It's not just haircut, er, hair trim time, it's also often party time.
Getting a haircut at Sweet & Sassy is more like a party than an errand.
The walls and furniture are pink, orange and purple. Hannah Montana songs pulse through the speakers. There's a PlayStation 2 in the waiting area, and Pixar movies playing on several TVs.
Clearly, this salon and spa in Citrus Park, which opened at the end of May, is aimed at a pint-sized, glitter-loving clientele.
Hair salons are a $16-billion industry in the United States, according to First Research. And the Texas-based Sweet & Sassy, which has sold 82 franchise locations since it was founded three years ago, isn't the only salon chain hoping to secure a slice of that pie by catering to kids.
Massachusetts-based Snip-its and Fort Lauderdale-based Cartoon Cuts have stores sprinkled throughout Florida. In the Tampa Bay area, the Cool Cuts 4 Kids chain opened a salon in Wesley Chapel in October 2005.
Kristil Gardino is the manager there, where kids can sit in salon chairs shaped like fire trucks or taxis, and play video games as they get their hair cut.
But the more important thing they offer, she said, is patience. She looks for stylists who have children of their own, and who won't mind if their customers cry or fidget.
"We teach them the stylists minor things like not to say the word 'cut,' but to say the word 'trim,' because the children know 'cut' as a bad thing," Gardino said. "Instead of washing their hair we say it's raining on them. Clippers are called little bugs."
A shampoo and haircut at Cool Cuts runs about $16 to $19. Prices are similar at Sweet & Sassy. But unlike other chains, it also offers makeup applications ($6.95), mini manicures ($14.95), up-dos ($13.95 to $39.95) and other spa services.
Gina Herrera, who was at Sweet & Sassy one recent morning with her daughters, ages 8 and 3, said she thought the prices for a haircut there were reasonable.
"But with the atmosphere and the fun that they have, I really wouldn't care if it cost a little more," said Herrera, 33, a court reporter from Tampa.
"Listen, if they can keep this one still, it's amazing," she added, motioning toward her 3-year-old.
Grown-ups are also allowed at Sweet & Sassy. Stephanie Diaz, who owns the Citrus Park franchise, said that about 10 percent of the haircuts there are done for parents. And she's been pleasantly surprised that about half of the kids haircuts are for boys.
Diaz, 32 and the mother of two young children, waves off any hints that makeup isn't appropriate for 8-year-olds.
"That's why we do sheer and glittery," she said. "We're not putting blue eyeshadow on them."
Birthday parties are also big business for Sweet & Sassy. On Saturday, it hosted five.
Sarah Cureton, who is going into the fifth grade at nearby Westchase Elementary, has had birthday parties at all the usual places, from the pool and skating rink to Chuck E. Cheese.
For the big 1-0 celebration, she had 30 friends come to Sweet & Sassy last month to get their hair styled, make bracelets and sing karaoke. They wore pajamas because it was a nighttime party, though other party packages offer girls free rein to closets full of dress-up clothes.
"I thought it would be really cool to have a really cool party with really cool things that girls like to do," said Sarah.
Her mom, Janet, thought the price tag ($465, according to a chain brochure) was reasonable considering the number of guests, and was impressed by the guarantee of one "party coordinator" for every two girls.
"I thought, 'Thirty girls? You're gonna need a lot of help,' " said Janet Cureton, 39 and a stay-at-home mom of three.
Sarah's 7-year-old sister has asked to have her next birthday party at Sweet & Sassy.
Times researcher Angie Drobnic Holan contributed to this report.
Getting a haircut at Sweet & Sassy is more like a party than an errand.
The walls and furniture are pink, orange and purple. Hannah Montana songs pulse through the speakers. There's a PlayStation 2 in the waiting area, and Pixar movies playing on several TVs.
Clearly, this salon and spa in Citrus Park, which opened at the end of May, is aimed at a pint-sized, glitter-loving clientele.
Hair salons are a $16-billion industry in the United States, according to First Research. And the Texas-based Sweet & Sassy, which has sold 82 franchise locations since it was founded three years ago, isn't the only salon chain hoping to secure a slice of that pie by catering to kids.
Massachusetts-based Snip-its and Fort Lauderdale-based Cartoon Cuts have stores sprinkled throughout Florida. In the Tampa Bay area, the Cool Cuts 4 Kids chain opened a salon in Wesley Chapel in October 2005.
Kristil Gardino is the manager there, where kids can sit in salon chairs shaped like fire trucks or taxis, and play video games as they get their hair cut.
But the more important thing they offer, she said, is patience. She looks for stylists who have children of their own, and who won't mind if their customers cry or fidget.
"We teach them the stylists minor things like not to say the word 'cut,' but to say the word 'trim,' because the children know 'cut' as a bad thing," Gardino said. "Instead of washing their hair we say it's raining on them. Clippers are called little bugs."
A shampoo and haircut at Cool Cuts runs about $16 to $19. Prices are similar at Sweet & Sassy. But unlike other chains, it also offers makeup applications ($6.95), mini manicures ($14.95), up-dos ($13.95 to $39.95) and other spa services.
Gina Herrera, who was at Sweet & Sassy one recent morning with her daughters, ages 8 and 3, said she thought the prices for a haircut there were reasonable.
"But with the atmosphere and the fun that they have, I really wouldn't care if it cost a little more," said Herrera, 33, a court reporter from Tampa.
"Listen, if they can keep this one still, it's amazing," she added, motioning toward her 3-year-old.
Grown-ups are also allowed at Sweet & Sassy. Stephanie Diaz, who owns the Citrus Park franchise, said that about 10 percent of the haircuts there are done for parents. And she's been pleasantly surprised that about half of the kids haircuts are for boys.
Diaz, 32 and the mother of two young children, waves off any hints that makeup isn't appropriate for 8-year-olds.
"That's why we do sheer and glittery," she said. "We're not putting blue eyeshadow on them."
Birthday parties are also big business for Sweet & Sassy. On Saturday, it hosted five.
Sarah Cureton, who is going into the fifth grade at nearby Westchase Elementary, has had birthday parties at all the usual places, from the pool and skating rink to Chuck E. Cheese.
For the big 1-0 celebration, she had 30 friends come to Sweet & Sassy last month to get their hair styled, make bracelets and sing karaoke. They wore pajamas because it was a nighttime party, though other party packages offer girls free rein to closets full of dress-up clothes.
"I thought it would be really cool to have a really cool party with really cool things that girls like to do," said Sarah.
Her mom, Janet, thought the price tag ($465, according to a chain brochure) was reasonable considering the number of guests, and was impressed by the guarantee of one "party coordinator" for every two girls.
"I thought, 'Thirty girls? You're gonna need a lot of help,' " said Janet Cureton, 39 and a stay-at-home mom of three.
Sarah's 7-year-old sister has asked to have her next birthday party at Sweet & Sassy.
Times researcher Angie Drobnic Holan contributed to this report.