Booth Rent vs. Commission Calculator for Stylists
Thinking about leaving commission to rent your own station? Enter your numbers and see how much you need to book each month to come out ahead, and what you would take home. It works for any salon. Our station rates in Irvine are filled in to start.
Your numbers
Kija: $250 hair station, $150 nail station. Change it to compare any salon.
$200 is only an example. Use your own number. At Kija, shampoo and conditioner at the bowl and laundered towels are included.
The share of your service sales the salon keeps today. StyleSeat says 40–60% is common.
Before the salon’s cut and before tips.
Compares Kija’s $50 per person day rate (8:30 AM–5 PM) with weekly rent.
Your result
To beat commission, book at least
$2,567 a month
That is about $592 a week in services.
| Average rent per month | $1,083 |
| Rent plus your supplies per month | $1,283 |
| Rent in your first year | $12,500 |
| Saved by the free weeks | $500 |
| Your take-home on commission, per month | |
| Your take-home renting, per month | |
| Difference per year |
At 5 days a week, daily and weekly both cost $250. Weekly adds your own key and 24/7 access.
First 2 weeks free for new renters. Text (949) 966-8774. This is an estimate based only on the numbers you enter. It is not a promise of income and not tax, legal or financial advice. See the full terms below.
How the math works
On commission, the salon keeps part of every service. When you rent, you keep all of your service money but pay rent and buy your own supplies. You come out ahead once the salon’s cut would be bigger than your rent and supplies.
Break-even sales per month = (monthly rent + monthly supplies) ÷ the salon’s cut
Example with our hair station: $250 a week is about $1,083 a month (250 × 52 ÷ 12). Add $200 of supplies and your costs are about $1,283 a month. If your salon keeps 50% today, you need about $2,567 a month in services ($1,283 ÷ 0.50) before renting pays more. Every dollar you book above that is yours.
Daily or weekly?
Our hair station is $50 per person per day (8:30 AM–5 PM, no key) or $250 a week. Working 1 to 4 days a week, daily costs less. At 5 days, both cost the same, and weekly gives you your own key and 24/7 access. Clients can visit Tuesday to Saturday.
What’s included at Kija
- Your own key and 24/7 access with a weekly station
- Laundered towels, and shampoo and conditioner at the bowl, so there is no backbar to buy
- Drawers at your station for your tools
- Utilities, Wi-Fi and a shared waiting area
- Your clients, your prices, your payments, and no commission on your services
You bring your California license, your tools, your products and your clients. Weekly rentals are week to week, with a deposit of one week’s rent and 30 days’ notice by email. Read our booth rental cost guide and 9 questions to ask before you sign.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the salon’s cut mean?
It is the share of your service sales your current salon keeps. If you book $4,000 and take home $2,000, the salon’s cut is 50%.
Should I include tips?
No. Tips are yours on commission and when renting, so they do not change the comparison.
Can I use this for another salon?
Yes. Change the weekly rent and free weeks to match any salon or suite.
Which license do I need?
A current California license that covers every service you offer. Our hair stations are for licensed cosmetologists and barbers, and our manicure station (manicures only, no pedicure) is for licensed manicurists or cosmetologists. If you hold a Hairstylist license, text us before you plan around renting. Note that the California Hairstylist license does not cover color, bleach, perms, relaxers or chemical straightening. You can check any license on the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology website.
What else will I pay for when I rent?
Your own liability insurance ($1M per claim / $2M per year, naming Kija Hair Salon as additional insured by endorsement), a city business license and your own taxes. Put any monthly costs you expect into the supplies box to see the full picture.
Terms of use
This calculator is a free planning tool. It shows estimates based only on the numbers you enter. It does not promise any income, number of clients or savings, and it is not tax, legal, financial or employment advice. Talk to a tax professional or attorney about your own situation.
Kija Hair Salon rates and offers shown here are as of October 2026, apply to new renters, depend on availability, and may change or end at any time without notice. Showing a rate here is not an offer to rent. A station is rented only under a written rental agreement signed by both sides, and that agreement controls if anything on this page is different.
Renters run their own independent businesses and are not hired as employees of Kija Hair Salon. Each renter must hold a current California license that covers every service they offer, plus their own city business license and liability insurance, and is responsible for their own taxes. The commission range and the $200 supplies figure are general examples, not Kija Hair Salon data.
Kija Hair Salon is not responsible for decisions made using this calculator.