How to price grooming services (with a worked example in rupees)

Many salons set prices by looking at a competitor's menu and knocking ₹100 off. It feels safe, but it ignores the one thing that decides whether you make money: your own costs. Here is a practical way to build a price list you can defend.

Price by size and coat, not just breed

Time is your main cost, and time depends on how big the pet is and what its coat is like. A simple grid works well:

• Size: small (under 10 kg), medium (10–25 kg), large (25–40 kg), giant (over 40 kg)
• Coat: short/smooth, double coat, long/silky, curly/doodle

A short-coated small dog might take 60 minutes; a large doodle can take three hours. Price them like it. Breed names are a shortcut, but two dogs of the same breed can differ a lot, so keep a "condition" surcharge for matting or neglected coats.

Know your cost per groom

Here is a worked example for a two-groomer salon in a metro city. Your numbers will differ — plug in your own.

Monthly fixed costs

• Rent: ₹45,000
• Salaries (two groomers and a receptionist): ₹65,000
• Utilities, water and electricity: ₹8,000
• Software, phone and marketing: ₹7,000
• Total: ₹1,25,000

Realistic capacity

Two groomers × 6 medium-dog grooms a day × 26 working days = 312 slots. You will not fill every one, so assume 75% utilisation: about 234 grooms a month.

Cost per groom

• Fixed cost per groom: ₹1,25,000 ÷ 234 ≈ ₹534
• Consumables (shampoo, conditioner, towel laundry, blades wear): about ₹150 for a medium dog
• Total cost: ≈ ₹684

Adding margin

If you want a 35% margin on the price, divide cost by 0.65: ₹684 ÷ 0.65 ≈ ₹1,052. Round to ₹1,050 for a medium short-coat full groom. Use the same math with longer durations and higher consumables for bigger, fluffier dogs. If you are GST-registered, remember tax is added on top — check totals with our GST calculator.

Add-ons: small items, big margins

Add-ons take little time and lift the average bill:

• Teeth brushing, blueberry facial, paw balm
• De-shedding treatment, medicated bath
• Nail grinding instead of clipping
• De-matting (charged per 15 minutes, never free)

Offer them at booking and again at the front desk. Keep the list short so it does not feel like an upsell menu.

Packages and memberships

Prepaid packages smooth your cash flow and keep clients coming back:

• Bundle of 5 grooms at 10% off, valid for six months
• Monthly membership: one full groom plus one bath-and-tidy for a fixed fee

Avoid discounting more than 10–15%; the goal is loyalty, not cheap grooming. In FurKisses, package credits are tracked automatically and drawn down at checkout, so nobody has to count punch cards.

Raising prices gracefully

Costs rise every year, and your prices should too.

1. 1Review annually, ideally at the start of the financial year.
2. 2Give notice — 30 days by WhatsApp and a sign at the desk.
3. 3Explain briefly: better products, trained staff, rising rent. No long apologies.
4. 4Protect loyal clients with a short grace period or by honouring package prices already paid.
5. 5Raise in modest steps — 5–10% a year is easier to accept than 25% every three years.

Price for the salon you want to run in two years, not the one you started with.

Most clients stay. The ones who leave over ₹80 were rarely your most profitable. For more on running the numbers, see grooming software or our pricing.