Waxing the City

The vendor opportunity at Waxing the City

Waxing the City operates 167 franchised personal-services studios, with no company-owned locations on file. The brand posted a 10.6% year-over-year unit growth rate, and the average unit volume (AUV) sits at $478,025. For software vendors, the addressable market is defined by those 167 locations, all run by single-unit operators—62 mapped operators control roughly 62 located units, with no multi-unit franchisees in the system. The top states by unit count are California (10), Texas (6), Georgia (4), Florida (3), and Maryland (3). The franchisor appears independently owned, with no parent company disclosed.

Who controls software purchasing

Purchasing authority is centralized at the franchisor level. The FDD Item 1 names Thomas Leverton as Chief Executive Officer and Robert Gunkel as Interim Chief Financial Officer. Luis Terife serves as Chief Commercial Officer, a role likely to influence operational technology decisions. Board members Dave Mortensen and Charles Runyon are also listed. Because the system mandates specific technology platforms, any vendor selling into this franchise must engage HQ decision-makers rather than individual studio owners. The single-unit operator base means no large franchisee groups hold independent purchasing sway.

Mandated and current tech stack

The FDD mandates two technology categories. First, a proprietary data management and intranet system is required. Second, a studio management and point-of-sale (“POS”) software is mandated. The specific vendor names for these systems are not disclosed in the most recent FDD. This mandated stack means any competing or adjacent software—such as scheduling, CRM, payroll, or marketing tools—must either integrate with the existing mandated platforms or win a replacement cycle at the franchisor level.

Procurement, renewals, and timing

Item 8 procurement signals are not available in the FDD extract, so the designated-supplier versus approved-supplier model remains undisclosed. The initial franchise agreement runs for 6 years. Renewal is possible for an additional 5-year period, but the renewal terms are explicit: the franchisee must sign a new franchise agreement that may contain materially different terms, including a potential reduction in protected territory size. This renewal trigger creates a natural window where the franchisor can introduce new technology requirements or renegotiate vendor relationships. Franchisees must also complete any required refreshing training and show they have the right to remain in possession of their location.

How to read the Waxing the City FDD

The 2026 Waxing the City Franchise Disclosure Document is the primary source for all data cited here. It details the executive team in Item 1, the mandated technology systems in Item 11, and the renewal conditions in Item 17. The document is filed with state franchise regulators and is available in full through the embedded viewer on this page. For vendors building a go-to-market strategy, the FDD provides the factual baseline on unit counts, ownership structure, and contractual triggers that shape software purchasing timelines.

For a ranked target list of franchise systems matched to your software category, FranCloud can help.