Vertical runs and the shadow problem
A single strip above the mirror throws light down the face and leaves shadow under the brow, nose, and jaw. Vertical runs down both sides, at the height of a seated client's face, fill from the sides instead. Many salons run all three, two verticals plus a top run dimmed so it fills rather than dominates.
Set the tape into a channel with a diffuser. Bare emitters at eye level reflect back as a dotted line; a frosted lens spreads that into an even band. A deeper channel with a good lens reduces but does not guarantee removal of visible dots, since dot appearance also depends on LED density and channel depth. Our guide to bathroom mirror lighting covers the same geometry at residential scale.
One suitable option for a medium output vertical mirror run is the LEDClub 24V COB 300 Series; read CRI, lumens per foot, watts per foot, and cut interval off the product page and verify each before relying on it.
Tunable white and the warmer zones
The rest of the salon rarely wants station light. Reception, seating, retail shelving, and quiet treatment areas want a warmer tone at a lower level, an atmosphere and finish decision rather than a technical one.
Tunable white covers both ends from one installation, neutral in the working areas by day and warm at the front of house in the evening. The EnoLED 24V UniColor RGB+CCT COB strip covers both white tuning and color for feature walls; check its color temperature range, channel configuration, and control requirements (verify these before you rely on them). Compare white and color options across the LED strip light collection.
Zone the building so stations, reception, retail, and treatment areas each hold their own level. Verify dimming compatibility across strip, driver, controller, and any wall control, including minimum and maximum load, and keep control methods separate: a low voltage controller and a phase cut wall dimmer should not sit on the same circuit unless the documentation permits it.
The washing area, splash, and exact IP ratings
Shampoo bowls, steam, and spray bottles change the specification. Never treat a strip as waterproof in general terms; work from the exact rating printed on the product page. An IP65 rated product is built for water jets from any direction, an IP67 rated product for temporary immersion, and an IP20 product belongs nowhere near a bowl. Confirm the rating on the product you are buying (verify before you rely on it).
The tape rating is not the whole answer. Connections, end seals, the driver enclosure, and the mounting method all have to suit the environment, and local code has the final say in a wet or damp area. If a run crosses from a dry zone into a splash zone, treat it as two runs with two specifications.
Power, heat, and the electrical side
Total the station runs, front of house, and cove work into one figure. Watts per foot across that installed length gives the load, and the driver needs at least 20 percent headroom beyond it (verify the current guidance). Keep voltage matched exactly, 24V tape to a 24V driver. Every run goes back to the supply in parallel, not in series, so the last station holds the level of the first.
Strips give off heat. An aluminum channel helps dissipate it and gives the tape a finished edge where clients sit inches away, though a channel is never mandatory. Anything hardwired, any junction box, and any wall control is work for a licensed electrician following the manufacturer instructions, local code, and the NEC where applicable.
