2023
Beauty and Wellness
Trends
Square Appointments takes a look at beauty and wellness trends from before and after the pandemic to see how consumer and merchant behavior has changed.
The solo stylist glow up
The solo stylist glow upBetween 2020 and 2022 there was an increase in sole proprietors in the beauty and wellness space that earned over $250K in annual revenue, the equivalent of businesses with multiple employees. The most successful entrepreneurs were barbers, nail stylists, spa owners, skin aestheticians, and practitioners at med spas, given that growth within these professions grew five percent since 2019. Nine percent of businesses that started in 2020 as a sole proprietorship on Square Appointments actually grew into a business with multiple employees by the end of 2022.
579
Average number of days for a sole proprietor to add their first employee to their payroll
5.5x
Approximate increase in annual revenue for businesses that grew to multiple staff compared to those that remained sole-proprietors
“It’s inspiring to see more and more beauty professionals build something of their own and to see how Square Appointments empowers their entrepreneurial journeys.”
— Willem Ave, GM, Square Appointments
Wellness is the new beauty
Wellness is the new beautyThere was a 54% increase in wellness centers using Square from 2020 to 2022, compared to before the pandemic. Below are the largest and smallest cities in the US where wellness centers grew the most the 3 years following the pandemic.
Large cities with the greatest increase in wellness centers
San Antonio, TX grew 72%
Houston, TX grew 64%
St. Louis, MO grew 65%
Seattle, WA grew 63%
Small cities with the greatest increase in wellness centers
Augusta, GA grew 89%
Fort Wayne, IN grew 83%
Akron, OH grew 82%
Most popular wellness services
Most popular wellness servicesWellness services have taken off in popularity, especially after the pandemic, as consumers invest more in self care and mental and physical wellness. Crystal healing massage services were the only service types to double their booking rates in 2021, only to return back to their pre-pandemic levels by 2022.