Music for Beauty Salons and Facial Rooms
A beauty salon has lots of moods under one roof. The nail desk is chatty. The facial room is hushed. Reception is somewhere in between. One playlist rarely suits them all.
We compose music for salons and spas. Here's how to choose music that works in each part of a beauty salon, and keeps your clients relaxed.
The short answer
Beauty salon music should be calm, bright and steady. Play it softly enough that clients and therapists can talk easily. Use quieter, slower music in facial rooms, and something a little lighter at reception and the nail desk.
Start with how each space is used
Think about what clients are doing in each area. Are they chatting, or lying still with their eyes closed? That tells you most of what you need to know.
Reception and waiting area
This is the first thing clients hear. Music should feel welcoming and calm without being sleepy. Open Air is bright and spacious. It makes a reception feel considered from the moment someone walks in.
Facial rooms
During a facial, the client lies still, often with their eyes closed. The therapist works close to their face. Music should be soft, slow and low. Open Air suits facials well, and Still Water works for deeper, quieter treatments.
Nail desks
Manicures and pedicures are usually sociable. Clients chat with their technician or scroll on their phones. Music should sit lightly under conversation. Clear Day is soft and positive, and easy to be around for hours.
Lash and brow rooms
Lash treatments can be long, and clients keep their eyes closed throughout. Many drift off. Calm, steady music with no sudden changes helps. Brow and waxing appointments are shorter, so lighter music works fine.
Treatment rooms for body work
If you offer massage or body treatments, slower, grounded music suits best. Our guide to choosing music for each massage treatment goes into more detail.
What about hair salons?
Hair salons are often busier and louder, with dryers running and lots of chat. Many prefer upbeat music with more energy. Dawn Chorus is calm by design, so it suits quieter beauty spaces better than a busy hair floor.
That said, plenty of salons do both. You might play brighter music on the hair floor and calm music in the beauty rooms upstairs. Just make sure each kind of music is properly licensed.
What makes good beauty salon music
- Calm, but not sleepy. Clients should feel relaxed and cared for, not drowsy at the nail desk.
- No lyrics, or very few. Words compete with conversation.
- No ads. An advert in the middle of a facial breaks the mood straight away.
- Steady volume. No track should jump out louder than the last.
- Long enough to forget about. Music that runs all day means nobody needs to fiddle with it between clients.
Getting the volume right
In a salon, music should never make anyone raise their voice. Clients need to explain what they want. Therapists need to check comfort and talk through aftercare.
A good test is to stand where the client sits or lies. Can you hear a soft voice clearly over the music? If not, turn it down. We share more tips in how loud should music be in a spa?
One sound, or one per room?
Small salons with one open space usually play one thing everywhere. That's fine. Clear Day is a good choice, because it suits most treatments and doesn't tire quickly.
If you have separate rooms, you can give each one its own mood. It helps clients feel the change when they move from a busy reception into a quiet treatment room.
Setting it up
- Use a device that's just for music, with the files saved on it.
- Turn on airplane mode, so calls and messages don't cut in.
- Play the 10-hour file and press play when you open.
- Check the volume in each room before the first client.
Every Dawn Chorus collection comes as a 60-minute file and a 10-hour file, so one press covers a full day.
The licensing side
Most beauty salons that play music need TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS. For hair and beauty, PPL PRS bases its published price on the number of treatment chairs. We've looked at the figures in how much a PPL PRS licence costs a salon or spa.
Music licensed directly by the composer, like Dawn Chorus, doesn't need TheMusicLicence, as long as it's the only music you play. If the radio is on at reception, or a stylist plays the hair floor playlist, you still need TheMusicLicence for that.
A personal Spotify account isn't allowed in a salon at all. Our post on Spotify in salons and spas explains why, and what to use instead.
For the full picture on licences, see our guide to music licences for spas and salons.
Want to hear what works in a facial room? Listen to the Dawn Chorus collections. Open Air and Clear Day are where most salons start.
This post is general guidance, not legal advice. If you're not sure what your venue needs, contact PPL PRS or a legal adviser.
FAQs
What music should I play in my beauty salon?
Calm, bright, steady music with few or no lyrics. It should sit under conversation without getting in the way. Use slower, quieter music in facial and lash rooms.
What music is best for facials?
Soft, slow music at a low volume. The client lies still and the therapist works close by, so anything sharp or loud stands out. Long pieces with no sudden changes work best.
Do beauty salons need a music licence?
Usually, yes. Most music needs TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS. If you only play music licensed directly to your salon by its owner, you may not need it for that music.
Can I play the radio in my salon?
Yes, with TheMusicLicence. Radio stations play registered music, so you need the licence to play them at work. That's true even if you play other, directly licensed music elsewhere.
How loud should salon music be?
Quiet enough that clients and therapists can talk at a normal, soft voice. Check it from where the client sits or lies. If anyone has to raise their voice, turn it down.
