S’pore beauty salons bank on value-adds, convenience as RTS spells more competition from JB

Crystal Lee, CEO of Peachy Skin Bar, recently renovated the salon with pink walls and an open lounge area where customers can enjoy a free drink.

ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG

Published Oct 06, 2026, 08:30 AM

Updated Oct 06, 2026, 09:11 AM

SINGAPORE – Lower prices have long drawn Singapore customers to beauty salons across the Causeway, and this is only set to increase when the Johor Bahru–Singapore RTS Link opens in 2027 .

With the journey between Woodlands North and Bukit Chagar taking just minutes, the new service could lead to Singapore consumers making 51% more round trips to JB a year, with beauty services listed as one of the top spending categories, a study released in July found.

In anticipation of this, some salons here have opted to improve their in-store experience and take their services directly to clients’ homes, betting that convenience and service quality will help them retain customers.

One example is Singapore facial salon Peachy Skin Bar, which offers facial treatments priced between $180 and $500.

“Instead of competing purely based on price, I’m finding ways to differentiate my facial business from other competitors in Singapore and Johor Bahru,” said owner Crystal Lee.

Her salon in Queen Street, founded in 2019, was recently renovated with pink walls and an open lounge area where customers can enjoy a free drink.

“The lounge is so that customers won’t feel trapped in a small room. I wanted my salon to resemble a summer destination where people can come to unwind,” said Lee, adding that her business is focusing on the overall customer experience rather than just the service itself.

As a value-add, she has also trained her staff to give customers a shoulder massage between stages of a facial, rather than leave them alone while waiting for the next step.

She noted that even before the RTS came into the picture, competition from JB had always existed, and that building good relationships with her customers has kept them coming back to her salon despite the higher price.

Asked if she would consider opening an outlet in JB, Lee said that she prefers to observe the market first.

“Opening an outlet in JB would require a lot of money and logistics. I’m not a hasty person, so I prefer to focus on my Singapore outlet for now,” she said.

Still, she noted that customers are now more price sensitive and unpredictable.

“The RTS intensifies the convenience factor, but we can’t predict how they will behave once it opens. We can only brace ourselves,” she said.

Other local beauty businesses are also upping their game by doubling down on the Singapore market.

Eyelash salon Perky Lash, which has four salons in Singapore, has operated an outlet in Johor Bahru City Square mall since 2024.

“Prices at our JB outlet are 20 to 30 per cent lower than our Singapore outlets,” said founder Jasmin Tay, adding that 80% its customers are Singaporeans.

Jasmin Tay, CEO of Perky Lash, has launched a home visit service in Singapore, where staff offer eye-lash services in homes, offices and even hospitals. ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH

Jasmin Tay, CEO of Perky Lash, has launched a home visit service in Singapore, where staff offer eye-lash services in homes, offices and even hospitals.

ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH

But rather than opening a second outlet in JB, Perky Lash plans to give its customers here less reason to make the trip across the Causeway.

In April, it launched a home visit service here, where staff offer lash services in homes, offices and even hospitals.

“Singaporean customers are very time-starved. Even by opening more outlets, our reach to customers who may not have time to travel to us is limited. With home visits, we hope to broaden our customer base,” said Tay.

She added that lashes are a regular maintenance beauty service rather than a one-off service.

“Customers tend to stick to the lash artists they already know and trust,” said Tay. “They value trust and consistency, rather than just the price.”

Shiyun Teo, founder of Picasso Hair Studio, which opened in 2014, said that as competition from across the Causeway intensifies, businesses here must give customers compelling reasons beyond price to choose them.

“We don’t have any immediate plans to open in Johor Bahru, although I wouldn’t completely rule it out in the future,” said Teo.

Like Tay, she reckons that convenience and time will play an important role in attracting customers.

“Our Novena outlet, for example, is surrounded by condominiums and tuition centres. We have parents who drop their children off for tuition and use that time to get their hair done,” Teo said.

“For these customers, maximising their time can sometimes be more important than saving money.

“Even with the RTS making JB more accessible, there is still travelling time involved, so I don’t think the decision to cross the Causeway will be purely about comparing prices.”

Teo said that choosing a local hair studio gives customers the assurance that their salon and stylist are nearby should any adjustments be needed, saving them another trip across the border.

“I do expect the RTS to create more competition, but I also think it pushes Singapore businesses to be clearer about what value they provide beyond being the cheapest option,” she added.

“For us, that value is in the quality of the work, the design, the relationship with our customers, and the assurance we provide after the service.”

Shiyun Teo, founder of Picasso Hair Studio, reckons that convenience and time will play an important role in attracting customers. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY

Shiyun Teo, founder of Picasso Hair Studio, reckons that convenience and time will play an important role in attracting customers.

