1 DAY
At the 2025 Salon Management Congress, Mumbai Edition, and Technology Partner Zenoti, India’s top beauty and wellness minds gathered to reimagine what it means to run a ‘smart salon’. Over two packed days, conversations ranged from customer psychology and staffing to automation, finance, and skin science, painting a vivid picture of an industry where technology meets trust, and where innovation is inseparable from empathy.
The Pulse of a Changing Industry
The conference opened with Understanding the New-Age Customer, moderated by Kanishka Ramchandani, Editor, Professional Beauty Hairdressers Journal. Her panellists: Vivek Shyam Bhatia, Director, Shyam Salon & Academy, and Founder, Very V Salon; Dr Elie Tahmaseb, Founder & CEO, Uno Salon & Clinic; Zingrawon Shatsang, Co-founder, Zido Salon; and Anuprita Chaudhary, CEO, Juice Salons, set the tone for the two-day event.
Bhatia noted that clients today “want to look like what they see online, and they want it fast and flawlessly.” Dr Tahmaseb observed that speed must not come at the cost of sincerity. “We rush through appointments, forgetting the human connection,” she said. Shatsang cautioned that professionals who don’t evolve risk irrelevance, while Chaudhary added that Gen Z’s clarity and confidence demand a matching professionalism from service providers.
In a single morning, one truth crystallised: salons can digitise processes, but not compassion.
Growth with Grit: Scaling Smart
The conversation turned pragmatic with Scaling Up Your Salon, Spa or Clinic – What Works in 2025, moderated by Vikas Vij, Managing Director & Publisher, Professional Beauty India. Joining him were Aryan Sharma, CEO, Affinity Salons; Sahil Gupta, CEO, Bodycraft Clinics and Salons; Savita Rao Praveen, Business Head, Spin Salon; and Sana Dhanani, Founder, The White Door.
They tackled an age-old dilemma: how to scale without sacrificing soul. Dhanani championed “experience-led depth over door count,” while Sharma reflected on Affinity’s early growth pains, saying each outlet now must “stand on its own profit.” Praveen spoke of the unglamorous but essential role of SOPs, and Gupta summed it up as “passion mixed with sleepless nights.”
That same principle carried into Talent as the Ultimate Differentiator, moderated again by Ramchandani, featuring Renu Kant, Founder, Envi Salon; Leena Khandekar, Founder, Lee’s Beauty Centre & Spa; Uday Takke, Creative Director, U Takke’s Institute of Hair & Skin; Santosh Sapke, Founder, ISAS International Beauty School; and Sofiyan Sheikh, Associate Senior Manager – HR, BBlunt.
From Kant’s insistence on growth through learning to Sheikh’s emphasis on mentorship checklists, the session revealed a quiet revolution in HR: retention through recognition. “Poaching stops where culture begins,” Sheikh said, drawing murmurs of agreement.
Across the discussion, a deeper theme emerged: that loyalty, whether from clients or staff, is not bought but built through purpose, respect, and patience.
When Data Meets Emotion In Automation, Data, and Digital
Growth in the Salon Industry, Sachin Kamat, General Manager, IMS Region, Zenoti, moderated a lively panel that connected logic with empathy. The line-up featured Mukul Pawar, Managing Director, Lookwell Salons; Prannay Dokkania, MD & COO, Lloyds Luxuries; Vaishali Gupta, Co-Founder, Reliva Physio & Rehab Clinic; and Vipul Chaturvedi, CEO, Lakmé Salons.
Gupta’s example of sending expectant mothers preventive care reminders instead of promotions illustrated how automation can feel human. Pawar’s point on pre-booking clients before checkout highlighted how data turns habit into retention. Chaturvedi shared how Lakmé monitors online reviews across 440+ outlets, acting on negative feedback within 15 minutes.
The day concluded with the importance of Building a Strong Digital Presence – From Social Media to ROI, moderated by Sheetal Nangalla, Beauty Industry Consultant, with Khushbu Malde, Partner, Hair Castle Salon; Rohan Kant, CEO, Envi Salons; and Aditya Mehta, Founder, Quantum Onions, joining her on stage.
Malde’s advice was sharp: “Stop flooding feeds with offers and festival greetings.” Kant reminded everyone that engagement must end in bookings, not likes. Mehta made ROI sound refreshingly simple: “Start local. Look at a five-kilometer radius, and showcase real clients, honest stories.”
The collective takeaway, though never explicitly stated, was clear: salons that communicate with authenticity don’t, don’t need to shout to be seen.
2 DAY
Menus that Speak Before You Do
Day 2 opened with Revamp Your Service Menu, again moderated by Vikas Vij and featured Neha Bhalchandra, Marketing Manager, YLG Salons; Priscilla Corner, Founder, June Tomkyns; Samir Srivastav, CEO, Looks Salon; and Shweta Parekh, Director, Infinite Enterprises.
Srivastav called the service menu “the brand’s voice,” while Bhalchandra advocated quarterly updates informed by customer data. Corner emphasised aligning brand partnerships with audience needs, not trends. Parekh agreed that curating the menu is strategic storytelling where every listing reflects the brand’s promise.
Their shared insight was subtle but striking: the service menu is no longer just a price list; it’s a business’ blueprint in plain sight.
Loyalty, Leadership & Financial Clarity
The conversation on customer retention brought warmth to numbers. Driving & Retaining Customer Footfall, moderated by the PBHJ editorial team, featured Aankith Aroraa, Founder & CEO, Streamline Beauty India Pvt. Ltd.; Reena Sheth, Founder, Gaiia; Ryan D’Rozario, Co-Founder, Mu’Ah Salon; and Vikas Marwa, Owner, Vikas Marwa Salon.
Sheth argued that “emotional connection trumps aggressive marketing,” while D’Rozario linked retention to consistent training. Aroraa spoke of SOPs as silent enablers of loyalty, and Marwa advocated adding novelty, like a top-up treatment here or a surprise add-on there, to keep clients curious.
Finance followed, but not the dry kind. In Finance Simplified for Salon Owners, Vikram Bhatt, Co-Founder, Enrich, led Sachin Kamat, General Manager IMS Region, Zenoti; Karan Jounkani, Founder, Solastaa Salon; Vipul Chudasama, Founder, Vipul Chudasama Salon; Aditya Mehta, Founder, Quantum Onions; and Viki Thakkar, Founder, Viki Thakkar Design Studio, through an animated, myth-busting dialogue.
From tracking consumption versus sales to teaching teams how to read dashboards, the advice was grounded and actionable. As Bhatt quipped, “Finance isn’t math; it’s management.”
Skin, Science & the Conscious Client
The final session, The Future of Skin & Clinical Beauty, moderated by Ankit and Shubham Virmani, Directors, Esskay Beauty Resources Pvt Ltd, brought the conference to a thoughtful close.
Their panellists, Dr Rinky Kapoor, Founder & Director, The Esthetic Clinics; Kurat Deshmukh, Managing Director & Founder, Lemon Salons; Sneh Kotecha, CEO, Jean-Claude Biguine (JCB); and Dr Vinaya S Bhagve, Head of Beauty, Enrich, mapped the intersection of dermatology, sustainability, and consumer consciousness.
Dr Kapoor underscored the value of scientific validation. Deshmukh called for ingredient transparency and education. Kotecha shared how JCB marries clinical credibility with salon comfort. Dr Bhagve emphasised reskilling technicians to speak knowledgeably with clients increasingly influenced by digital learning.
Across two days of insight and candour, The Age of the Smart Salon made one truth self-evident: progress isn’t defined by software or systems; it’s defined by sincerity. While technology might manage operations, empathy still manages outcomes.