Hello Sugar Reaches 305 US Locations With Suite-First Model

Hello Sugar has grown to 305 locations across approximately 40 US states, with a franchise model that starts operators in single-room salon suites before they expand into larger storefronts. Founder and chief executive Brigham Dallas told Franchise Times the hair removal brand was on pace to open between 10 and 15 locations a month.

Smaller premises underpin national growth

Founded in 2015, Hello Sugar offers waxing, sugaring and laser hair removal services. Its expansion approach places smaller premises at the centre of franchisee development, rather than requiring every new operator to begin with a larger salon.

About 60 of the brand’s 305 locations are storefronts, according to the Franchise Times report published on 6 November 2026. The remainder operate in suites, meaning the smaller format still accounts for the substantial majority of the network.

Under the approach Dallas describes as “suite-to-storefront”, franchisees begin in single-room salon suites. They can then build operating experience, revenue and customer relationships before moving into larger, standalone locations, which typically contain four rooms.

The distinction matters when assessing the headline location count. A Hello Sugar suite and a four-room storefront represent different operating footprints. The network’s growth therefore reflects a combination of formats, rather than 305 equivalent, full-sized salons.

Dallas’s stated opening pace also describes the company’s trajectory, not a confirmed total of future openings. It should be read separately from the reported number of locations already operating.

A staged route into larger salons

Dallas said starting franchisees in suites had produced stronger returns while allowing them to build operational confidence and experience before taking on storefront premises. That assessment is the chief executive’s account of the model’s performance, rather than a guarantee of an individual franchisee’s financial outcome.

The underlying approach separates entering the business from expanding its physical capacity. A franchisee can first gain experience of running a single-room operation and developing a client base, with a larger salon representing a subsequent stage of growth.

For the US franchise community, the notable feature is this sequence of investment. Hello Sugar is not simply offering a smaller version of a salon alongside a larger one; its stated approach uses the suite as a starting point for operators who may later scale up.

However, the current mix of suites and storefronts should not be treated as a conversion timetable. The reported figures describe the network’s footprint, not how quickly an individual operator will be ready to move or whether every suite will become a storefront.

Investment ranges show the step up

Hello Sugar’s franchise disclosure document puts the cost of opening a suite at between $92,210 and $130,654. Opening a flagship location costs between $265,374 and $734,705.

Those figures show a substantial difference in the initial investment associated with the two formats. Even the bottom of the flagship range is above the top of the suite range, making the choice of premises a significant financial decision rather than simply a question of room numbers.

The ranges should also be considered as separate opening estimates. They do not establish the additional cost of converting an existing suite operation into a storefront, and subtracting one from the other would not provide a reliable expansion budget.

The disclosure document also specifies a $3.25 reception and customer experience fee for each serviced appointment in a month, alongside an initial fee payable before opening. Prospective operators therefore need to consider appointment-linked charges as well as the headline opening investment.

Expansion extends beyond new openings

Alongside its suite-led development, Hello Sugar bought 20 Waxxpot Salons across four states in the year before the report. That acquisition adds another dimension to the brand’s expansion story, separate from Dallas’s stated pace of new openings.

Taken together, the reported footprint, acquisition and investment ranges illustrate a business growing through more than one route while retaining suites as its predominant format.

Practical takeaway: Prospective franchisees should assess the suite as a business in its own right, then evaluate a larger salon as a separate investment decision. Review the current disclosure document, ongoing fees and premises requirements before assuming that a lower-cost entry point makes later expansion affordable.