SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · CALIFORNIA
WAXING THE CITY franchise in California: what the public record shows
Franchisees of WAXING THE CITY in California have taken 8 SBA loans since 1991 (average $453,500)— too few resolved loans in-state to publish a local failure rate (we require a resolved cohort, never extrapolate), so the brand's national rate of 17.4% is the better guide.
Loans in CA
8
Resolved
1
Local charge-off
thin
National charge-off
17.4%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = CA. Charge-off rate = charged-off ÷ (charged-off + paid-in-full); open loans excluded. A local rate is published only when the resolved cohort clears our floor of 30 loans.
Businesses in this industry
9,298
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
23.6
national 26.6
Versus the country
-11%
thinner
Every business in WAXING THE CITY's industry operating in California — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across 198 brand-state cells in our loan data, the densest quartile charges off at 5.6% versus 18.1% in the thinnest. A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.
| System | Loans in CA | Local charge-off | Units in CA |
|---|---|---|---|
| GREAT CLIPS | 65 | 14.0% | — |
| European Wax Centers-Galleria | 49 | 3.1% | — |
| Fantastic Sams | 47 | 17.9% | — |
| Planet Beach | 35 | 62.5% | — |
| SUPERCUTS | 32 | 0.0% | 318 |
| Amazing Lash Studio | 29 | 22.7% | 34 |
| The Lash Lounge | 15 | thin | — |
| 18/8 Fine Men'S Salons | 13 | 0.0% | — |
| Hand and Stone Massage and Facial Spa | 10 | thin | — |
| THE NOW | 9 | thin | — |
| Elements Therapeutic Massage | 8 | thin | — |
| Hollywood Tans | 8 | thin | — |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how WAXING THE CITY compares to the systems a buyer in California would actually be choosing between. Local rates under 10 resolved loans are marked thin, not hidden.
A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. An independent CPA is paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing WAXING THE CITY's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.
Talk to an independent CPA before you buy →