If you’ve walked through the aisles of Walmart recently, you might have spotted a SmartStyle salon. These full-service salons have been popping up inside every Walmart in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico.
Like other salons, Walmart SmartStyle offers you numerous hair services – children’s haircuts, coloring, perms, and styling – but with exclusive SmartStyle prices.
Curious to know more? We got you!
Ahead, everything you need to know about SmartStyle Salons: service options, product options, prices, and more.
What Is Walmart SmartStyle Salon?
Walmart SmartStyle salons are a part of the Regis Corporation, the largest operator of hair salons in the U.S. SmartStyle was founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1996, but the firm didn’t get into franchising until 2016. The retail store now has over 1,000 salons in Walmart throughout the U.S. And they’re still expanding – they have franchises in Canada and Puerto Rico.
Since SmartStyle is inside many Walmart stores, they sometimes have negative reviews – with most consumers complaining about the unprofessionalism. Nonetheless, the salon brand continues to establish itself as a high-end salon, providing services that cater to numerous hair types.
Additionally, SmartStyle salons claim to use and sell quality products that ensure its consumers receive an excellent experience.
What’s The SmartStyle App?
One of the most brilliant inventions of the Walmart SmartStyle salons is the SmartStyle app. It enables consumers to:
- Book appointments
- Book additional appointments for your family members, friends or other guests
- Determine wait times
- Select “my salon” so your favorite salon shows up first
- Get notifications for when you’re due for a new haircut
- Leave reviews for the services they receive
- Look up your booking history
You can download the SmartStyle app from the Apple Store or Google Play.
What Services Do Walmart SmartStyle Salons Provide?
SmartStyle salons offer clients a wide range of beauty and hair services. Keep in mind that all benefits might be available at your local salon, though. Some of their exclusive services include:
Styling
It doesn’t matter if you want a quick waves touchup for a wedding or to treat yourself (because life is for the living); stylists at SmartStyle salons can bring your Pinterest board style to life. Here are some of the styling services they offer:
Basic Style
This is a simple styling look that’s perfect for casual or office wear. It uses a blow dryer to dry and shape your strands. It doesn’t involve hot styling tools.
Full Style
From bouncy curls to super-straight strands, this styling service offers you a range of hairdos. It includes hot tools styling with a curling iron or flat iron.
Luxury Style
If you’re looking for a drop-dead gorgeous style for your birthday, prom, wedding, or graduation, this luxury style is your best bet. The service includes intricate styles such as braids, hot tools, or special techniques.
Thermasmooth Treatment
If you want to rock an ultra-sleek look, consider getting this treatment. The styling service will leave your strands smooth, glossy, and safeguarded from potential heat damage.
Haircuts
SmartStyle salons offer a range of hair-cutting packages for men, women, and kids. Here’s a list of services they offer:
Express Haircuts
Rather than starting with shampoo, your hairstylist will spritz the strands with water. They’ll then cut your strands and finish off with a towel dry.
Haircuts & Shampoos
The package starts with a luxurious shampoo and conditioning treatment. The stylist then offers you a scalp massage and an expert haircut. They end it by towel drying the locs.
Haircuts, Shampoos & Basic Style
The package includes shampoo, a conditioning treatment, and a scalp massage. Afterward, your stylist will chop your strands and use a blow dryer to give you a simple style.
Haircuts, Shampoos & Full Style
This service includes shampoo and conditioning treatment. Afterward, you’ll get a scalp massage and an expert haircut. Stylists will also blow-dry your hair and style them with a hot tool – flat iron or curling iron.
Bangs & Beard Trims
Stylists at SmartStyle can keep your beard and bangs looking fresh with just a quick touchup between appointments
Texture Services
These services alter your natural hair pattern. Your preferred stylist uses special products to loosen your natural curls or add texture to straight hair. Here’s a list of texture services you can expect from your local SmartStyle salons:
Full Relaxer
The service is for hair that’s never been relaxed. After treatment, the stylist shampoos, scalp massages, conditions, and blow-dries your newly straightened strands.
Relaxer Touchup
The service is for clients whose strands have previously relaxed. It involves a touchup of up to one inch of regrowth. You might be charged extra if your hair’s grown an inch longer. The service ends with shampoo, conditioner, scalp massage, and a basic blow-dry.
Full Perm
A perm is a chemical process that gives you permanent curls and waves. First, the stylist wraps your strands around curlers. Then the stylist will apply a perm solution and neutralizer to your locs.
Once the stylist rinses the chemical from your strands, the service ends with shampoo, conditioning treatment, and express blow-dry.
