenue is generated through per-service, pay-as-you-go transactions; independent providers set individual pricing within published bands (standard haircuts $70-$120, clipper cuts $40-$75, blow-outs $40-$75, updos $70-$130, wedding hair $125-$250, full facials $90, BioRePeel $200). The go-to-market motion is direct-to-consumer, combining walk-in traffic at the downtown storefront with self-serve online booking and a wedding inquiry funnel. Customer segments split across individual hair clients (primary), wedding parties (secondary), and beauty enhancement / esthetician service seekers (tertiary), with marketing driven by Instagram, Facebook, Yelp, Google reviews, and community event participation rather than paid acquisition.
Tigerlily Salon firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tigerlily Salon
- Legal name
- Tigerlily Salon
- Website
- https://tigerlilysalon.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Tigerlily Salon is a gender-free, full-service hair and beauty salon collective in downtown San Luis Obispo, founded in 2005 by Larella Ellsworth. It operates as a single-location platform housing 17 independent beauty providers delivering haircuts, color, extensions, esthetics, microblading, and inclusive wedding services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Tigerlily Salon industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Hair Salon Services
- NAICS
- Beauty Salons (812112)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Unisex/Family Hair Salons (HSALAAAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Salon Suites & Chair Rental (Independent Stylists) (HSALAAAN)
Keywords
Where Tigerlily Salon is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Luis Obispo, California
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Tigerlily Salon business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Service-based revenue: The salon operates as a collective of independent beauty professionals who each set their own pricing, schedules, and payment processing. Revenue is generated through per-service transactions including haircuts, coloring, styling, spa treatments, microblading, and wedding services. Each independent provider retains their own pricing structure and collects payment directly.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Haircuts |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Clipper Cuts |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Blow Out |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Hot Tool Styling |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Updo Styling |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Color Services |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Spa Services (Sandra) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Wedding Hair Services |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Wedding Makeup Services |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Hair Extensions |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Tigerlily Salon product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Tigerlily Salon operates a 3,200 square foot gender-free full-service beauty salon in downtown San Luis Obispo, hosting 17 independent beauty providers who deliver haircuts, custom color, hair styling, hair extensions, spa treatments, microblading, and wedding hair and makeup services. The salon functions as a shared collective space where each independent provider sets their own pricing, schedules, and payment processing while sharing the salon's brand, reception, and physical infrastructure.
Product overview
Tigerlily Salon is a collective of 17 independent beauty professionals operating as a full-service salon in downtown San Luis Obispo. The salon functions as a platform-plus-providers model where independent beauty providers run their own mini-businesses within the salon's collaborative space. Core services include haircutting (standard and clipper cuts), color services (gray coverage, highlights, balayage, bleaching), hair styling (blow outs, hot tool styling, updos), hair extensions (beaded row, I-tips, nano tips, keratin tips, tape-ins), spa services (facial waxing, lash treatments, facials, skin treatments), and microblading. Additional offerings include wedding hair and makeup services, an Assistant Education Program for training new stylists, tooth gem services, and a rotating art gallery program. Pricing varies by provider, with the salon operating as a gender-free space serving all identities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Haircutting Services
- Color Services
- Hair Styling Services
- Hair Extensions
- Spa Services and Treatments
- Microblading
- Wedding Hair and Makeup Services
- Assistant Education Program
- Tooth Gem Services
- Rotating Art Gallery
Companies that use Tigerlily Salon
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Tigerlily Salon technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Tigerlily Salon partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- VagarocoreVagaro is the online appointment scheduling platform used by Tigerlily Salon for client bookings. The platform enables clients to book appointments, manage profiles, and provides card-on-file functionality for cancellation policies.
- SLO County ArtscoreQuarterly partnership for Art After Dark community art events. Tigerlily Salon participates in this regional arts program with rotating gallery exhibitions.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Tigerlily Salon competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Salon Lofts: Salon Lofts is a salon-suite franchise offering independent stylists a fully equipped studio within a shared retail environment. Mirrors Tigerlily's chair-rental / independent-provider model and would be a primary competitor if Tigerlily expanded into new geographies.