RTS/Rapid Transit System Link

Peachy Skin Bar 的首席执行官 Crystal Lee 最近对沙龙进行了翻新，采用了粉红色的墙壁和开放式休息区，顾客可以在那里享用免费饮品。

《海峡时报》照片：张马克

发布于2026年10月6日上午8:30

更新于2026年10月6日上午9:11

新加坡——长期以来，较低的价格一直吸引着新加坡顾客前往新柔长堤对岸的美容院，而随着柔佛新山-新加坡RTS连接线于2027年开通，这种情况只会更加普遍。

7 月份发布的一项研究发现，从兀兰北到武吉查卡的旅程只需几分钟，这项新服务可能会使新加坡消费者每年往返新山的次数增加 51%，而美容服务被列为消费最多的类别之一。

为了应对这种情况，这里的一些美发沙龙选择改善店内体验，并将服务直接送到客户家中，他们相信便利性和服务质量将有助于留住客户。

例如，新加坡的美容沙龙 Peachy Skin Bar 提供的面部护理价格在 180 美元到 500 美元之间。

“与其单纯地打价格战，我更想找到方法让我的美容护理业务与新加坡和新山的其他竞争对手区分开来，”店主Crystal Lee说道。

她在皇后街的沙龙成立于 2019 年，最近进行了翻新，墙壁是粉红色的，还有一个开放式的休息区，顾客可以在那里享用免费饮料。

“设置休息室是为了让顾客不会感到被困在狭小的房间里。我希望我的沙龙能像一个夏日度假胜地，让人们可以来这里放松身心，”李女士说道，并补充说，她的业务重点在于整体的客户体验，而不仅仅是服务本身。

为了增加服务价值，她还培训员工在面部护理的各个步骤之间为顾客提供肩部按摩，而不是在等待下一步时让顾客独自一人。

她指出，即使在RTS出现之前，来自JB的竞争也一直存在，而与顾客建立良好的关系，使得顾客即使价格较高也会继续光顾她的沙龙。

当被问及是否会考虑在柔佛州新山开设分店时，李女士表示，她更倾向于先观察市场。

“在柔佛州新山开设分店需要大量的资金和物流支持。我不是个急于求成的人，所以目前我更愿意专注于新加坡的分店，”她说道。

不过，她也指出，现在的顾客对价格更加敏感，而且消费习惯也更加难以预测。

“RTS的开通无疑会提升便利性，但我们无法预测人们在它开通后的行为。我们只能做好准备。”她说道。

其他本地美容企业也在加大力度开拓新加坡市场，以提升自身竞争力。

美睫沙龙 Perky Lash 在新加坡拥有四家分店，自 2024 年起在柔佛新山城市广场购物中心开设了一家分店。

“我们新山分店的价格比新加坡分店的价格低 20% 到 30%。”创始人 Jasmin Tay 表示，并补充说，其 80% 的顾客是新加坡人。

Perky Lash首席执行官Jasmin Tay在新加坡推出了上门美睫服务，员工可前往客户家中、办公室甚至医院提供美睫服务。（海峡时报摄影：JASON QUAH）

Perky Lash 的首席执行官 Jasmin Tay 在新加坡推出了上门服务，员工可在家庭、办公室甚至医院提供睫毛服务。

《海峡时报》摄影：JASON QUAH

但Perky Lash并没有打算在JB开设第二家分店，而是计划减少这里的顾客前往新山的理由。

今年四月，该公司在这里推出了上门服务，员工可以在家庭、办公室甚至医院提供美睫服务。

“新加坡顾客非常忙碌。即使开设更多门店，我们能触及到的顾客也有限，因为他们可能没有时间亲自到店。我们希望通过上门服务来扩大客户群体，”Tay说道。

她补充说，睫毛嫁接是一种需要定期保养的美容服务，而不是一次性服务。

Tay表示：“顾客往往更倾向于选择他们认识和信任的美睫师。他们更看重信任和稳定性，而不仅仅是价格。”

Picasso Hair Studio 的创始人 Shiyun Teo 表示，随着来自海峡对岸的竞争日益激烈，本地企业必须给顾客提供价格以外的充分理由，才能让他们选择自己。Picasso Hair Studio 于 2014 年开业。

“我们目前没有在柔佛新山开设分店的计划，不过我不会完全排除未来开设分店的可能性，”Teo说道。

和Tay一样，她认为便利性和时间将在吸引顾客方面发挥重要作用。

“例如，我们诺维娜分店周围都是公寓和补习中心。有些家长会把孩子送到补习班，然后利用这段时间做头发，”Teo说道。

对于这些客户而言，最大限度地利用时间有时比省钱更重要。

“即使新柔长堤让前往新山变得更加便捷，但仍然需要花费一些时间，所以我认为人们决定是否过堤道并不完全取决于价格比较。”

Teo表示，选择本地美发工作室可以让顾客放心，如果需要任何调整，他们的沙龙和造型师就在附近，省去了他们再次跨境的麻烦。

她补充说：“我确实认为RTS会带来更多竞争，但我也认为它会促使新加坡企业更清楚地认识到，除了价格最低之外，他们还能提供哪些价值。”

“对我们而言，价值体现在工作质量、设计、与客户的关系以及我们提供的售后服务保障上。”

Picasso Hair Studio 的创始人 Shiyun Teo 认为，便利性和时间优势将在吸引顾客方面发挥重要作用。（海峡时报摄影：GIN TAY）

Picasso Hair Studio 的创始人 Shiyun Teo 认为，便利性和时间将在吸引顾客方面发挥重要作用。

RTS/快速交通系统连接