Salons, spas and personal care
Salon and spa financing for chairs, product and the quiet months
Salons run on bookings, card sales and retail product, with a build-out cost up front and a rent that does not care about a slow January. These are the products that fit that pattern.
What financing can a salon or spa get?
Salons are strong revenue-based files because almost all revenue is card-settled daily. Merchant cash advances and working capital loans cover a slow season, a product order or a new hire, funded in one to two days from a 500 credit score on three months of statements. Equipment financing covers chairs, stations, treatment beds, lasers and dryers with the equipment as collateral. A term loan or SBA loan fits a second location or a full build-out.
What a salon looks like to an underwriter
Card settlements every day, a booking system that shows forward demand, retail product with real margin, and a rent that is the same in January as in December. That mix makes a salon one of the easier files to underwrite on a share-of-sales product, and one of the easier businesses to over-borrow for, because the money arrives so fast. The discipline is to borrow to a dated purpose.
Which product fits which problem
| The problem | Product | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|
| A slow season, rent and stylists to pay | Merchant cash advance | Repaid as a share of card sales; a quiet week costs less than a busy one |
| Product order or a new hire ahead of the season | Working capital loan | Lump sum in 24–48 hours, repaid over months |
| Chairs, stations, beds, dryers, lasers | Equipment financing | The equipment secures it; approval leans on the asset |
| Gaps that recur between busy periods | Business line of credit | Draw for the gap, repay when bookings pick up |
| Second location or full build-out | Term loan or SBA loan | Years, not months, for a multi-year investment |
Booth rent, commission and what counts as revenue
Underwriters read what lands in the business account. If stylists rent chairs and bank their own takings, the salon’s revenue is the rent, not the tickets, and the file is smaller than the floor looks. If stylists are on commission and all takings settle to the business, the file is the whole floor. Know which model you are and describe it in one line on the application; it saves a week of questions.
Equipment that pays for itself
A treatment bed, a laser or a set of stations earns for years, so it should be financed over years, with the equipment as the security. That structure means a salon that would not qualify for an unsecured loan can often finance the equipment that will earn its way out. Get the supplier’s quote on letterhead; that document sets the amount.
Before you apply
- Three months of business bank statements, from the account the card settlements land in.
- A note on your model: commission, booth rent or a mix.
- Every open position, including equipment leases and product-supplier credit.
One application covers every product in the network. Check your options — about five minutes, three months of statements, and a soft inquiry only.
Common questions
Can I get funding with a 500 credit score?
Yes, for merchant cash advances and working capital loans, which are underwritten on card settlements and bank deposits rather than personal credit.
Can I finance a build-out?
A build-out is a multi-year investment and suits a term loan or SBA loan rather than an advance. Fixtures and equipment within the build-out can often be financed separately as equipment.
What are the minimum requirements?
For revenue-based products through RAN Funding: about six months of revenue deposited into a business bank account, consistent deposits, a credit score from 500, and the last three months of business bank statements (four in some states). Every product starts at $10,000. Lines of credit typically want a year in business and a 575+ score; term loans and SBA want two years, good credit and full financials.
How fast can I be funded?
Merchant cash advances and working capital loans commonly fund the same business day or within 24 to 48 hours of a signed offer. Equipment financing usually takes a few days because the invoice is verified. Lines of credit take days to open; SBA loans take weeks.
Does checking my options affect my credit?
No. Seeing what your file fits is a soft inquiry. A hard pull only happens if you go ahead with a credit-based product such as a line of credit, term loan or SBA loan, and you are told before it does.
Sources
- 2026 Report on Employer Firms: Findings from the 2025 Small Business Credit Survey — Federal Reserve Banks, 3 March 2026
- State Commercial Financing Disclosure Laws — Venable LLP, March 2026
See what you qualify for
One application, about five minutes, soft pull only. A funding specialist comes back with the offers you qualify for — and explains every term before you sign.