“Prices in the salon”: the phrase that sends clients to someone else
In short: many Italian salons still answer “prices in the salon” when a client looks for a price online. They think it protects them from comparison. It does the opposite: it removes them from it. More than a thousand Italian salons already publish their blow-dry price, and the expensive ones are among them. Hiding the price list is not a pricing strategy. It is a missed sale.
The scene is always the same
Evening, sofa, phone. A woman looks for a salon and opens three pages. Two show a price list, one says “prices in the salon”. Which one does she call? Nobody phones to hear a price they are afraid they cannot afford. She closes the page, and assumes it is even more expensive than it is.
What the numbers say
The MDP Outlook blow-dry panel is built on 1,006 Italian salons that publish their price. The median is €20 and the average €21.13. Twelve per cent start from €30 or more. Milan averages €26.63, Naples €15.63. The lowest published price is €8, the highest €53. Salons at €53 publish too, and they work.
A high public price is not a problem when it sits next to what it includes. “Colour from €55, final price set in consultation according to length and quantity” is one sentence. You write it once. A “from” price is not a promise; it tells the client whether you are in her range.
Why this matters to brands
A salon that publishes prices also publishes its services, and services carry names. That is where a brand’s protocol, a technical service or a branded treatment becomes visible to the client before she walks in. A salon that hides everything hides your brand too.
- Help salons write their service menu, with names and one-line descriptions.
- Give them “from” price guidance based on cost per service, not on guesswork.
- Make the branded service easy to describe online in two lines.
My view
I have heard every reason for hiding prices in almost thirty years in this sector. “Every head is different.” “Competitors will copy me.” “Clients will only look at the number.” All true, and all solved by the same thing: a clear price list with clear words. The salons that will grow in the next few years are the ones that let themselves be compared, and win the comparison.
The data: what 1,006 Italian salons tell us and 7 price list mistakes that reduce margin.
FAQ
Do Italian salons publish their prices?
Many do. The MDP blow-dry panel alone includes 1,006 salons with a published price, from €8 to €53.
How can a salon publish prices when every service varies?
With “from” prices and one line explaining what changes the final price, such as length or product quantity.
Source: MDP Outlook, blow-dry price panel, 1,006 salons (Italian), September 2026.
