Waxing the City Franchise Review 2026: Costs, Fees, News, Average Revenues and/or Profits

Ambrosio’s Take

Waxing the City operates studio-based hair removal and skin care shops built around a Club Orange monthly membership program, which generated 38.3% of 2025 gross revenues. Against a $339,945 to $646,195 investment range, the 138 franchised studios open all year averaged $478,025 in gross revenues in 2025, producing a 1:1 sales-to-investment ratio. That average fell 7.1% from 2024, on top of a 5.4% decline the year before, as average monthly unique customers dropped 7.8% (from 617 to 569) while the average ticket stayed essentially flat at $63. Results vary widely: the top quartile of studios averaged $789,207 versus $204,576 for the bottom quartile, a 3.9x gap. Waxing the City does not disclose operating expenses or profit, so sales are the main performance data available. The system still grew by a net 16 franchised studios in 2025, reaching 167.

Ambrosio’s Take is a new feature on all Franchise Chatter FDD Talk posts based on the 2026 FDD.

In this exclusive Franchise Chatter FDD Talk post, you’ll learn the following:

Section I – Estimated initial investment (franchise costs) for a Waxing the City franchise, based on Item 7 of the company’s 2026 FDD

Section II – Initial franchise fee, royalty fee, and marketing fee for a Waxing the City franchise, based on Items 5 and 6 of the company’s 2026 FDD

Section III – Number of franchised and company-owned Waxing the City outlets at the start of the year and the end of the year for 2023, 2024, and 2025, based on Item 20 of the company’s 2026 FDD

Section IV – News updates on the Waxing the City franchise opportunity

Section V – Presentation and analysis of Waxing the City’s financial performance representations (average revenues and/or profits), based on Item 19 of the company’s 2026 FDD, including information on the:

• 2025 average, median, highest, and lowest gross revenues for the top 1/4, second 1/4, third 1/4, bottom 1/4, and all 138 franchised Waxing the City studios that were open and operating for the entire 12 month period ended December 31, 2025

• 2025 average, median, highest, and lowest Club Orange gross revenues for the top 1/4, second 1/4, third 1/4, bottom 1/4, and all 138 franchised Waxing the City studios that were open and operating for the entire 12 month period ended December 31, 2025

• 2025 average, median, highest, and lowest monthly unique customers for the 138 franchised Waxing the City studios that were open and operating for the entire 12 month period ended December 31, 2025

• 2025 average, median, highest, and lowest ticket gross revenues for the 138 franchised Waxing the City studios that were open and operating for the entire 12 month period ended December 31, 2025

• 2025 average, median, highest, and lowest retail gross revenues and retail attach rate for the 138 franchised Waxing the City studios that were open and operating for the entire 12 month period ended December 31, 2025

Section VI – Key ratios, comparables, computations, and analyses for the Waxing the City franchise opportunity (exclusive content for Platinum subscribers)

Section I – Waxing the City Franchise Costs

• Waxing the City franchise costs, based on Item 7 of the company’s 2026 FDD:

• Initial Franchise Fee:  $42,500
• Travel and Living Expenses While Training:  $1,395 to $2,640
• Leasehold Improvements:  $114,200 to $277,720
• 3 Months’ Rent and Security Deposit:  $18,200 to $30,300
• Construction Management Fees:  $0 to $12,500
• Architect/Design Fees:  $11,085 to $21,530
• Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment:  $39,405 to $59,809
• Office Supplies:  $3,500 to $4,500
• Technology Package and Licenses:  $13,084 to $25,806
• Interior and Exterior Signage:  $16,500 to $34,800
• Initial Retail Inventory:  $5,578 to $6,108
• Initial Waxing Supply Inventory:  $8,078 to $8,372
• Grand Opening Advertising:  $25,000
• Insurance:  $2,550 to $2,850
• Miscellaneous Expenses:  $4,270 to $7,100
• Additional Funds and Working Capital for First 3 Months:  $34,600 to $84,660
• Total Estimated Waxing the City Franchise Costs:  $339,945 to $646,195

Section II – Waxing the City’s Initial Franchise Fee, Royalty Fee, and Marketing Fee

• Waxing the City’s initial franchise fee, royalty fee, and marketing fee, based on Items 5 and 6 of the company’s 2026 FDD:

• Initial Franchise Fee:  $33,750 to $42,500

• Royalty Fee:  greater of (a) the Minimum Royalty Fee ($100/week), or (b) 6% of Gross Revenue

• General Advertising and Marketing Fund Contributions:  currently 2% of your Gross Revenue each month

• Local Advertising:  $1,500 per month. Waxing the City may charge a one-time setup fee of up to $350 if it conducts the local marketing on your behalf.

