What do you need to open a hair salon?
Opening a salon is two projects in one: a craft business, where your skills and safety standards matter, and a high-street business, where your window, location and online presence bring people through the door.
This guide follows the order in which the questions really come up: qualifications, registration and tax, premises, budget, obligations from day one, then getting clients before you open. For the launch campaign itself, see our guide on promoting a new business opening.
Do you need a licence or qualification to open a hair salon in the UK?
The Hairdressers (Registration) Act 1964 set up the Hairdressing Council and a register of hairdressers. Section 2 of the Act describes who may be registered and how they apply; it does not make registration compulsory. In practice, though, three groups will ask about your training:
- Your insurer: public and treatment liability cover usually depends on recognised qualifications
- Your clients: certificates on the wall reassure first-time visitors
- Your future staff: if you train apprentices, you will need recognised standards
Treatments that may need a council licence
If you add beauty services, check with your council. In London, many boroughs licence “massage and special treatments” premises under the London Local Authorities Act 1991: Richmond’s licensing page, for example, explains who needs a licence for treatments such as massage, manicure or laser. Outside London, rules depend on the council and the treatment, so ask before you buy equipment.
Free tool, no sign-up
Free Google visibility check
See how the salons around your future unit appear on Google: rating, reviews, photos. That is your starting line.
Sole trader or limited company, and registering with HMRC
Most new salon owners start as a sole trader or a limited company. The right choice depends on your expected profit, your investment, whether you take on partners and how much admin you want. A short meeting with an accountant before you choose saves a costly change a year later.
| Your situation | Question to ask your accountant |
|---|---|
| Starting alone, small fit-out | Is sole trader enough for year one? |
| Large fit-out and equipment | How do I claim these costs? |
| Hiring from day one | Do I need to set up PAYE before the first payday? |
| Renting chairs to self-employed stylists | How should the chair rental agreement be written? |
Tax registration
According to GOV.UK, a sole trader must register for Self Assessment if they earn more than £1,000 in a tax year (6 April to 5 April). You can start trading straight away and register earlier if you want.
VAT registration is required when your taxable turnover goes over £90,000 in the last 12 months, or is expected to go over £90,000 in the next 30 days (GOV.UK, when to register for VAT). Keep an eye on it: a busy salon with retail sales can reach it sooner than expected.
How to choose your salon premises
A salon lives on passing trade and local regulars. Before signing, walk past at different times: a Tuesday morning, a Saturday afternoon, 6 pm on a weekday. Count passers-by, look at who they are, note the neighbouring shops.
- Window visible from the pavement and from across the road
- Parking or public transport nearby
- Number of salons within a 5-minute walk and their prices
- Water supply and drainage for the basins, enough electrical power for dryers
- Step-free access where possible
- Lease use class compatible with a salon, and landlord consent for the works
- Good ventilation, especially if you do colour
- Business rates for the unit (ask the council what applies)
How much does it cost to open a hair salon? A worked example
There is no single right budget: it depends on the state of the unit and the number of chairs. Here is the method, with an invented example: a small 4-chair salon, “Lumière Hair”, in a unit already fitted as a shop. Replace every line with your own quotes.
| Item | Example (replace with your quotes) |
|---|---|
| Rent deposit and legal fees | £5,000 |
| Fit-out (decoration, electrics, plumbing for basins) | £13,000 |
| Furniture: 4 styling chairs, 2 backwash units, reception | £8,000 |
| Small equipment (dryers, clippers, scissors, trolleys) | £2,500 |
| Opening stock (technical and retail products) | £3,500 |
| Sign, window graphics, price list, cards | £2,000 |
| Till, card reader, computer | £1,200 |
| Cash buffer for 6 months of fixed costs | 6 × £3,000 = £18,000 |
| Example total | £53,200 |
The line people forget is the last one. In the first months the diary fills gradually, but rent, insurance, energy and your own living costs start in month one.
