Who we fund

Sixteen kinds of beauty business. One set of criteria.

Backbar Capital funds every category of salon, spa and personal-care business — including med spas, massage, tanning and tattoo studios, which many lenders decline on industry code alone. The criteria are the same for all of them: $15,000 a month in deposits, 6 months in business, no minimum credit score for working capital. Booth rent, commission payroll, cash and booking-app deposits all count.

Check if you qualify → Compare the five products

Hair salons
Barbershops
Nail salons & studios
Day spas
Med spas & aesthetics
Lash & brow studios
Waxing & sugaring studios
Massage & bodywork
Tanning & body contouring
Salon suites & suite landlords
Blow-dry & braiding bars
Tattoo & piercing studios
Multi-location groups & franchises
Booth renters & independent stylists
Wellness, sauna & cryo studios
Retail-heavy salons & beauty supply

Hair salons

Independent salons, chef-driven color houses, commission floors and hybrid floors with renters.

Typical request: $25,000 – $250,000
Finances: Refreshes between leases, a new color bar, holiday backbar and retail builds, January payroll, a second location.
Underwriting note: Hair runs on a six-to-eight-week client cycle, so December is the peak and January is the floor. We size the payment against your slowest month in the statement window, not your average, and a soft January is not a decline reason.

Barbershops

Traditional shops, modern barber lounges and multi-chair walk-in floors.

Typical request: $15,000 – $150,000
Finances: Chairs and stations, a buildout for a second shop, a bar or retail counter, a slow stretch after the holidays.
Underwriting note: Barbershops take more cash than almost any other beauty business. A lender reading one processor’s feed misses it. We read the bank statement, so deposited cash counts toward your approval the same as card.

Nail salons & studios

Full-service nail salons, nail-art studios and express bars.

Typical request: $15,000 – $150,000
Finances: Pedicure thrones and ventilation, a refit, product and gel inventory, payroll through a wet February, a second studio.
Underwriting note: High ticket count and low average ticket is a strong file here. Send four months if your winter is genuinely slow; we would rather see the floor than guess at it.

Day spas

Day spas, salon-and-spa combinations and resort-style independents.

Typical request: $30,000 – $400,000
Finances: Treatment-room buildouts, steam and hydrotherapy repairs, gift-card season inventory, staffing before the holidays.
Underwriting note: Spas sell gift cards in December and redeem them in January and February, which means cash arrives in one quarter and the labor cost lands in the next. We read that pattern as the shape of the business, not instability.

Commonly declined elsewhere

Med spas & aesthetics clinics

Injectables, laser and energy-based treatments, skin clinics and physician-supervised practices.

Typical request: $50,000 – $750,000
Finances: Device deposits and consumables, neurotoxin and filler orders, a second treatment room, a medical director arrangement, marketing ahead of a launch.
Underwriting note: Approved. Many lenders decline aesthetics by industry code or treat consumable orders as a red flag. We see a med spa buying product four weeks before it is injected as a normal timing gap, and a line of credit is usually the right structure for it. Read the med spa guide.

Lash & brow studios

Lash extension studios, brow bars, lamination and tinting specialists.

Typical request: $10,000 – $100,000
Finances: Beds and lighting, a second room, product, a move from a suite into a storefront, guaranteed pay for a new artist.
Underwriting note: Lash studios run on a tight two-to-three-week refill cycle, so deposit count is high and consistent. A single-artist studio often sits right at the $15,000 floor; send four months if any one of them is light.

Waxing & sugaring studios

Independent waxing studios, sugaring specialists and franchise waxing units.

Typical request: $15,000 – $200,000
Finances: Room buildouts, franchise fees, product, a second unit, summer staffing.
Underwriting note: The season is inverted here: spring and summer are peak, winter is the floor. Tell us which months are yours and we structure the payment against the quiet ones. Franchisees should name the brand up front — an SBA Franchise Directory listing opens a cheaper path if the timeline allows.

