Business insurance
Salon Insurance
cover for the treatments, the clients, the equipment and the staff of a hair or beauty salon
A package for a salon: cover if a treatment harms a client, liability to clients and staff, and the equipment and stock. The treatments you declare and the records you keep can decide a claim.
- Hair, beauty, nails and barbering
- Treatments, liability and equipment together
- Owners and teams with renters
- FCA authorised and regulated
Quick answerSalon insurance is a package of cover for a UK hair salon, barbershop or beauty salon. It can bring together treatment risks, public and products liability, and employers’ liability if you have staff, with contents, stock and options such as business interruption and glass. The treatments you offer and the records you keep shape the terms. Tell MyMoneyComparison.com about your salon once, and specialist UK brokers can come back with quotes.
This page is about hair, beauty and barbering businesses. Medical or injectable aesthetics can need specialist cover, touched on in our medical malpractice insurance page, and a shop that only sells products is on shop insurance.
At a glance
Salon Cover, in Brief
Six things that decide how salon insurance behaves, before any of the detail.
- Treatment risks
- Cover if a treatment harms a client
- Clients and staff
- Public, products and employers’ liability
- Records matter
- Patch tests and consultation forms support a claim
- Equipment and fit-out
- Chairs, basins, dryers and treatment beds
- Renters and staff
- Who insures whom, when chairs are rented
- Lost income
- Business interruption after insured damage
The basics
What Is Salon Insurance?
A combined policy for a salon or barbershop. Instead of buying each cover on its own, a salon policy puts the sections a salon is likely to need on one schedule, each with its own limit.
Treatment risks
Claims that a cut, colour, chemical or beauty treatment injured a client.
Public liability
Injury or damage to clients and others arising from your business.
Products liability
Injury caused by products you use or sell.
Employers’ liability
For staff who are injured or fall ill because of their work.
Contents and stock
Equipment, fit-out and retail products, against fire, theft and other insured events.
Business interruption
Lost income while insured damage stops or slows trading.
How it works
How Does Salon Insurance Work?
You describe the salon, the treatments and the people who work there, choose the sections and limits, and the insurer sets terms. Changes during the year are reported so the cover keeps up.
You describe the salon
The premises, the turnover, the staff and any renters, and the equipment and stock.
You list the treatments
Each service you offer, and the qualifications of the people who carry it out.
The insurer sets terms
The schedule lists the sections, the limits, the covered treatments and any conditions.
Changes are reported during the year
A new treatment, new staff, a renter joining or a move of premises can change the cover.
What it covers
What Does Salon Insurance Cover?
Treatment risks, liability to clients and staff, contents and stock, and a choice of extra sections such as business interruption, glass and money.
| Section | Where it sits | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Treatment risks | Core on salon policies | Only for the treatments listed on the schedule |
| Public and products liability | Core | The limit is set on your schedule |
| Employers’ liability | If you employ anyone | Covers injury or illness to staff |
| Contents and equipment | Included on some policies | Chairs, basins, dryers, beds and fit-out |
| Stock | Included on some policies | Retail and professional products |
| Business interruption | Optional on some policies | Income lost after insured damage |
| Glass and money | Optional | The shopfront and the takings |
| Legal expenses | Optional | Shown on the schedule where included |
Check every treatment is listed. Treatment cover applies to the services named on the schedule. A treatment added later and not declared may not be covered.
Exclusions
What Salon Insurance Does Not Include
Undeclared treatments, work by people without the qualifications the insurer asked for, gradual damage, and risks that need their own cover.
Undeclared treatments
Services not listed on the schedule.
Unqualified work
Treatments by staff without the qualifications the insurer requires.
Medical aesthetics
Injectables and similar procedures generally need specialist cover.
Wear, tear and breakdown
Ageing equipment and mechanical failure.
Self-employed renters
Chair or room renters generally need their own cover.
Theft without forced entry
Some policies pay theft only after forcible entry or exit.
Types
Which Salons Can Be Covered?
A wide range of hair and beauty businesses, from a single-chair barbershop to a salon with a full treatment menu. The treatments offered shape the terms.
Hair salons
Cutting, colouring and chemical treatments.
Barbershops
Cuts, shaves and beard work.
Beauty salons
Facials, waxing, lashes and brows.
Nail bars
Manicures, gels and acrylics.
Spas and treatment rooms
Massage and holistic therapies.
Training salons
Where students work on clients.
Selling products from a separate shop? Retail-only premises are covered on our shop insurance page.
