Sola Salons, the salon-studio franchisor founded in Denver, has signed franchise agreements for 22 new locations, ColoradoBiz reports. The number is the hardest fact available. Almost everything else about the deals remains undisclosed.

That matters for a company whose business is real estate as much as hairdressing. Sola Salons does not operate salons in the traditional sense. It builds studios and leases them to independent stylists, barbers, estheticians and nail professionals who run their own businesses inside individually designed suites. Growth in locations means growth in square footage under lease, and in landlords betting on demand from beauty professionals who want independence from commission structures.

What does this change for working stylists?

For the trade, 22 signed locations translate into roughly 22 future pools of available studio space. Stylists weighing a move from commission salons — where splits commonly run from a 60/40 to a 40/60 basis depending on seniority — to a flat-rate studio model now have more options coming, at least in principle. Whether those options arrive near them depends on where the deals sit. The report does not name the markets, the opening dates, or the franchisees behind the agreements. That gap is the story's main caveat.

It is also unclear whether the 22 deals represent new franchise partners or expansions by existing ones. Franchisors often announce totals that mix both. Without the breakdown, the figure could signal fresh operator interest or simply deeper commitment from a handful of established groups. The distinction matters for anyone tracking the health of the suite-sector pipeline.

A Denver franchise machine keeps adding units

Sola Salons was founded in Denver and has become one of the most recognizable names in the salon-studio segment. Its model shifts the risk equation for the professional: instead of a commission split, the stylist pays a weekly or monthly rate for a studio and keeps service and retail revenue. In return, the professional carries landlord-style obligations — rent arrives whether the books are full or not.

Twenty-two signed locations is a concrete expansion signal. But a signed franchise agreement is not an open door. Build-out, permitting and leasehold improvements routinely push openings months past a signing date, and some signed deals never break ground at all. The announcement says nothing about construction timelines, studio counts per location, or rental rates, which typically range by market and studio size.

What to watch next

The practical questions for the trade are simple. Which markets get the studios? When do they open? And at what weekly rate relative to local commission alternatives? None of those answers appear in the announcement. Until Sola Salons or its franchisees disclose siting and pricing, the 22 agreements are a promise of capacity, not delivered chairs.

Watch for follow-on announcements naming cities and opening dates; those details, not the headline count, will tell independent stylists whether the expansion reaches their market at a rate they can justify against their current commission split.