SmartStyle Highlights Prices

Published prices from official sources

These 7 lines come from published sources and are grouped by what they actually are. Averaging a penalty charge in with service prices is how misleading "average" figures get made, so they are kept apart here.

A price documented for one location does not establish a national rate. Check with the location you intend to book.

Market ranges: what everyone else charges

None of these figures belongs to a brand on this page. They describe the wider market, which is what you need in order to judge a quote rather than just accept it.

Compiled national figures for context only. No brand on this page has published these numbers, and none of them is a bookable rate.

The same service, four different markets

Before deciding a quote is high, check it against your own market rather than the national number. A $202 quote is costly in a tier-4 market and unremarkable in tier 1.

Your own market may sit between tiers. The point is the 2.5x spread, not the exact figure in any one row.

The variables that move the number

All of these can be declined in the sense that you can refuse it — but only if you know it is coming before you are in the chair.

• Shampoo service+$5–$15

  Regularly optional and charged in addition to the cut.

• Cut versus cut-and-style+$12–$35

  A finished blow-dry is a separate line on most chain menus.

• Add-on conditioning+$10–$30

  Offered at the bowl and easy to accept without hearing the price.

• Location cost band+10–40%

  Identical franchise menus differ between metros.

• Stylist seniority+$8–$25

  Designer or senior tiers sit above the base rate.

Related cost breakdowns: Full Highlights Cost, Partial Highlights Cost and Peekaboo Highlights Cost.

What the bill looks like at checkout

This is the gap that surprises people. Starting from a $67 base, here is where the money goes by the time the card is out.

An illustration built from the ranges on this page. Your tax rate and add-on choices will differ.

Plan for the total, not the base. The $41 gap between the two is the part people forget when comparing two salons.

You can try it with your own figures rather than doing this by hand.

What partial highlights costs you over per year

Most budgets break at the cadence, not the price. Partial highlights maintained every 10 weeks works out to roughly $810 a year once gratuity is included.

Gratuity is included at 20% because it is expected rather than optional. Strip it out if you budget gratuity separately.

The cheapest lever is almost always stretching the cadence, not finding a less expensive provider. Moving from 5 visits annually to 4 saves about $202 annually — generally more than switching salons would.

What to tip, in actual dollars

Two rules do most of the work: tip on the service before tax, and tip the person who performed it.

• If the salon owner performed the service, tipping is optional by norm - though seldom refused.
• A late-cancellation charge buys you nothing. It is not tipped.
• On a package or prepaid series, tip per visit on the value of that visit rather than once on the whole package.
• Cash gets to the provider quickest and is still preferred in most independent studios.

What people get wrong here

Every one of these is routine, avoidable and costed. Not one requires negotiation — only a well-timed question.

1. 1Accepting the conditioning upsell blindcosts $10–$30

   Offered at the bowl, priced afterwards.

2. 2Assuming the advertised price includes shampoo and stylecosts $12–$35

   Most value menus price the cut alone.

3. 3Not checking the location menucosts $8–$25

   Franchise prices vary between neighbouring stores.

4. 4Ignoring the brand appcosts $5–$15

   Chain apps run standing offers the walk-in counter does not mention.

If you want the policy detail behind these: Highlights Aftercare and Prepare For Highlights.

Seven questions that prevent a surprise bill

Read these out. They take about ninety seconds and it is the difference between a quote and a surprise. The last one matters most — a written quote settles any dispute at checkout.

1. "Are taxes added at checkout, and do you have a card-payment surcharge?"
2. "Is removal of my existing product included, or is it a separate charge?"
3. "Do you take a deposit, and does it come off the final balance?"
4. "Is there a first-visit offer or a package rate I should know about?"
5. "If I join the membership today, is there an enrolment or annual fee on top?"
6. "Which provider tier is that quote for, and what does the next tier up cost?"
7. "What is the precise price for partial highlights at my hair length and density?"

And when you pay: read the itemised receipt line by line. Unexpected charges are nearly always fixable at the desk and almost never fixable later.

How this compares with the alternatives

Before deciding, it is worth seeing where this sits against the nearest alternatives on both price and what you get for it.

Regularly asked - with the maths

Sources and how we checked them

Every published figure above traces to one of these. Where a source describes a single location or a time-limited offer, that scope stays attached to the number rather than being generalised.

1. Official homepageBrand and services · updated 2026
2. Official location finderFull-service salon directory and local booking scope · updated 2026
3. Hair dye and relaxer safety guidancePatch tests, scalp condition and timing after chemical services · updated 2026
4. Hair dyes official safety guidancePatch tests, allergy risk and eye-area restrictions · updated 2026
5. Hair smoothing and formaldehydeFormaldehyde exposure and smoothing-service safety · updated 2026

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