Commonly declined elsewhere

Massage & bodywork

Massage studios, sports-recovery practices, stretch studios and bodywork collectives.

Typical request: $15,000 – $200,000
Finances: Tables and rooms, a buildout, a membership-software migration, payroll for a new therapist, a move.
Underwriting note: Approved. Massage is routinely declined elsewhere by industry code. Membership billing lands as recurring deposits, which reads well; if you also bill corporate wellness accounts on terms, those invoices may support a factoring facility.

Commonly declined elsewhere

Tanning & body contouring

Tanning salons, spray-tan studios and non-invasive body-contouring and sculpting studios.

Typical request: $20,000 – $250,000
Finances: Beds, booths and contouring devices, a lamp and bulb replacement cycle, a refit, the pre-summer staffing ramp.
Underwriting note: Approved. This category is declined almost universally by lenders that screen on industry code; it is not declined here. Expect us to ask about your spring ramp and to structure around the fall.

Salon suites & suite landlords

Owners converting open floors into private suites, and operators leasing suites to independent professionals.

Typical request: $75,000 – $1,000,000
Finances: The conversion itself — walls, plumbing to each room, electrical and finishes — plus the vacancy carry while suites fill.
Underwriting note: Suite rent is recurring, predictable and lands on the first of the month, which is the cleanest deposit pattern in the industry. A buildout is a multi-year asset and belongs on a term loan, not a 9-month advance. Read the second suite guide.

Blow-dry & braiding bars

Blow-dry bars, braiding salons, extension specialists and event-styling studios.

Typical request: $15,000 – $200,000
Finances: Stations and a wash bar, a second unit, hair and extension inventory, wedding and prom-season staffing.
Underwriting note: Volume lands Thursday through Saturday and around events. A weekly debit on Wednesday against a week of deposits usually fits better than daily; you choose at signing.

Commonly declined elsewhere

Tattoo & piercing studios

Tattoo studios, piercing studios, permanent-makeup and microblading artists.

Typical request: $15,000 – $200,000
Finances: A buildout, sterilization and ventilation, a second chair or room, licensing, inventory.
Underwriting note: Approved. Tattoo and piercing are declined by many lenders on industry code alone. Deposits taken by card for appointments count, and so does cash when it is deposited — we underwrite the statement, not the category.

Multi-location groups & franchises

Owner-operators with two to twenty locations, and franchisees of national beauty brands.

Typical request: $150,000 – $5,000,000
Finances: New units, brand-mandated remodels, acquisitions of competing salons, consolidating advances across locations, a partner buyout.
Underwriting note: Tell us the brand first if you are a franchisee — an SBA Franchise Directory listing is what makes the franchise fee financeable, and it changes which product we start with. Groups with stacked positions across locations should call before taking another one.

Booth renters & independent stylists

Independent stylists, barbers, estheticians and nail techs renting a chair or a suite.

Typical request: $10,000 – $50,000
Finances: A move from a chair into a suite, a kit and backbar build, a slow season, a certification course, your own storefront.
Underwriting note: You qualify on your own business bank account, not the salon’s. The $15,000-a-month floor is real, so a renter below it should call rather than apply — we will tell you honestly whether the numbers work yet and what would change it.

Wellness, sauna & cryo studios

Infrared sauna studios, cryotherapy, IV and recovery lounges, float centers and salt rooms.

Typical request: $30,000 – $500,000
Finances: Devices and rooms, a buildout, membership-launch marketing, a second location, utility deposits.
Underwriting note: Membership revenue is the backbone and it reads well as recurring deposits. Device-heavy launches are often financed in pieces; if you are mid-launch with a half-built room, call and we will tell you which product fits the remaining gap.

Retail-heavy salons & beauty supply

Salons where the retail wall carries real weight, and owner-operated beauty supply storefronts.

