How the Best of Indy Beauty 2026 Awards Work

The awards are based on public Google ratings and review counts as of Sep 2025. We don't use our own reviews, surveys or votes.

Results were computed once, on October 3, 2026, and frozen, so winners don't shift from week to week. We only change them to fix a reported error.

Ranking by star rating alone rewards a business with three perfect reviews over one with a 4.9 across 600. So we use a Bayesian weighted rating, which pulls ratings with few reviews toward the category average:

score = (v ÷ (v + m)) × R + (m ÷ (v + m)) × C

• R is the business's Google rating.
• v is its number of Google reviews.
• C is the average rating of every independent business in the same category group, across all award areas, with at least 20 reviews.
• m is the median number of reviews among the group's eligible businesses. A business with a typical number of reviews is scored half on its own rating and half on the group average; the more reviews it has, the more its own rating counts.

For example, among barbershops (m = 121, C = 4.67), a perfect 5.0 from 20 reviews scores 4.72, while a 4.8 from 300 reviews scores 4.76, so the business with the long track record ranks higher.

• At least 20 Google reviews and a rating of 4.3 or higher.
• Independent businesses only. Chains and franchises (Great Clips, Ulta, European Wax Center, Massage Envy and similar) and salon-suite brands are excluded.
• An approved, active listing in the Indy Beauty directory.
• Located in Indiana, in one of the award areas below. Tattoo and piercing studios and beauty-supply stores aren't ranked.
• Businesses that had opted out of Indy Beauty emails when we computed the results aren't listed.

We group by what the business does, using its category and name. Directory categories are broad, so a listing whose name says lashes, brows, microblading, threading or permanent makeup is ranked under Lashes & Brows; skin, aesthetics, med spa, waxing, sugaring, laser or facials under Spas, Skin & Waxing; and nails under Nail Salons. A hair salon or barbershop whose name also says hair or barber stays where it is.

• Hair Salons: Hair salons and beauty salons, minus anything whose name shows it's a lash, brow, nail, skin or waxing business.
• Barbershops: Barbershops.
• Nail Salons: Nail salons, plus any listing whose name says nails.
• Lashes & Brows: Lash, brow, microblading, threading and permanent-makeup studios, identified by name in any category.
• Spas, Skin & Waxing: Spas and wellness, skin care, medical spas and aesthetics, massage therapy, waxing, sugaring and laser.
• Makeup Artists: Makeup artists (permanent makeup counts as Lashes & Brows).

• Indianapolis: Indianapolis, Lawrence, Speedway, Beech Grove, Castleton.
• Carmel: Carmel.
• Fishers: Fishers, McCordsville.
• Noblesville: Noblesville, Sheridan.
• Westfield & Zionsville: Westfield, Zionsville, Whitestown.
• Greenwood: Greenwood, New Whiteland, Franklin.
• West Side: Brownsburg, Avon, Plainfield, Camby.
• Indy Metro: every area above, ranked together.

We only publish a list when at least 5 businesses in that category and area are eligible. Each list names up to 10 winners in Indianapolis and the Indy Metro, and up to 5 everywhere else, and never more than half of the eligible businesses (rounded up).

One spot per business per list. When a business has several locations, only its best-ranked location appears on each list.

Ties are broken by more reviews, then the higher raw rating, then alphabetically by name.

We don't email businesses that opt out, and any business can ask to be removed from the list.

If a business closed, is listed in the wrong category or area, or is part of a chain we missed, tell us and we'll fix it.