Connect with Lacie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lacie.kushniruk/

Clients are craving more than a great outcome. They want an experience that helps them feel connected, seen, and excited about who they are. In this episode, Jodie sits down with Lacey Kushner to talk about experience-based salon services and the innovation hairstylists can use to stand out in 2026 and beyond.

Lacey breaks down her concept color coding, inspired by the viral color seasons trend, and explains how turning consultation into a paid, high-touch experience can lead to stronger confidence behind the chair, higher pre-booking rates, bigger average tickets, and a referral wave you can actually feel.

1. The industry shift toward experience-based and connective services
2. Why “different is better than better” is the real play for stylists right now
3. How Lacey created color coding using warm, neutral, and cool draping
4. Why this process helps clients “see themselves” in a new way
5. The confidence boost this creates for newer stylists and apprentices
6. The marketing results Lacey saw after running a color coding ad
7. How a paid consultation service can convert into bigger transformations
8. Why mapping out a client’s next few hair moves increases retention

1. She had to shut off an ad early because demand spiked so quickly
2. A significant portion of new clients booked their next appointment on the spot
3. Pre-booking increased over time, especially for newer stylists
4. Average ticket size rose as clients committed to bigger changes

Color coding is a 30 to 45 minute paid service where the client is draped in white and guided through a swatching process to identify warm, neutral, or cool tones that best highlight their features. The goal is to create clarity, confidence, and a visual “aha” moment that makes future hair decisions easier and more exciting.

1. Learn more about color coding: saloncoding.com
2. Connect with Lacey: Lacey.Kushner on social platforms

Share it with a stylist friend who’s ready to stand out in 2026 and wants a more elevated client experience behind the chair.

Quick heads up: Hairstylist Rising is moving to a Wednesday drop instead of Mondays. This isn’t a full episode, but the next one goes live Wednesday, January 28th. Hit follow so it pops up in your feed midweek. See you Wednesday.

Try the free pricing and profit calculator

Making more money behind the chair doesn’t automatically mean you’re taking more money home. And for a lot of hairstylists, that disconnect is exactly why they feel stuck, burnt out, or frustrated with their business, even when they’re fully booked.

In this episode of the Hairstylist Rising Podcast, I’m joined by Chrystal Graves, founder of LiQUiD, to break down what profitability really looks like for hairstylists and salon owners.

Chrystal shares her journey from apprentice to salon owner to selling her salon in a seven-figure exit, and how systems, not hustle, were the foundation of her success. We talk honestly about money, numbers, and why the industry has avoided these conversations for so long.

Inside this episode, we cover:

1. The difference between income, profit, and actual take-home pay
2. Why so many hairstylists feel broke even when they’re making good money
3. How to calculate your fixed and variable expenses without overwhelm
4. Why paying yourself a consistent paycheck changes everything
5. How to increase your profit without immediately raising your prices
6. Why upselling through education increases retention and income
7. How decision fatigue keeps stylists from making more money
8. The role technology can play in simplifying your business, not complicating it

Chrystal also explains why LiQUiD offers its pricing and profit calculator completely free, and how removing the fear around numbers gives stylists real power and clarity over their business and lifestyle.

If you want your business to support your life, not run it, this episode is a must-listen.

1. Try the free pricing and profit calculator:https://salonassistant.getliquid.ai/auth?callbackUrl=%2Fhome&redirectCount=1

1. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thechrystalgraves

If this episode made you rethink how you look at money behind the chair, share it with another stylist who needs to hear this conversation.