Work out your break-even point
Add up your monthly fixed costs (rent, rates, insurance, software, accountant, your minimum pay). In the example: £3,000. If your average service brings in £40 and uses £4 of product, each client leaves £36. You need £3,000 ÷ £36 ≈ 84 clients a month, about 4 a day over 22 working days. That tells you whether one busy chair is enough or whether you need a second stylist from day one. To set your prices from this, read how to price hair salon services.
What you must sort out before day one
Prices
Under the Provision of Services Regulations 2009, a service provider must make the price of its services available to customers where the price is set in advance, for example by having it easily accessible where the service is provided. A clear price list at reception and online is the simplest way: see our guide on hair salon price list rules.
Music
GOV.UK explains that you usually need a licence to play recorded music at your business, including the radio: it is called TheMusicLicence and comes from PPL PRS. Royalty-free music does not need it.
Insurance
Public liability and treatment liability insurance protect you if a client is hurt or a colour goes wrong. If you employ staff, GOV.UK says you must have employers’ liability insurance as soon as you become an employer, with at least £5 million of cover from an authorised insurer.
If you hire
Set up payroll with HMRC before the first payday, give a written statement of employment, and do a health and safety risk assessment for chemicals and electrical equipment.
How to get clients from opening day
A new salon starts from zero on Google: no rating, no reviews, no photos. Yet that is where most people choose a new hairdresser. The first weeks count double.
- Create your Google Business Profile as soon as you have the address and date, with photos, hours and services (our guide)
- Open online booking before opening: the first slots get booked during the fit-out
- A “Opening on…” poster in the window with a QR code to book
- Ask every happy client for a review: 10 to 20 reviews completely change how a new salon looks (Google reviews for hair salons)
- An Instagram account showing the fit-out, then your first results (post ideas)
Hello! [Salon name] opens on [date] at [address]. Cuts, colour, beard trims: you can already book online, 24/7: [link]. To celebrate, [simple offer: free blow-dry with any colour] until [date]. See you soon!
With Voxtya, online booking and review requests by QR code and email can be ready before you open, with no per-booking fee.
The 60-day checklist before opening
- Day -60: business structure chosen, bank appointment if you need a loan, insurance quotes
- Day -60: lease signed, fit-out quotes approved, council asked about rates, signs and licences
- Day -45: furniture and stock ordered, delivery dates checked
- Day -30: Google Business Profile created, Instagram open, online booking set up
- Day -30: “Opening on…” poster in the window, music licence arranged
- Day -15: final prices, price list printed for reception and online
- Day -15: till and card reader tested, Self Assessment or company registration done
- Day -7: photos of the finished salon added to Google and your website
- Opening day: review QR code at reception, first post, first clients
- Day +30: first reviews received and answered, most requested slots reviewed
Keep this list printed in the salon during the works and tick it off as you go.
The steps at a glance
The main steps, from registration to opening day.
- Check training and insurance. Recognised qualifications, public and treatment liability cover.
- Choose your business structure. Sole trader or limited company, with an accountant.
- Find the premises. Footfall, visibility, water, power, access and a compatible lease.
- Budget for 12 months. Fit-out, equipment, stock and at least six months of fixed costs.
- Register with HMRC. Self Assessment above £1,000 a year; VAT above £90,000 of taxable turnover.
- Sort licences and prices. Council checks, music licence, clear price list.
- Get visible before opening. Google profile, online booking, window poster, first reviews.
This guide for your trade
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Sources
The rules quoted in this guide come from these official pages, checked on October 28, 2026.
- GOV.UK: set up as a sole trader
- GOV.UK: when to register for VAT
- GOV.UK: licence to play live or recorded music
- legislation.gov.uk: Hairdressers (Registration) Act 1964, section 2
- legislation.gov.uk: Provision of Services Regulations 2009, regulation 8
- Richmond Council: massage and special treatments licences
- GOV.UK: employers’ liability insurance