Partial Perm
The stylist uses over ten perm rods to perm a specific area of your head. Perm rods help form a uniform curl pattern, cover up thinning areas, and add volume to the locs. Afterward, your stylist will shampoo and condition your locs.
Specialty Perm
The service includes techniques such as multi-textured, spiral, or volumizing perms. You might also need to buy this service if your strands are long or thick. A specialty perm ends with shampoo, conditioner, scalp massage, and a quick blow-dry.
Hair Coloring
Before applying color, your stylist will consult you to determine what works best. Here are some of the coloring services SmartStyle salons offer you:
Permanent
Permanent hair color offers long-lasting color. It penetrates your strands and deposits pigments into your cuticles. Even though this creates enduring color, it might damage your locs than other dye options.
Demi-Permanent
This type of service only penetrates your strands slightly. They’re gentler than permanent dyes and last longer than semi-permanent dyes.
Semi-Permanent
If permanent dye isn’t your cup of tea, semi-permanent dyes are your best bet. SmartStyle stylists use highly-pigmented formulas to deposit color outside your strands. While they might not last as long, they’re the gentlest way to achieve lasting color.
Full Highlights
The SmartStyle salon stylist does a complete highlight, using enough foils to cover your full mane. You’ll end up with a variety of lowlights and highlights. Afterward, they’ll rinse the bleach, shampoo, and condition your strands.
They’ll wrap up with a scalp massage and rough blow dry.
Partial Highlights
Stylists use up to 15 foils to create beautiful partial highlights. They’ll apply bleach to the foils to create a glamorous, sun-kissed effect. Once the stylist is done, they’ll complete the service with shampoo, conditioner, scalp massage, and rough blow-dry.
Mini Highlights
Mini highlights provide you with a subtle, face-brightening look. The stylist uses up to five foils to lighten the strands around your face. Afterward, you get a shampoo sesh, conditioning sesh, scalp massage, and regular blow-dry.
Specialty Color
SmartStyle salons offer cutting-edge hair coloring techniques such as balayage, color-blocking, color-melting, and ombre.
Conditioning Services
Chemical processing and heat styling can leave you with dry, brittle, and lifeless strands. SmartStyle salons offer a myriad of hair-nourishing treatments that help retain moisture and strengthen strands. These are some of the conditioning services they provide:
Basic Conditioner
The hairstylist will offer you a simple conditioning treatment with one of the numerous product lines used in SmartStyle salons.
Specialty Conditioner
Here, the stylist will assess the condition of your strands and then recommend the best product to moisturize, repair, smooth, or add some shine to your locs.
Malibu Treatment
The two-step hair treatment starts with a deep-cleansing, clarifying product. Afterward, the stylist applies an intensive reconstructing mask that can help repair damage and restore moisture to your strands. It might also help prevent oxidation of your locs and stimulate blood circulation to the scalp.
Waxing Services
SmartStyle salons offer hot wax treatments to get rid of unwanted facial hair. You can select between your chin, eyebrows, and lip line.
They can also adjust your brow arch, shape, and thickness to give you a sexy, fresh look. You can also choose between micro-blading, plucking, and threading.
What Are Walmart SmartStyle Prices?
Walmart SmartStyle salons claim to offer the best services thanks to their professional stylists. Prices might vary depending on length, type, and volume. Compared to other luxury salons, though, SmartStyle services are cost-friendly.
Here’s a list of average SmartStyle prices so you can get an idea of how much everything costs:
- Kids’ haircuts: $10 to $13
- Kids’ haircuts and express dry: $13 to $16
- Adult haircuts: $13 to $19
- Adult haircuts and express dry: $16 to $23
- Buzz cuts: $12
- Basic hairstyles: $14 to $19 and up
- Luxury styles: $54 and up
- Specialty styles: $26 to $32 and up
- Full perm: $45 and up
- Partial perms (10 rods or less): $26 and up
- Specialty perms: $65
- Full highlights: $40 to $68
- Mini highlights (up to five foils): $30 and up
- Partial highlights (up to 15 foils): $41 and up
- Bleach (includes toning): $65 and up
- All-over hair color: $50 to $54
- Specialty hair color: $27 and up
- Relaxer touchup: $45 to $56
- Full relaxer: $50 to $60
- Glossifier: $30 and up
- Thermasmooth treatment: $38 and up
- Conditioning treatment: $2 to $!3
- Waxing: $10 to $13
The SmartStyle Senior Discount
Seniors get a 10% discount on all salon services and hair products. But you’ll have to be 65 years old to receive the discount.
