No CNY surcharge here: Hair salons drop festive premiums as nail and lash studios retain surcharge
More than 20 hair salons are no longer imposing Chinese New Year (CNY) surcharges, which have often drawn customer complaints, even as many lash and nail salons continue to impose the festive premium.
Checks by Stomp found that at least 22 hair salons will not impose surcharges for the festive period, with some maintaining the policy since they first opened and others adopting it as early as the Covid-19 pandemic.
One salon is even actively promoting its "zero CNY surcharge" policy on social media and directly to customers.
Hair salons pointed to factors such as consistent pricing and customer retention, while a nail salon cited operating costs and staffing conditions, as well as peak period demand, as reasons for imposing such charges.
Hair salons prioritise 'consistent pricing' and 'customer retention'
Seven hair salons told Stomp that they only scrapped festive premiums in recent years, with some starting during the pandemic.
Prix Salon in Novena began doing away with festive surcharges in 2023, in light of of rising costs for customers. Its director Kevin Neo said that while operational costs may vary during the festive season, the salon chooses to absorb them internally rather than passing them on to customers.
The other six salons said they have not imposed CNY surcharges since their establishment, including Empire Charme — which has outlets in Hougang, Bukit Batok West Mall, and Paya Lebar Square — which has maintained the policy since 2014.
Empire Charme director Lyn Bong told Stomp that the cost of operations and of hair supplies such as equipment and products remain "unchanged" during CNY, leaving no reason to impose extra charges. The 40-year-old added that the salon wants to ensure that non-Chinese clients can pay the same prices during the festive period.
"This has always been a long-term strategy rather than a seasonal decision," said Ms Bong, adding that the salon's commitment to consistent pricing has helped it to remain competitive and to retain customers.
New ways to attract new customers
Russell Lim, owner and manager of Hair&Co, said the Clementi salon had imposed CNY surcharges of up to $20 in previous years, but decided to do away with them this year after recently increasing its prices.
As a result, the salon eased off festive surcharges as a "token of appreciation" for customers' support. However, the 25-year-old noted that as an increasing number of salons have started doing so as well, the salon may need to find other ways to attract customers.
One such approach is offering a special CNY package, under which customers receive 30 per cent off all services and products if they sign up with the salon.
As this is the first year Mr Lim's salon is scrapping festive premiums — business is already starting to pick up in response - he said his team would need to assess the impact of the new policy before making it a long-term move.
Anticipating higher demand during the festive season as well, Empire Charme's Ms Bong said her "supportive and flexible" team has discussed flexible overtime arrangements, allowing staff to choose to work additional hours and offset them during quieter periods.
When asked whether she would consider introducing a surcharge in the future should business costs continue to rise, she said the salon would rather adjust regular service prices than apply a festive surcharge.
"We believe that with proper internal planning – especially in scheduling staff and managing peak hours – the increased demand can be handled without passing extra costs on to customers."
Staffing conditions, peak-period customer demand
Besides hair salons, nail parlours and lash studios also face peak demand during the festive period. However, checks by Stomp revealed that among 22 nail and lash businesses, only one has nixed CNY surcharges.
The surcharges start as early as mid-January and range from $5 to $30 as CNY approaches, which falls on Feb 17 this year. Of these businesses, only one nail parlour agreed to speak to Stomp.
The marketing manager of Nail Queen at Scotts Road, who only wished to be known as Tuta, said the salon does not apply festive surcharges in a "rigid or blanket manner". Instead, it is "flexible and reviewed periodically" based on operating costs, staffing conditions, and peak-period demand.
The salon announced on Instagram that its CNY surcharges will take effect during certain weeks in February: $5 per manicure or pedicure from Feb 5 to 11, rising to $10 from Feb 12 to 16.
Tuta explained that the salon's decision to implement – or not implement – a surcharge is not driven by short-term reactions or competitive pressure, but by their ability to maintain "service quality" during peak periods.
Most of its customers understand it as a "reasoned decision" rather than an attempt to maximise short-term profit, she said, adding that the salon is "always open" to the possibility of completely removing surcharges in the future.
Customers say CNY surcharges 'unnecessary'
Jas, 27, who usually gets her nails and lashes done before CNY, told Stomp that it is difficult to avoid the surcharges, which begin as early as mid-January, particularly for those wanting fresh sets for the festive season.
The consultant usually books an earlier appointment in order to pay only the lower surcharge, which ranges from about $10 to $15. The maximum surcharge she has paid for lash services is $30.
Jas sees festive surcharges as "unnecessary", as they typically only apply during CNY and not other festive seasons like Christmas. "People also get their nails done for Christmas, but there aren't any extra charges then, so why should CNY be different?"
While nail and lash businesses almost always impose a surcharge during CNY, she sees the move by some hair salons to scrap festive charges as a "really nice gesture" and a good selling point to attract more customers.
On the other hand, Freya Lim avoids visiting hair and nail salons during the CNY period. "I definitely avoid the CNY surcharges," the 24-year-old events organiser said, describing them as more of an "industry practice" than a means of controlling demand.
Ms Lim also said that she has seen empty salons imposing "crazy" surcharges of $10 or $15, which she sees as businesses "taking advantage" of the festive season.
Surcharges should only be imposed with "integrity", said Ms Lim – when demand genuinely exceeds supply, rather than merely following industry practice.
When she recently travelled to Johor Bahru for a "desperately needed" haircut, she also encountered festive premiums. Although it was much cheaper than in Singapore, Ms Lim aims to avoid such charges in the future through "good timing and planning".
