Salon Lane will open a 675-square-metre duplex at Richmond Square in Melbourne in February. The launch expands the shared salon operator into Victoria.
Up to 50 independent practitioners will work out of the two-level facility. They cover hair, aesthetics, skin, brows, lashes, wellness and nail care. It is the company’s sixth location nationally.
Inside the Richmond Square Layout
The space holds 21 private studios and 14 open workstations alongside specialized service stations. Architecture firm X+O designed the interior layout. The design brings an artistic visual identity tailored to Melbourne’s retail corridor.
Customer amenities include a dedicated wash lounge, nail and colour stations, a client lounge with a coffee bar, and an on-site retail store. Independent beauty professionals get access to a private member lounge and back-of-house infrastructure. They run autonomous businesses under one roof.
The Shared Real Estate Model
Co-working salon hubs alter conventional retail leasing by gathering independent operators into a single anchor tenancy. For commercial landlords, this structure lowers vacancy risk. It replaces individual small-lease negotiations with a single master tenant.
Commercial pressure falls directly on workstation utilization and tenant retention. Independent practitioners must generate steady foot traffic to cover recurring station costs. At the same time, the operator relies on full occupancy across private suites and open chairs to protect margins.
Expanding From East Coast Hubs
Salon Lane built its footprint across five locations in Sydney and Brisbane before committing to Melbourne. This expansion tests whether the shared-space beauty model can duplicate its northern East Coast momentum in a competitive personal care market.
Doors open at Richmond Square in February for the initial intake of 50 independent operators.