Note: The discounted amount might vary from one location to another, so reach out to the salon before your visit.
The SmartStyle Kids Discount
Kids aged ten and under get a $3 to $6 discount off the cost of an adult haircut and shampoo. Age requirements and discounts might vary by location.
The Walmart SmartStyle First Responders Discount
The Walmart SmartStyle salon provides a first responder discount of 10% on all services and products. Current and retired military members, first responders, firefighters, police officers, and veterans are all eligible.
You’ll have to offer proof of service to qualify, and the discount varies from one location to location.
What Payment Methods Does Walmart SmartStyle Offer?
Most SmartStyle salons accept credit, cash, or debit cards. They take all major cards, including Discover, American Express, MasterCard, and Visa.
However, the company doesn’t take Walmart credit cards or gift cards.
Some SmartStyle providers also accept Apple Pay, but that depends on your location. So, before booking an appointment, check to see if your local SmartStyle salon accepts Apple Pay.
When Do Walmart SmartStyle Salons Open And Close?
Even though they’re inside Walmart, SmartStyle salons don’t follow the store hours. Most are open Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 7 pm and Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm.
Call your favorite salon to confirm these times, or scroll through the app to see operating hours and wait times.
Are SmartStyle Salons Closed On Holidays?
Want a silk press or some sexy balayage for the holidays? SmartStyle is your guy. Most of them are open on days surrounding significant holidays, although they might have shortened hours on New Year’s Eve and Christmas.
You won’t find them open on:
- Christmas
- Thanksgiving
- New Year’s Day
How Does One Make An Appointment At Walmart SmartStyle?
You can book an appointment in advance – up to three days – and receive booking reminders. You either call to make a reservation or use the SmartStyle app.
They also take walk-ins if there’s an opening. Nonetheless, salons prioritize appointments over walk-ins, so ensure you book your session ahead of time to avoid a lengthy wait.
What Kind Of Products Do Walmart SmartStyle Salons Use?
SmartStyle salons use a variety of professional products. The parent company, Regis, also has its line of budget-friendly salon-inspired hair care and styling options known as DESIGNLINE. They also use:
- Biolage
- Joico
- Kenra
- Mizani
- Design Essentials
- OPI
- Paul Mitchell
- Sexy Hair
- Blossom
- It’s a 10
- Redken
- Total results
- Sebastian
- TIGI
- CHI
How To Open A Walmart SmartStyle Franchise
Before opening a SmartStyle salon, ensure you do your due diligence first. Research the brand and local area to see if a SmartStyle franchise would thrive in your area. While competition is advised, too much of it might hinder your growth.
You might also want to speak to existing franchises and ask the SmartStyle franchising team questions. Once awarded a franchise, SmartStyle franchises are offered numerous hours of classroom training. The firm also helps with marketing and field operations.
It might also be an excellent idea to consult your attorney or financial advisor to ensure you have the financial resources to own and operate a SmartStyle franchise.
Frequently Asked Questions?
1. Do Walmart Associates Get A Discount At SmartStyle?
It’s not clear if Walmart associates can get a discount at SmartStyle. Nonetheless, Walmart employees can receive store discounts, and since SmartStyle is part of Walmart, it’s safe to assume that they do.
The exact discount amount is unknown, but Walmart associates get a 10% off other products and services in the retail store.
2. Does Walmart SmartStyle Offer Services For Black Hair?
Yes, according to the official website, SmartStyle salon experts are professionally trained and offer a variety of services for both natural and textured strands. Not only are their coloring and styling services Black hair-friendly, but they also do silk presses and no-heat beach waves.
However, it’s best to reach out to the salon ahead of time and ask if they have a stylist available that’s knowledgeable in working on Black hair.
3. How Should You Tip At Walmart SmartStyle?
Like with any service-providing firm, tipping is encouraged but not necessary at SmartStyle. Tipping your hairstylist helps you build a good relationship with them and might lead to better services and even discounts in the future.
As for the tipping criteria, experts recommend 15% to 25% of your total cost.
4. Is SmartStyle Suitable For Kids?
Most SmartStyle reviews suggest that the salon is excellent for little ones. They mostly love that the salons are conveniently located in Walmart. Most parents also love the children’s discount and claim the stylists are patient with their kids.
5. Can You Donate Your Mane At Walmart SmartStyle?
Even though SmartStyle doesn’t have a hair donation program, their stylists can chop your strands for a donation. Mind that you might be charged full price for the haircut based on the salon location (some salons offer reduced or free haircuts if you come with your donation form).