Section III – Number of Franchised and Company-Owned Waxing the City Outlets

Franchised

2023

• Outlets at the Start of the Year:  133
• Outlets at the End of the Year:  150
• Net Change:  +17

2024

• Outlets at the Start of the Year:  150
• Outlets at the End of the Year:  151
• Net Change:  +1

2025

• Outlets at the Start of the Year:  151
• Outlets at the End of the Year:  167
• Net Change:  +16

Company-Owned

2023

• Outlets at the Start of the Year:  6
• Outlets at the End of the Year:  0
• Net Change:  -6

2024

• Outlets at the Start of the Year:  0
• Outlets at the End of the Year:  0
• Net Change:  0

2025

• Outlets at the Start of the Year:  0
• Outlets at the End of the Year:  0
• Net Change:  0

Section IV – News Updates on the Waxing the City Franchise

• Create the Life You Want in 2025 With a Waxing the City Franchise

• Stephanie Schon Takes the Helm at Waxing the City

• Waxing the City Excels in Hair Removal and Skin Care

• Waxing the City Ranked No. 494 on Entrepreneur’s 2026 Franchise 500 List

Section V – Financial Performance Representations (Average Revenues and/or Profits) for the Waxing the City Franchise (Item 19, 2026 FDD)

• As of December 31, 2025, there were 167 franchised Waxing Studios in the Waxing the City system. This number does not include 15 Waxing Studios that permanently closed during the Relevant Time Period. Of those Waxing Studios, four closed before operating for at least 12 months, two of which opened and closed in 2025.

• The historical financial information in the charts below is taken from the 138 franchised Waxing Studios that were open and operating for the entire 12 month period ended December 31, 2025 (the “Relevant Time Period”). Waxing the City refers to these 138 Waxing Studios as the “Studios” in this Item 19. The earliest Studio began operating in 2003 and the latest in 2024.

• Gross Revenues as used in this Item 19 includes all revenues of the Studio reported to Waxing the City in 2025, excluding bona fide refunds, credits given or allowed to customers for the return of merchandise, and amounts collected from customers and remitted to a governmental taxing authority in satisfaction of sales taxes; however, chargebacks are not deducted from the calculation of Gross Revenues.

• This is the definition of Gross Revenues in Waxing the City’s Franchise Agreement. However, Waxing the City has denoted in the charts below those instances where Gross Revenues are calculated specific to a certain item, such as Club Orange memberships, Tickets, or Retail product sale.

• The information in the charts below was derived from information reported to Waxing the City by the Studios for the Relevant Time Period.

Part 1 – Total Gross Revenues

All 138 Studios

• Average Total Gross Revenues:  $478,025
• Number/Percentage That Met or Exceeded Average Total Gross Revenues:  63/46%
• Median Total Gross Revenues:  $457,222
• Highest Total Gross Revenues:  $1,159,131
• Lowest Total Gross Revenues:  $60,168

Top 1/4 (34 Studios)

• Average Total Gross Revenues:  $789,207
• Number/Percentage That Met or Exceeded Average Total Gross Revenues:  14/41%
• Median Total Gross Revenues:  $769,533
• Highest Total Gross Revenues:  $1,159,131
• Lowest Total Gross Revenues:  $614,881

Second 1/4 (35 Studios)

• Average Total Gross Revenues:  $537,453
• Number/Percentage That Met or Exceeded Average Total Gross Revenues:  16/46%
• Median Total Gross Revenues:  $534,768
• Highest Total Gross Revenues:  $606,128
• Lowest Total Gross Revenues:  $459,658

Third 1/4 (35 Studios)

• Average Total Gross Revenues:  $381,939
• Number/Percentage That Met or Exceeded Average Total Gross Revenues:  19/54%
• Median Total Gross Revenues:  $389,122
• Highest Total Gross Revenues:  $454,787
• Lowest Total Gross Revenues:  $285,325

Bottom 1/4 (34 Studios)

• Average Total Gross Revenues:  $204,576
• Number/Percentage That Met or Exceeded Average Total Gross Revenues:  17/50%
• Median Total Gross Revenues:  $208,752
• Highest Total Gross Revenues:  $276,572
• Lowest Total Gross Revenues:  $60,168

• Average Gross Revenues of the Studios was calculated by determining the total amount of Gross Revenues of these Studios for the Relevant Time Period and dividing that amount by the total number of these Studios. This same calculation was used to determine the Average Gross Revenues for each group of Studios in each quartile.

