Profitability per hour is the economic result generated by a cabin or professional during an effective hour of work. It is used to compare services that have different prices and durations.
Saying “this treatment generates €50/h” is ambiguous. It can mean sales per hour, margin per hour, or profit per hour. To make decisions, it is advisable to calculate all three and name them correctly.
Three metrics that are not equivalent
| Metric | Calculation | What is it for |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly billing | Net price ÷ total hours | Measure commercial production. |
| Contribution margin per hour | Net price − variable costs, divided by hours | Know how much it contributes to the structure. |
| Result per hour | Net price − all allocated costs, divided by hours | Compare economic profitability. |
The result per hour must specify whether the professional's remuneration is already included in the costs.
Hourly profitability formula
Result per hour = (net price − products − consumables − variables − assigned structure) ÷ total duration in hours
The total duration includes reception, preparation, service, collection and cleaning when the professional or the cabin is blocked.
How to calculate time correctly
It measures a sample of actual appointments, not just the time indicated in the protocol. Register:
- job preparation;
- reception and diagnosis;
- execution;
- subsequent recommendations and payment;
- cleaning and replacement;
- Free touch-ups expected, prorated.
Use median or a conservative time if a few exceptionally long quotes distort the mean.
How to use metrics in your chart
Classify services in a simple matrix:
- high demand and high profitability per hour: protect availability and quality;
- high demand and low profitability: review price, time or cost;
- low demand and high profitability: improve communication or location on the menu;
- low demand and low profitability: rethink before promoting.
Don't automatically delete a service for a low figure. It can be the gateway, share preparation with another treatment or generate recurrence. Document this paper so as not to justify indefinitely a benefit that destroys margin.
Common errors
- divide the price with taxes by the time in the cabin;
- exclude preparation and cleaning;
- compare services with different cost criteria;
- consider as benefit what is intended to remunerate work;
- ignore cancellations and gaps when estimating the month;
- optimize speed at the expense of diagnosis or security.
Complement the analysis with the calculation of the margin and the formula for setting prices.
FAQ
What is profitability per hour in aesthetics?
It is the economic result that a service generates for each real hour of work or busy schedule. For it to be useful you must indicate whether you calculate billing, margin or profit per hour.
Should I use the price with VAT?
To analyze business performance, it is usually clearer to start from the price without VAT when this is applicable. The tax collected is not equivalent to the center's disposable income.
Do I include preparation and cleaning?
Yes. It includes all the time during which the position or professional cannot provide another service. Omitting it artificially inflates hourly profitability.
Is an expensive service always more profitable per hour?
No. It may take up more time, product, commission, or tinkering. Two services should be compared by the result they leave and by the total time they block.
What profitability per hour is good?
There is no universal threshold. It must be sufficient to cover the hourly structure, remunerate the work and leave the business profitability defined by the center.