5 Mobile Beauty Services For Busy Families

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Mobile beauty services are not just for moms — dads get haircuts too, and so do the kids. Think of the time you will save by having your hairstylist come to your home to cut, buzz, or clip everyone’s hair on the same day. You can knock several appointments off your calendar and create a fun family activity. But why stop at a mobile hair stylist? Pretty much any beauty and grooming service, like manicures and facials, are also mobile beauty services. 

As I explained in my post on The Best Mobile Wellness Services for Parents, my motto with this type of thing is: just ask! My partner and I usually ask our favorite beauty and grooming providers if they’ll come to our house for a travel fee, which can range from $50-$100. We happily pay the fee to avoid driving in traffic, stressing about parking, and losing time we could be spending with our kids at home.

With so many people realizing how much time they can save by having their appointments come to them, there are a lot of national mobile beauty services popping up, like Priv, GlamSquad, Mobile Beauty Team, and Blys. These can be good options if your go-to specialist isn’t able to provide in-home services, or if you need a last-minute appointment time. These companies all have the travel fees built into their service costs, though they do charge platform fees that range from 10-12% (which amounts to ~$8/service —  a real win in my book!).

Below are all our personal favorite mobile beauty services that can save your family a ton of time as well as the energy and mental load involved in scrambling to get to an appointment. 

Mobile Beauty Services: Hair Stylist

Instead of rushing off to the salon, I have my favorite hair stylist come to the house for an in-home appointment. While she works on my hair, I get to relax at home and if necessary even fit in some work emails on my handy dandy mobile desk.

Our family hairdresser has a traveling kit with all of her supplies, including a sheet to lay on the floor and catch the trimmings. She uses the kitchen sink to wash my hair and provides the towels, tools, and slipcover just as if we were in a salon. The only thing she doesn’t bring is a chair, so I just sit in one of the chairs I have at home. Other hairdressers may ask you to wash your hair and have it wet before they arrive, but if they're a fully mobile service, they often have a portable sink.

Mobile Hair Styling Tip: Book the entire family’s haircut for the same day for absolute efficiency. 

Hair Stylist Travel Fee: My hair stylist charges a $50 travel fee

National Mobile Hair Stylist Option: Priv, Glamsquad, Mobile Beauty Team, and Blys all offer in-home hair services with the travel fee built into the price. I can personally vouch for Priv’s dry styling option. It was easy to make an appointment through their app — with same-day availability — and I was very happy with how my hair looked! 

Mobile Beauty Services: Manicure + Pedicure

I love mani/pedis at home because it doubles as a fun afternoon I can spend with my kids. I pay the nail tech to come to us and let my kids get their nails done too! Plus, getting this service done at home can be more comfortable for any dads who need a clean up, but feel like a rooster in the hen house at the nail salon.

Pharma CEO, mom, and time-saving expert, Hitha Palepu says Glamsquad is her go-to for in-home mani and pedis, which she usually does with her own dad as a way for the two of them to connect and spend time together. 

“I'll have two nail techs come and we get to catch up and hang out while we're getting our feet and hands looking really nice, so it's a moment of connection,” Palepu says. “It's also saving time on not going to a local salon, waiting at the salon, and then waiting for your nails to dry before you can go home.”

Our manicurist brings a small travel suitcase with all of her tools, along with her own towels and spa foot tub. The only thing missing from an in-home foot treatment is the paraffin wax treatment since it’s too difficult to travel with. Otherwise, everything else you would find in a spa is available in the comforts of your own home.

Mobile Mani–Pedi Tip: I typically set us up in our backyard so that I can enjoy the fresh air and not worry about any spills.

Manicurist Travel Fee: My manicurist initially didn’t charge a travel fee, but I insisted and added $50 in addition to the normal tip. I greatly appreciate that they are willing to accommodate my schedule, and I want them to prioritize me as a client. 

National Mobile Nail Service Option: Glamsquad, Priv, Mobile Beauty Team, and Blys all offer mobile manicure and pedicure services with a travel fee built into the price. Glamsquad even has a kids and parent nail option! One extra tip: if you don’t see the service option listed on the website or within your address, don’t be afraid to email the concierge services department to inquire about locating a provider. I have done this twice in my area and the Priv team has made it happen.

Mobile Beauty Services: Facial 

Once I got a facial in my own bedroom, I never wanted to waste time driving for a facial again. Being at home also means I get to savor the feeling of being taken care of a little bit longer, instead of hopping in my car right after. 

For at-home facials, your facialist will bring their own massage table or beauty chair, skincare products, headlamp with a magnifying glass, and a towel steamer (one of my mobile facialists uses a crockpot to steam towels).

Since I have a massage table stored in my bedroom, there’s no need for my facialist to bring one. If you do have your own table, just make sure there’s a seat for them to use if they do not bring their own. A dining room chair or a footstool with pillows works.

Mobile Facial Tips:  Find a facialist who is also a massage therapist to combine the two treatments and create a whole afternoon of spa services. The industry calls this a “Famage.”

Facialist Travel Fee: My facialist charges a $75 travel fee. 

National Mobile Facial Option: Priv and Blys both offer in-home facials with the travel fee built into the price.  

Mobile Beauty Services: Personal Stylist

The main job of a personal stylist is to dress your specific body type in the best clothes to complement your personal style as well as your lifestyle. I’ve been using my personal stylist, Vanessa Valiente, for 15 years. She provides me with a fully in-home service. No sales associates, no travel time, and her expertise ensures I’m not wasting time trying on clothes that aren’t right for my body type or skin tone. 

I have a credit card specifically for my personal stylist that she uses to shop for me. She orders everything for me online and has it sent to my home. I then have my family assistant unbox all items, and set it up for the session so when my personal stylist comes in, we get right to work. 

If you’re not in the mood to buy more clothes, then I still highly recommend hiring a personal stylist to come in and help clean out and organize your wardrobe. 

Personal Stylist Tips…

Tip 1: If you are in a heterosexual partnership, hire a personal stylist who dresses both sexes to increase efficiency. An experienced personal stylist can dress any body type or gender, and sharing the appointment is the epitome of efficiency. 

Tip 2: My family assistant handles returning any items we didn’t love. I could have my personal stylist’s team perform the returns, but that hourly rate far exceeds the rate of my family assistant.

Personal Stylist Travel Fee: My personal stylist charges a travel fee for clients 15 miles outside her zip code. We are within her radius, so I am not charged a travel fee. 

National Personal Stylist Option: LookingGlass offers virtual personal styling options where you can chat with a stylist via text or video. Proxy subscribers can get 25% off their services.

Mobile Beauty Services: Eyebrow Artist

Beverly Harris, my brow artist and eyelash extensionist, comes to my house every two weeks. I get my eyelashes filled (80 lashes/eye), and my eyebrows cleaned up and tinted by her. I use my massage table for this appointment as well. Other mobile brow and lash services, like Blys, ask you to set up a chair for your appointment near a table that the artist can lay their tools on. 

Mobile Brow Artist Tip: Have a reading light set up nearby so that the brow artist can see your lashes more easily if needed, and make sure they are using Xtreme Lash Glue, as it is the most high-quality product. 

Travel Fee: $60 travel fee

National Mobile Brow and Lash Options: Blys and Priv both offer these mobile beauty services with the travel fee built into the price. 

Beyond the time savings of mobile beauty services, I can’t say enough about the value of not rushing around town and how that eases my anxiety as a busy working parent. It’s easy to calculate the time saved, but don’t forget to add in the value of reduced stress and mental load. 

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