Part 2 – Club Orange Gross Revenues

All 138 Studios

• Average Gross Revenues:  $183,094
• Number/Percentage That Met or Exceeded Average Gross Revenues:  61/44%
• Median Gross Revenues:  $172,313
• Highest Gross Revenues:  $556,956
• Lowest Gross Revenues:  $94

Top 1/4 (34 Studios)

• Average Gross Revenues:  $318,863
• Number/Percentage That Met or Exceeded Average Gross Revenues:  17/50%
• Median Gross Revenues:  $312,601
• Highest Gross Revenues:  $556,956
• Lowest Gross Revenues:  $99,800

Second 1/4 (35 Studios)

• Average Gross Revenues:  $211,754
• Number/Percentage That Met or Exceeded Average Gross Revenues:  14/41%
• Median Gross Revenues:  $204,645
• Highest Gross Revenues:  $320,256
• Lowest Gross Revenues:  $64,345

Third 1/4 (35 Studios)

• Average Gross Revenues:  $142,210
• Number/Percentage That Met or Exceeded Average Gross Revenues:  20/57%
• Median Gross Revenues:  $146,512
• Highest Gross Revenues:  $280,145
• Lowest Gross Revenues:  $94

Bottom 1/4 (34 Studios)

• Average Gross Revenues:  $59,909
• Number/Percentage That Met or Exceeded Average Gross Revenues:  14/41%
• Median Gross Revenues:  $54,728
• Highest Gross Revenues:  $120,538
• Lowest Gross Revenues:  $11,932

• Club Orange refers to the Waxing the City Club Orange membership program, which is a monthly subscription service that provides the member with discounts on designated services and retail products, and other benefits in exchange for the payment of a monthly subscription fee. The Gross Revenues information in this chart is the Gross Revenues from payment of these monthly fees for the Relevant Time Period.

• Waxing the City had one Studio that did not participate in the Club Orange program, but Waxing the City included that Studio in the data because this Studio had a small amount of Club Orange revenue as a result of cross center redemption.

• Club Orange Average Gross Revenues of the Studios was calculated in the same manner as Gross Revenues were calculated in the first chart above for all Studios and for each group of Studios in each quartile.

• 38.3% of the total Gross Revenues of the Studios was from monthly subscription payments for the Club Orange memberships of these Studios. 61 or 44% of the Studios met or exceeded this percentage. This percentage was determined by dividing the total Gross Revenues attributable to monthly subscription payments for the Club Orange memberships of all Studios by the total Gross Revenues of these Studios.

Part 3 – Monthly Unique Customers

• Waxing the City also tracks unique customers for its Waxing studios. Monthly unique customers per Studio is the number of customers in a month who paid for a good, service, or membership at that visit, but disregards repeat visits in the same month to the same studio.

• The Average Monthly Unique Customers Per Studio is the average of all Studios’ monthly averages of unique customers during the Relevant Time Period.

• The Average Monthly Unique Customers per Studio during the Relevant Time Period was 569, the median was 556, the lowest was 74, the highest was 1,384, and the number/percentage of the Studios that met or exceeded the average was 67 or 49%.

Part 4 – Ticket

Average (138 Studios)

• Average Ticket Gross Revenues:  $63
• Number/Percentage That Met or Exceeded Average Ticket Gross Revenues:  65/47%
• Median Ticket Gross Revenues:  $63
• Highest Average Ticket Gross Revenues:  $84
• Lowest Average Ticket Gross Revenues:  $48

• A “ticket” is the invoice provided by a Waxing studio to a customer showing the services performed for, and products purchased by, the customer during that visit, excluding taxes, along with an itemized and total amount due.

• Average Ticket Gross Revenues of the Studios is calculated by determining the average ticket for each of these Studios for the Relevant Time Period, which is calculated by dividing the total Gross Revenue for each Studio by the total number of tickets for each Studio, and then averaging the average ticket across all Studios.

Part 5 – Retail Gross Revenues and Retail Attach Rate Information

Average (138 Studios)

• Average Gross Revenues:  $21,678
• Number/Percentage That Met or Exceeded Average Gross Revenues:  60/43%
• Median Gross Revenues:  $24,081
• Highest Gross Revenues:  $80,935
• Lowest Gross Revenues:  $1,369
• Retail Attach Rate:  12%

• This chart provides information related to the sale of retail products by the Studios to customers of these Studios during the Relevant Time Period. Waxing the City considers a “retail product” to be any item purchased by a customer that is not a service.

• Average Gross Revenues of the Studios were calculated by determining the total amount of Gross Revenues from the sale of retail products of these Studios for the Relevant Time Period and dividing that amount by the total number of Studios.

• Retail Attach Rate is the percentage of tickets issued by the Studios that included the sale of at least one retail product. This percentage was determined by dividing the total amount of tickets that included the sale of at least one retail product of the Studios by the total number of tickets of these Studios. 60 or 43% of the Studios met or exceeded this Retail Attach Rate.

• Some Waxing Studios have sold these amounts. Your individual results may differ. There is no assurance that you’ll sell as much.

• Percentages were rounded to the nearest whole percent and dollar amounts to the nearest dollar.

• The information disclosed in this Item 19 does not reflect the cost of sales, operating expenses, or other costs or expenses that must be deducted from the Gross Revenues information to calculate net income or profit.

• All of the Studios offered substantially the same products and services as you are expected to offer other than the one Studio referenced above that was not participating in the Club Orange program.

Section VI – Waxing the City Franchise Ratios, Comparables, Computations, and Analyses (Exclusive Content for Platinum Subscribers) ⬇️