---
title: "Sola Salons Pairs Franchisee Expansion with New Vagaro Tech Partnership to Drive Next Phase of Growth"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/84d99dff-9e3c-4a68-9671-34f3cbda7503
source: "Franchising.com"
original_url: https://www.franchising.com/news/20260709_sola_salons_pairs_franchisee_expansion_with_new_vagaro_tech_partnership_to_.html
category: "Hair & salon suites"
industry: "Beauty & Wellness"
segment: "Hair & salon suites"
topics: ["Development & multi-unit","Technology"]
published: 2026-07-09T12:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-10-31T14:43:32.473Z
image: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1551836022-deb4988cc6c0?w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop
---

# Sola Salons Pairs Franchisee Expansion with New Vagaro Tech Partnership to Drive Next Phase of Growth

**TL;DR:** Sola Salons is expanding its franchise with new signings and studio openings, and has launched a technology partnership with Vagaro to support its franchisees and independent beauty professionals. The brand has signed new agreements with several franchisees, including Warren Simmons, Meghan and Jeff Wallace, and Shay Stevenson, and has opened new locations in Florida and New York.

*originally published in Franchising.com on 2026-07-09. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/news/20260709_sola_salons_pairs_franchisee_expansion_with_new_vagaro_tech_partnership_to_.html).*

## Story

DENVER, July 7, 2026 // PRNewswire // -- Sola Salons is carrying its early-year momentum into Q2 with a wave of franchise signings, a studio opening, and the launch of a technology partnership with Vagaro that is redefining what it means to be a Sola professional.

"When existing franchisees continue to invest and expand with Sola, it speaks volumes about the strength of the model and the opportunity they see ahead," said John Pantera, VP of Franchise Development. "This quarter's signings reflect that continued confidence, with current owners expanding their presence in key markets across the country. With the launch of mySOLA powered by Vagaro, we're also strengthening the support we provide to franchisees and independent beauty professionals through an integrated platform designed to help grow their businesses and simplify day-to-day operations."

The brand's Q2 activity includes new agreements:

- **Warren Simmons, Gwen Simmons and Warren Simmons Sr.,** who signed a three-unit agreement in Northern Virginia

- **Meghan and Jeff Wallace**, who signed a two-unit agreement in Southern Orange County, California

- **Shay Stevenson, Brett Bortolussi and Shawna Bortolussi**, with a new location in Fort Worth, Texas

Sola opened new locations in Florida and New York. In Dania Beach, Florida, Jose Goas debuted his first Sola location. Since opening on June 6, the studio has achieved majority occupancy and strong mySOLA adoption among its professionals, exceeding benchmarks in its first weeks. In New York City, Karl Baumert opened his third Sola location, marking the brand's top ranking in system-wide studio openings, its top ranking in the U.S. and top ranking in New York.

This continued Q2 momentum is accompanied by a technology partnership that further strengthens the Sola value proposition. Sola Salons and Vagaro, the leading business software for the beauty, wellness and fitness industries, have teamed up to launch mySOLA powered by Vagaro, a platform designed to integrate booking, payments, marketing, client acquisition and business management tools into a single ecosystem. For Sola professionals, it represents a meaningful enhancement to an already compelling proposition.

As the brand looks ahead to 2026, Sola continues to engage with multi-unit operators in several high-demand markets, including Houston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Phoenix.

## Entities

- Franchising.com (publication)
- franchise expansion (topic)
- Beauty & Wellness (sector)
- multi-unit development (topic)
- beauty industry (topic)
- Sola Salons (company)
- John Pantera (person)
- technology partnership (topic)
- Vagaro (company)
- Warren Simmons (person)
- Shay Stevenson (person)
- Brett Bortolussi (person)

---
Originally reported by Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/news/20260709_sola_salons_pairs_franchisee_expansion_with_new_vagaro_tech_partnership_to_.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/84d99dff-9e3c-4a68-9671-34f3cbda7503).