Sugared + Bronzed Reached 50 Locations

The beauty service chain scaled to 10 markets by prioritizing in-house training and long-term bootstrapping.

Updated on Sept. 30, 2026 in Openings & Closings

Minimalist service studio with polished wood floors, neutral walls, and a sculptural light fixture above a central table. — Sugared + Bronzed, a beauty service chain specializing in tanning and sugaring, has expanded to 50 retail locations across 10 U.S. markets as of August 2026. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Sugared + Bronzed reached its 50th retail location in August 2026, marking a significant expansion for the chain across 10 U.S. markets. The firm, which initially operated as a self-funded venture, has grown to employ more than 600 women since its founding in 2010.

Why it matters

The company’s growth trajectory demonstrates the viability of scaling service-based retail models through intense focus on internal training and consistency. By remaining bootstrapped for its first nine years, the firm maintained operational control while building the service infrastructure required to hit a million-service threshold.

The company reached 50 total locations after performing more than 1 million services over the past two years. This scale was achieved after the business launched with a $1,000 initial investment and added 600 women to its workforce.

The players

Sugared + Bronzed

A beauty services chain specializing in airbrush tanning and sugaring that operates 50 locations across 10 U.S. markets.

Courtney Claghorn

The founder of Sugared + Bronzed who grew the firm from a $1,000 startup to a national chain.

The details

The business operates a standardized service model focused on airbrush tanning and sugaring. To maintain quality across 50 units, the company developed an in-house training program for all technicians rather than relying on external talent pools. This centralized operational control helped the founder transition from a single-apartment operation in 2010 to a multi-state retail presence.

Courtney Claghorn started the business from her apartment in 2010.
The first retail storefront opened on Montana Avenue in 2012.
The company received its first outside investment in 2019.
The company reached its 50th location in August 2026.

Market Landscape

The firm’s development follows the classic bootstrap-to-scale retail growth model by delaying outside investment until after the tenth unit was established. This approach prioritizes operational stability over the rapid, capital-intensive expansion often seen in modern retail beauty roll-ups.

Operators in service retail should note the correlation between proprietary training programs and successful geographic scaling. Protecting core service standards via in-house education is a primary driver for maintaining margins when moving beyond a single, owner-operated location.

The takeaway

Maintaining strict operational control in the early years allowed for a more consistent service delivery model at scale. Managers should evaluate their own training infrastructure to determine if it is robust enough to support multi-location growth without compromising quality.