Who it is for
Who Needs Salon Insurance
Anyone running a salon or barbershop from premises, whether they rent or own them, work alone or with a team.
Sole traders
Running a salon in their own name.
Limited companies
Insured in the company’s name.
Tenants of salon premises
With the lease in mind.
Owners of their premises
Adding buildings cover where needed.
Owners renting out chairs
Where renters carry their own cover.
New salons
Opening for the first time.
Owners or renters
Salon Owners vs Chair and Room Renters
A salon owner insures the premises, equipment and employees’ work. Self-employed chair or room renters generally need their own treatment and liability cover.
| Salon owner | Chair or room renter | |
|---|---|---|
| The premises and equipment | The salon owner | Their own tools only |
| Treatment risks | For employees’ work | Their own policy |
| Public liability | For the salon | Their own policy |
| Employers’ liability | If you employ staff | Only if they employ staff |
Ask renters for proof of cover. Keeping a copy of each renter’s certificate helps show who is responsible if a client complains. Our guide to public vs employers’ liability sets the two liabilities side by side.
Cost
What Salon Insurance Is Priced On
The treatments, the turnover, the staff, the equipment and stock, the location and the claims history. We do not print average premiums.
Why the treatments lead
Chemical treatments, lasers and skin procedures carry more risk than a standard cut, so the treatment menu drives the liability side of the price.
Why the salon matters too
The equipment value, stock, location and security feed the property side of the rate.
What the quote is rated on
The main factors
- TreatmentsWhat you offer and who does itBase
- Turnover and staffFor the liability sectionsRate
- Equipment and stockReplacement valuesRate
- Location and securityCrime and flood exposureRate
- HistoryPast claimsAdjust
Flood exposure
Flood Re is for homes, not salons, so flood terms are set by the insurer.
Staff numbers
The employers’ liability section is rated on the staff you employ.
Specialist equipment
Lasers and similar machines can add to the price.
Treatment records
The Treatment Records That Decide a Salon Claim
When a client says a treatment harmed them, records often decide how a claim goes. Four come up again and again.
Patch and skin tests
Where a product or treatment calls for a test beforehand, some policies expect it to be done and recorded before the treatment.
Consultation and consent forms
A signed record of the client’s history, allergies and agreement to the treatment.
Qualifications on file
Evidence that the person carrying out each treatment holds the qualification the insurer asked for.
Equipment servicing
Service records for lasers, sunbeds and other machines, where the policy sets conditions.
Quote checklist
What You Will Be Asked for a Salon Insurance Quote
Six things shape the quote: the treatments, the people, the premises, the equipment and stock, the turnover, and the claims history.
The treatments
Every service on your menu.
The people
Staff, renters and their qualifications.
The premises
Address, and whether you rent or own.
Equipment and stock
Replacement values.
Turnover
Your annual turnover.
Claims history
Recent claims and any past refusals of cover.
Comparing
Checking Salon Insurance Quotes Side by Side
Four areas decide whether a policy suits the salon: treatment cover, liability, contents and stock, and business interruption. None of them is the price.
Treatment cover
- Every treatment you offer listed
- The treatment risks limit
- Qualification requirements
Liability
- The public and products liability limit
- Employers’ liability
- How renters are treated
Contents and stock
- The equipment limit
- Stock cover
- Glass and money
Business interruption
- The indemnity period
- How lost income is worked out
- Cover if access is blocked
Check the treatment list line by line. A missing treatment can matter more than the limit. Unfamiliar terms are explained in our plain English jargon guide.
Cutting costs
How to Reduce the Cost of Salon Insurance
The levers are good records, qualified staff, accurate values, and the excess. We publish no savings figures.
Keep treatment records
Patch tests and consent forms, stored safely.
Keep qualifications current
Training records for every treatment.
Value equipment accurately
Too high wastes premium; too low invites a reduced claim.
Choose only the sections you need
Skip what another policy already covers.
Improve the security
Better locks, an alarm or shutters can help the terms.
Choose the excess deliberately
A higher excess is a lever, worth using only at a level the salon could absorb.
Glossary
Salon Insurance Terms Explained
The words that come up most on a salon schedule.
- Treatment risks
- Cover for injury caused by a treatment.
- Patch test
- A skin test before a treatment to check for a reaction.
- Products liability
- Liability for injury caused by products you use or sell.
- Chair renter
- A self-employed stylist renting space in a salon.
- Contents
- Equipment, furniture and fit-out in the salon.
