Light Salon + Spa Wins Honor for Second Straight Year

For the second straight year, was named to the Salon Today 200, which honors salons around the country for its business practices.

Some of the categories that factored into making the list, said Tony Stillings, Light's operations manager, were compensation and benefits, using technology and growth.

The work has paid off for Light, which Stillings said saw a 10 percent growth in revenue, from.$653,000 to $710,000. That was no easy feat in a recession, when customers often stretch out time between hair cuts, coloring and other services.

Technology helped in that growth. Stillings uses the salon's website to not only give a place where people can find the phone number and address for the salon, but also for customers to check out available services, as well as the staff, who all have short biographies up. Customers can even book appointments through the website.

Using the website and email blast advertising has meant using less paper for things like advertising and coupons.

It allows the business to attract new customers while catering to established ones, Stillings said.

"It's about maximizing opportunities," Stillings said of using the Internet. "You can't be afraid of it."

There's also the Glow rewards program, where members get special rewards and benefits such as discounts on the Aveda products the salon sells. The salon has also been involved in the community, sponsoring a Little League team.

While making the Salon Today 200 two years in a row is an honor, Stillings said, it's also a challenge.

"It raises the bar," Stillings said. "We have to keep adapting to how consumers respond. We can't ever stop changing."