Sola Salons Wayne

Sola Salons is a suite-rental business rather than a salon with staff. It rents studio suites to independent beauty professionals, who set up and run their own studio businesses inside them. The company's stated mission is to support independent beauty professionals in building their own businesses, and it says it has a community of more than 20,000 independent business owners.

The business has locations in Costa Mesa, Irvine and Tustin. The Costa Mesa location is at South Coast Metro Pointe, near the 405 and 73 freeways and close to Nordstrom Rack, DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse and Metro Town Square. The Irvine Crossroads location is off Barranca Parkway and Paseo Westpark with access to the 405, near Panera, Target and Sprouts Farmers Market. The Irvine Culver Plaza location sits between the 5 and 405 freeways near CVS, Target and Costco. The Tustin Heights location is off Irvine Boulevard and Newport Avenue with access to the 5 and 55 freeways, near Trader Joe's, Michaels and Kohl's.

Each suite comes with full-spectrum lighting, a shampoo bowl and a styling chair, and it has a glass door with an individual lock and key. Renters can decorate the space with their own artwork, music, furniture and decor. Renters pay one weekly fee that covers utilities and Wi-Fi, and they can set their own schedule within access hours that vary by location.

Renters can sell the products they choose and keep all of the profits. They carry liability insurance, and disability insurance is available in certain areas. New renters receive a start-up manual with forms, tips and information on setting up a business, along with help obtaining a salon license and other licenses and permits, credit card processing tips and retail distributor contacts.

Renters also have access to continuing education programs, industry events and retail discounts. The Costa Mesa location has 24/7 security. The business describes its suite arrangement as offering good value.

The business's approach is to give independent beauty professionals their own space and the support to run it as their own business.