A salon assistant, often times a graduate of cosmetology, or barbering school, is an employee who is looking for more salon experience and learning opportunities. Assistants help out around the salon with various tasks that include, and are not limited to:

• Helping with color formulation
• Shampooing and conditioning clients
• Blow-drying clients
• Sweeping salon floor
• Cleaning and maintaining salon’s appearance
• Helping prepare clients for service
• Ensuring clients are comfortable, offering beverages and something to read

A barber is the stylist of a barber shop and provides various hair services to men.

Some barbers manage and run their own salons, while others work under management with other barbers and staff members. 

The responsibilities of a barber include: 

• Cutting, shaping and trimming men’s hair             
• Shaves and grooms men’s facial hair
• Takes care of personal work station and tools
• Orders supplies
• Sells products to their clients 

A colorist is someone who provides all coloring services to clients of a beauty salon, day spa or general hair salon. Some salons have stylists who perform the duties of a colorist, while others have specially trained and licensed color technicians. 

A colorist’s duties include:

• Prepare and mix color formulas for clients’ hair
• Analyzes clients’ hair type and condition
• Consult with clients and hair stylists on best choice of color for clients
• Apply color, highlights, lowlights and rinses to clients’ hair
• Sometimes applies perms or relaxers
• Sells the correct retail products
• Educates the client on how to maintain their new color with “X” product

A makeup artist helps provide specific looks to salon clients. A salon’s makeup artist is most likely a graduate of cosmetology school and is therefore sometimes referred to as a cosmetologist. However, a number of the roles described in this chapter can be referred to as a cosmetologist. 

The duties of a salon makeup artist include:

• Consulting with clients on how they would like to look
• Applying makeup to clients
• Taking care of personal work stations and tools
• Working together with hair stylists to create a complete look for clients
• Teaching clients how to achieve particular looks and apply products properly

An esthetician, also referred to as a skin care specialist or aesthetician, is someone who provides skincare treatments to their clients. An esthetician most commonly works in a beauty salon or day spa, but sometimes works out of their own home. The esthetician’s main goal is to improve the overall look of the client’s skin, and therefore appearance.

Their duties include:

• Provide clients with facials
• Perform head and neck massages on clients
• Waxing eyebrows and other facial hair
• Full-body waxing
• Assesses clients’ skin condition and give suggestions for proper skin care regiments

The hair stylist is an integral part of any salon staff. A hair stylist can work at a barber shop, beauty salon, day spa, general hair salon or out of their own home. Hair stylists specialize in providing a multitude of hair services to their clients and need proper schooling and a licence to do so. Their responsibilities include:

• Men’s, women’s and children’s hair cuts
• Washing, blow-drying and styling clients’ hair
• Curling and straightening client’s hair
• Coloring, perming and treating hair
• Selling hair products to clients
• Maintaining personal hair station, including sweeping up hair
• Talking and building relationships with their clients

A masseuse, also called a massage therapist, can be employed at a day spa or they can work out of their own homes. A masseuse specializes in providing their clients with relaxation and pain relief through specialized body treatments. A massage therapist is responsible for:

• Massage clients’ bodies and feet using massage oils and other lubricants
• Use special techniques such as rubbing and kneading to increase blood circulation and relax muscles in clients
• Teach clients specialized exercises or techniques to use at home
• Create a calm and relaxing atmosphere for clients
• Ensure personal massage station is always sanitary and tidy

A nail technician is someone who specializes exclusively in nail treatments for men and women. A nail technician, also referred to as a manicurist and pedicurist, can work in a beauty salon, day spa, and even out of their own home. 

Their responsibilities include: 

• Give clients manicures
• Give clients pedicures
• Apply nail extensions to clients’ nails
• Ensure that their personal work station is clean and sanitary
• Properly sanitize tools to ensure clients’ safety
• Massages clients’ hands and feet

A receptionist is the face of a salon. They are the first face that clients see when they come in for appointments and the last face they see on the way out. A receptionist can work at a barber shop, beauty salon, day spa, and general hair salon. Along with representing the salon’s name, a salon receptionist’s duties include and are not limited to:

• Answering phones, booking appointments for clients and calling clients to confirm appointments
• Performing transactions for client services
• Greeting clients with a friendly smile and walking them to the proper station
• Keeping the salon front clean, professional looking and inviting
• Selling appropriate retail to customers leaving
• Serving clients refreshments and beverages

Salon management may not be a graduate of cosmetology, barber or hair school, but will most likely have a business background. A salon manager may or may not be the salon owner as well. Salon management is necessary in every type of salon, with exception to in-home salons. A salon manager is responsible for:

• Budgeting, finances, bookkeeping
• Hiring, firing and interviewing employees
• Training and orientation of salon staff members
• General overseeing of personnel duties and productivity
• Opening and closing the salon
• Ensuring a high level of client satisfaction
• Overseeing compliance of health and safety standards
• Licensing and operations 

A shampoo technician is a role that is sometimes separated from that of a hair stylist or assistant and can be found in beauty salons, day spas and general hair salons. The shampoo technician is responsible for:

• Shampooing, conditioning and rinsing clients’ hair
• Massaging clients’ scalps during shampoos
• Ensuring the shampoo areas are kept clean and are stocked with towels and products
• Rinsing the shampoo bowls after shampoos, especially when rinsing color from clients’ hair