What is take-home per chair hour?
Sales per hour is not take-home. Rent and product decide what you keep.
Take-home per chair hour is the money you keep from service work for each hour a client is in your chair, after booth rent, product and card fees. Booking apps show sales. They do not subtract rent or the color you bought. A good number clears your living costs for the hours you work. Thin numbers usually mean rent, waste or underpriced long services.
What take-home per chair hour is
Take-home per chair hour is what you keep from service work for each hour a client is in your chair (or each hour you were available, if you track open time too), after booth rent, product and card fees. Tips can be shown with or without the number; be consistent.
| Month (example) | Amount |
| Service sales | $9,600 |
| Booth rent | $1,200 |
| Product (backbar + waste) | $720 |
| Card fees | $240 |
| Left before tax set-aside | $7,440 |
| Chair hours with a client | 160 |
| Take-home per chair hour | $46.50 |
Made-up booth renter. Your tax set-aside is next; this line is what is left to live on and save for tax.
Sales per hour from your booking app is not the same thing. Sales ignore rent and product. Take-home is what pays you.
What is a good number?
A good take-home per chair hour clears what you need to live on for the hours you actually work, after rent and product. Compare yourself to your own rent and goals, not to a viral average.
| Read | Example take-home / chair hour | Often means |
| Thin | Under about $25 to $30 | Rent or product is heavy, or tickets are low for the time |
| Working | Roughly $35 to $55 | Room to live if hours are steady |
| Strong | $60+ on your mix | Protect pricing and rebooks; raise with care |
Made-up ranges for guidance only. High-rent cities and color-heavy books need a higher number just to break even on costs.
Pair this with how much should booth rent be and product cost per service. Owner-side cousins are revenue per labor hour and what is a good RPLH.
How to raise it
- Price long services by time in the chair.
- Fill empty hours you already pay rent for.
- Cut backbar waste and price color for the product you use.
- Know which weekdays drag; see patterns before you add another day.
Try the booth rent take-home calculator or Tangled Solo on a GlossGenius, Vagaro, Square, Phorest, etc. export. Hub: booth renter profit.
Quick answers
What is take-home per chair hour for a booth renter?
It is service take-home after booth rent, product and card fees, divided by chair hours. Tips can be included or shown separately. It is not the same as sales per hour in your booking app.
What is a good take-home per chair hour?
One that supports your life after rent and product for the hours you work. Rough guidance bands exist, but high rent and color-heavy menus need a higher number. Compare to your own costs.
How do I calculate take-home per chair hour?
Subtract rent, product and fees from service sales for a period, then divide by chair hours. Example: $7,440 left and 160 chair hours is $46.50 per hour. That example is made-up.
How can I see this from GlossGenius or Vagaro?
Export your sales file, add rent and product costs, then divide by chair hours. Tangled Solo does that from GlossGenius, Vagaro, Square, Phorest, etc. Or use the free take-home calculator for a quick estimate.