- My Salon Suite: My Salon Suite franchises salon-suite locations where independent beauty professionals lease private suites. Directly comparable to Tigerlily in operating model (independent providers, shared building, multi-service offering) but at much larger scale.
- Sola Salons: Sola Salons operates the largest network of salon suites in the U.S., renting individual studios to independent beauty professionals. Conceptually identical to Tigerlily's "collective of independent providers under one roof" model, making it a direct business-model comparable.
Emerging players
- Glamsquad: Glamsquad is an on-demand mobile beauty service platform for hair, makeup, and bridal services. Comparable to Tigerlily's wedding/event styling offering and represents the convenience-driven alternative that could pull a subset of Tigerlily's higher-margin bridal clients.
- Birds Barbershop: Birds Barbershop is an Austin-based inclusive, multi-location salon chain with a strong community/cultural brand identity. Comparable to Tigerlily in inclusive positioning, neighborhood-rooted marketing, and multi-service (cuts, color) offerings.
Broad incumbents
- Drybar: Drybar is a multi-location blow-out specialty concept acquired by Helen of Troy. Comparable to Tigerlily on the styling/blow-out service category and digital booking UX, though narrower in service breadth and positioned as a general-appeal (not specifically inclusive) brand.
- Great Clips: Great Clips is the largest U.S. walk-in hair salon franchise. Comparable to Tigerlily as a hair-service operator competing for the same local customer base in San Luis Obispo, with strong contrast in price point, brand experience, and tech-enabled convenience.
- Floyd's 99 Barbershop: Floyd's 99 is a national full-service barber/salon chain focused on cuts and color. Comparable to Tigerlily as a unisex-inclusive hair service provider in the broader barbershop/salon category, though less differentiated on the inclusive-identity dimension.
Regional players
- Roosters Men's Grooming Center: Roosters is a multi-location men's grooming/salon concept. Comparable to Tigerlily on salon-level operations and stylists-collective delivery model, but explicitly gender-segmented in positioning rather than gender-free.
Others
- Aveda Lifestyle Salon Concept: Aveda operates branded lifestyle salons and trains independent licensed salons under its experience model. Comparable as the professional salon category anchor that all independent salons — including Tigerlily — position against, and a potential partnership/onboarding vector for Tigerlily's stylists.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Tigerlily Salon social profiles
Digital presenceTigerlily Salon financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tigerlily Salon leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
Tigerlily Salon funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tigerlily Salon 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 Tigerlily Salon
What does Tigerlily Salon do?
Tigerlily Salon operates a 3,200 square foot gender-free full-service beauty salon in downtown San Luis Obispo, hosting 17 independent beauty providers who deliver haircuts, custom color, hair styling, hair extensions, spa treatments, microblading, and wedding hair and makeup services. The salon functions as a shared collective space where each independent provider sets their own pricing, schedules, and payment processing while sharing the salon's brand, reception, and physical infrastructure.
Is Tigerlily Salon a public or private company?
Tigerlily Salon is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Tigerlily Salon founded?
Tigerlily Salon was founded in 2005. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Tigerlily Salon based?
Tigerlily Salon is headquartered in San Luis Obispo, California, United States, in the North America region.
How does Tigerlily Salon make money?
One revenue line is on record: service-based revenue.
Who are Tigerlily Salon's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Salon Lofts, My Salon Suite and Sola Salons. Emerging players are Glamsquad and Birds Barbershop. Broad incumbents are Drybar, Great Clips and Floyd's 99 Barbershop. Roosters Men's Grooming Center is listed as a regional player. Aveda Lifestyle Salon Concept is listed as an others.
Does Tigerlily Salon have an API?
No public API is recorded for Tigerlily Salon.
What industry is Tigerlily Salon in?
Tigerlily Salon's product category is Hair Salon Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSALAAAC, Unisex/Family Hair Salons, with a secondary code of HSALAAAN, Salon Suites & Chair Rental (Independent Stylists). Its NAICS code is 812112.