Typical request: $20,000 – $300,000
Finances: Inventory ahead of the holidays, a product-line launch, shelving and a refit, bridging a vendor’s net terms.
Underwriting note: Retail sales and service sales land in the same account and both count. If retail is a growing share of your deposits, a line of credit matched to your buying cycle is usually cheaper than an advance.

Published, not hidden

What a salon or spa needs to qualify.

Every number below is a real criterion. If you clear these, apply. If you don’t, call us and we’ll tell you what would change it.

Backbar Capital — salon, spa & beauty business funding eligibility
Minimum monthly revenue	$15,000 in business bank deposits
Minimum time in business	6 months
Minimum credit score	None for working capital or factoring. 600+ for a line of credit. 650+ for a term loan. 680+ for SBA.
Funding range	$10,000 to $2,000,000 for working capital. Up to $5,000,000 for term loans, SBA, and factoring facilities.
Time to a real offer	About 4 business hours on a complete file.
Time to funding	24 hours. Same day if a clean file is signed before 11:00 AM ET.
Documents required	Application plus your 3 most recent months of business bank statements. 4 months if your business is seasonal.
Contract length	2 pages.
Repayment	Fixed daily or weekly ACH from your operating account. No split of your card settlements. No holdback percentage. No lockbox.
Prepayment discount	Up to 30% off the remaining cost of funding when a working capital advance is paid off within the first 30, 60, or 90 days.
Cash services and cash tips	Counted when they are deposited. We underwrite bank deposits, not one processor’s feed.
Booking app or processor	None required. Vagaro, Square, Booksy, GlossGenius, Fresha, Mindbody, Boulevard, Phorest, Zenoti, or a cash drawer — it makes no difference to underwriting.
Booth rent and commission	Both fine. Booth-rent income, commission payroll and a mixed floor are all normal here; we read the deposits, not the staffing model.
Beauty business types approved	Hair salons, barbershops, nail salons, day spas, med spas and aesthetics clinics, lash and brow studios, waxing studios, massage and bodywork, tanning and body contouring, salon suites and suite landlords, blow-dry and braiding bars, tattoo and piercing studios, multi-location groups and franchises, booth renters, wellness and sauna studios, and retail-heavy salons.
Not required	Collateral for working capital. A business plan. Tax returns under $500,000. A specific booking app. A minimum number of chairs, rooms or locations. Ownership of the building.
Open to	U.S. businesses with a U.S. business bank account. All 50 states.

Check if you qualify →

Four minutes. Three bank statements. No credit impact to apply.

Straight answers

Questions by business type.

Do you fund med spas, massage studios and tattoo shops?

Yes. Med spas and aesthetics clinics, massage and bodywork, tanning and body contouring, and tattoo and piercing studios are all approved at Backbar Capital. Most lenders decline these categories by industry code. We underwrite them like any other beauty-business file: $15,000 a month in deposits, 6 months in business, no minimum credit score for working capital.

Are the criteria different by business type?

No. The same criteria apply to all sixteen types: $15,000 a month in business bank deposits, 6 months in business, and no minimum credit score for working capital or factoring. What changes by type is which product fits and how the payment is structured.

I rent a chair. Can I apply on my own?

Yes, on your own business bank account rather than the salon’s. The $15,000-a-month deposit floor still applies, so if you are below it, call first and we will tell you honestly whether the numbers work yet.

My salon is half booth renters and half commission. Is that a problem?

No. Booth rent that lands in your account is a deposit, and so is the commission-floor service revenue you keep. We read the bank statement, not the staffing model. A mixed floor is one of the most common files we see.

My barbershop takes a lot of cash. Does that hurt me?

No — it helps, here, as long as the cash is deposited. Backbar Capital underwrites business bank deposits rather than a processor feed, so cash deposits count toward your approval. Cash that never reaches the account cannot be counted by anyone.

Whatever kind of beauty business you run, the criteria are the same.

$15,000 a month in deposits. Six months open. No minimum FICO for working capital. Four minutes to apply.

Apply now → Call (888) 896-5559