Do hair salons have to display prices in the UK?
Unlike France, where a specific order sets how many prices a hairdresser must show in the window, UK rules are general: they apply to most service businesses. That leaves room for your own layout, but the goal is the same: the client should know the price before sitting in the chair.
This guide explains regulation 8 and regulation 11 of the 2009 Regulations in plain words, then gives a practical setup and a template.
What the Provision of Services Regulations say
Regulation 8 lists information a provider must make available to the client. Among it:
- Your name, legal status and contact details, including the address where you are established
- Your general terms and conditions, if you use them
- The main features of the service, if not already clear from the context
- The price of the service, where the price is pre-determined by the provider for a given type of service
- Details of professional liability insurance, if you have it
Regulation 8(2) says the information counts as made available if it is:
- supplied by you on your own initiative,
- easily accessible to the client at the place where the service is provided or the contract is concluded,
- easily accessible electronically at an address you give, or
- in an information document you give the client that describes the service in detail.
Regulation 11 adds that the information must be given in a clear and unambiguous way, and in good time before the contract is concluded, or before the service is provided if there is no written contract.
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Google Business description generator
Once your prices are clear, polish your Google Business description: three versions written for a hair salon.
Where to show your prices in practice
- At reception: a clear price list, easy to read from where clients wait or pay
- In the window: not required by these regulations, but a short list of your 6 to 10 main services helps walk-ins decide, especially for barbers
- On your website: a Prices page identical to the list at reception
- In your online booking: each service with its price and length, visible before booking
- On your Google Business Profile: the Services section with prices
The key is consistency. A different price on Google and at reception creates distrust, sometimes a dispute and a negative review. When you change prices, change them everywhere on the same day.
A template price list (unisex salon)
[Salon name]: our prices
Cuts: short cut [..] · cut and finish, short / medium / long hair [..] / [..] / [..] · children’s cut (under 12) [..] · beard trim [..] · cut and beard [..] · skin fade [..]
Colour, short / medium / long: root colour [..] / [..] / [..] · full colour [..] / [..] / [..] · balayage [..] / [..] / [..] · toner [..] · treatment [..]
Packages: colour package = root colour + wash + cut + blow-dry: [..]
All prices include VAT. Ask us for a written quote for colour corrections and bridal hair.
If you are not VAT-registered, simply remove the VAT line: what matters is that the price shown is the price paid.
“From” prices, supplements and packages
Salons often use “from £…” because the final price depends on hair length or the amount of product. That is understandable, but it is also the first cause of disputes at the till. A few simple rules:
- Prefer a price per hair length (short, medium, long) rather than a single “from” price
- List supplements clearly (extra product for thick hair, treatment, toner)
- For a package, say exactly what is included
- For long services, confirm the price before you start and tell the client before adding anything
Before we start: for a balayage on your length, with cut and blow-dry, the price will be £[..]. If you need a treatment as well, I’ll ask you first. Is that OK?
This one sentence prevents most disagreements, and the negative review that often follows them.
Receipts, quotes and deposits
Give clients a receipt or invoice showing the services and the total, by email or on paper. It helps them, and it helps you if there is a disagreement later.
For long or high-value services (colour correction, bridal hair, extensions), a written quote is good practice: the service, the price, what could change it, and any deposit. If you take deposits for bookings, write your cancellation and no-show policy clearly and show it before the client books. Our guide on booking cancellation policies has ready-made wording.
Prices online: website, Google and booking
Most clients now decide on their phone. Regulation 8 explicitly accepts information “easily accessible electronically”: your website and booking page are part of your price display.
- A Prices page on your website, identical to reception, with the update date
- Services and prices on your Google Business Profile
- Every bookable service with its price and length
- On social media, when you show a result, name the service and its starting price
To set prices that actually pay, see how to price hair salon services; to announce a rise without losing clients, our price increase templates. With Voxtya, your website and online booking show the same services and prices: one change updates both.
The most common price display mistakes
- A price list hidden behind the counter: if clients cannot easily see it, it is not easily accessible.
- Old prices still online: after a rise, the website or booking page still shows last year’s list. Clients will quote it.
- Vague “from” prices for colour: the bill ends up double the advertised figure and the client feels misled.
- Packages without contents: “Pamper package £79” does not say what is included.
- Extras added without asking: a toner or treatment added mid-service, then charged. Always ask first.
- Different prices for the same service by different stylists, not explained: if senior stylists charge more, say so in the list (“senior stylist +£..”).
- No business details: clients cannot find your full name, address or how to complain.
Each of these is easy to fix in an afternoon, and each one removes a frequent reason for a disappointed client.
If your salon is in France: stricter rules
English-speaking owners of salons in France should know that French rules are much more specific. An order of 27 March 1987 requires at least 10 prices including VAT for the most common services in the window, readable from outside (20 for a unisex salon: 10 for men and 10 for women), the same list inside where clients pay, a full price card at the till, and detailed packages. A written note is required for any service over 25 euros, or on request, with a copy kept for 2 years.
The French version of this guide (switch the language at the top of the page) explains each rule with templates in French, and the official texts are the order of 27 March 1987 on Légifrance and the “Coiffeur en salon” page of Service-public Entreprendre.
Checklist: is your salon’s price information clear?
- Price list at reception, readable from where clients wait or pay
- Main services in the window (recommended for walk-ins)
- Price per hair length rather than vague “from” prices
- Supplements and packages spelled out
- Same prices on the website, Google and online booking
- Business name, address and contact details easy to find
- Cancellation and deposit policy shown before booking
- Receipt or invoice given for every service
- Date of last price update noted
The steps at a glance
Practical steps based on the Provision of Services Regulations 2009.
- List your services and prices. Price per hair length, supplements and packages spelled out.
- Show the list at reception. Easily accessible where the service is provided.
- Publish the same list online. Website, Google Business Profile and online booking.
- Confirm before long services. Say the price before you start and before adding anything.
- Give a receipt. Services and total, on paper or by email.
- Update everywhere at once. Same day, same prices, with the update date noted.
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Sources
The rules quoted in this guide come from these official pages, checked on October 28, 2026.