- Business interruption
- Cover for income lost after insured damage.
- Indemnity period
- How long business interruption cover pays for.
- Consultation form
- A record of a client’s history and consent.
- Average
- A reduction in a claim when the sum insured is too low.
- Excess
- The part of each claim you pay yourself.
Why MyMoneyComparison.com
Why Compare Salon Insurance with MyMoneyComparison.com?
MyMoneyComparison.com is an FCA-authorised UK comparison service that introduces salon owners to specialist brokers. We do not sell insurance and we do not give advice: the broker you choose arranges the policy. Using us is free.
One form, one salon
Describe your salon once, instead of repeating yourself to each broker.
Advice given
We are an introducer, not a broker. We do not sell policies and we do not recommend one insurer or product over another. Read our editorial policy.
Authorised and regulated
MyMoneyComparison.com Ltd appears on the FCA register under FRN 916241.
Incorporated
A UK company since 2013. FCA authorisation is separate and later; the register carries its date.
FAQs
Salon Insurance FAQs
Answers on treatments, records, renters, equipment and lost income.
What is salon insurance?
A combined policy for a hair salon, barbershop or beauty salon. It can bring together treatment risks, public and products liability, and employers’ liability if you have staff, with contents, stock and optional sections such as business interruption.
Do I need salon insurance?
A full salon package is not a legal requirement, but employing staff usually brings a duty to hold employers’ liability cover, with some exceptions. Landlords and some professional bodies ask for liability cover too.
What is treatment risks cover?
It covers claims that a treatment you carried out injured a client, such as a chemical burn from colour or a reaction to a product. It applies to the treatments listed on the schedule.
Is public liability enough on its own?
Not for treatments. Public liability covers accidents such as a client tripping, but injury caused by the treatment itself generally needs treatment risks cover on the same policy.
Do I need to do patch tests?
Where a product or treatment calls for one, some policies expect a patch test to be done and recorded. A claim for a reaction can be harder to support without that record.
Do my staff need qualifications?
Insurers may ask for recognised qualifications for each treatment. Work carried out by someone without the qualification the insurer asked for may not be covered.
Are chair renters covered by my policy?
Not as standard. Self-employed chair or room renters generally need their own treatment and public liability cover. Your policy may still need to reflect that renters work in the salon.
Does salon insurance cover new treatments I add?
Only once you tell the insurer and it agrees to add them. A treatment offered but not listed on the schedule may not be covered.
Are aesthetics treatments covered?
Some salon policies cover non-invasive treatments. Injectables and similar medical aesthetics generally need specialist cover, and some insurers require the practitioner to hold medical qualifications.
Is my equipment covered?
Chairs, basins, dryers, treatment beds and fit-out can be covered under contents against fire, theft and other insured events. Breakdown of electrical equipment is usually a separate matter.
Does salon insurance cover my stock?
Retail and professional products can be covered as stock, up to the limit on the schedule. Set the limit at full replacement value, including busier periods.
What is business interruption cover?
It pays for income lost while insured damage stops or slows trading, for up to the indemnity period you choose. It generally follows damage that the policy covers, so it will not pay for a quiet month.
Do I need cover as a mobile stylist?
Working in clients’ homes is a different risk from working in a salon. Tell the insurer, as some salon policies do not extend to mobile work and a separate policy may be needed.
Does salon insurance cover a client’s belongings?
Damage to a client’s property caused by your business can fall under public liability. Loss of items left with you, such as coats, depends on the policy.
Can a salon with a previous claim get cover?
It depends on the insurer, and past claims can affect the price and terms. Declaring claims history accurately keeps the cover sound, as undeclared claims can affect a later claim.
How do I compare salon insurance quotes?
Look beyond the price to the treatments listed, the treatment risks and liability limits, qualification requirements, how renters are treated, the equipment and stock limits, and the excess.
Ready when you are
Get Quotes for Your Salon
Tell us what you need to insure. If you picked it at the top of this page it is already on the button below. Specialist UK brokers can then come back with quotes for your salon. Free to use, with no obligation to buy.
- Treatments, liability and equipment together
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- FCA authorised and regulated
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About this page
This page explains UK salon insurance: what it covers, what it leaves out, and how treatment records and qualifications shape a claim. It is general information rather than advice. Policies differ between insurers, so read your own documents and put the questions raised here to your insurer or broker.
How we approached this page
- Published UK hair and beauty policies
- HSE guidance on employers’ liability cover
- The Flood Re eligibility criteria