How do you work out the price of a beauty treatment?
In a beauty salon, two treatments of the same length can cost very differently: a full leg wax uses wax and strips, a facial uses professional products that can be expensive, a machine-based treatment has to pay back the machine. That is why one hourly rate is not enough.
All figures below are worked examples. Redo them with your own numbers.
Step 1: monthly costs
Invented example: “Rose Beauty”, the owner-therapist and one employed therapist, 2 treatment rooms.
| Monthly cost | Example |
|---|---|
| Rent, service charge and business rates | £1,150 |
| Employed therapist, including employer costs | £2,200 |
| Owner’s target pay | £2,300 |
| Energy, water, laundry | £350 |
| Insurance, bank fees, card reader | £150 |
| Accountant, software, phone | £220 |
| Loan repayment | £400 |
| Total | £6,770 |
Leave out treatment products (added treatment by treatment) and specific machines (paid off by the treatments that use them, step 4). Remember yearly costs divided by 12.
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Step 2: the cost of a treatment-room hour
Divide costs by hours actually charged. In the example, two therapists present 35 hours a week, 46 weeks a year, with 65% occupancy (reception, cleaning, retail and gaps included):
- Hours present per person per month: 35 × 46 ÷ 12 ≈ 134 h
- Hours sold: 134 × 0.65 ≈ 87 h per person, 174 h for both
- Cost per hour sold: £6,770 ÷ 174 h ≈ £38.90, about £0.65 a minute
| Occupancy | Hours sold (2 people) | Example cost per hour |
|---|---|---|
| 50% | 134 | £50.50 |
| 65% | 174 | £38.90 |
| 80% | 214 | £31.60 |
Filling the diary lowers the cost of every treatment: often a better lever than cutting prices.
Step 3: consumables per treatment
List what each treatment uses, at cost price. Weigh or count once, write it down, and you will have accurate figures for good.
| Treatment | Example consumables | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Brow wax | Wax, spatulas, lotion | £0.50 |
| Full leg wax | Wax, strips, spatulas, oil | £2.60 |
| 60-minute facial | Cleanser, exfoliant, mask, serum, cream, cotton | £6.00 |
| 60-minute body massage | Oil, linen (share of laundry) | £2.60 |
| Manicure with gel polish | Base, colour, top coat, files, cotton | £2.20 |
Files, spatulas and disposable items are single-use: count them every time.
Step 4: pay off a machine on the right treatments
An expensive machine should not weigh on the price of a brow wax. Spread it only over the treatments that use it.
Example: a machine bought for £7,500, to be paid off over 3 years, plus £500 of servicing a year. Yearly cost: £7,500 ÷ 3 + £500 = £3,000. If you plan 300 sessions a year on it, each session must bring £10 for the machine, on top of time and consumables.
Step 5: the price of each treatment, with examples
Price before VAT = (time × hourly cost) + consumables + machine share + margin. With a 15% margin (your choice) and the example hourly cost (£38.90):
| Treatment | Slot booked | Time | Consumables | Machine | +15% | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brow wax | 15 min | £9.73 | £0.50 | 0 | £1.53 | £11.76 |
| Full leg wax | 40 min | £25.93 | £2.60 | 0 | £4.28 | £32.81 |
| Facial | 60 min | £38.90 | £6.00 | 0 | £6.74 | £51.64 |
| Body massage | 60 min | £38.90 | £2.60 | 0 | £6.23 | £47.73 |
| Machine treatment | 45 min | £29.18 | £3.50 | £10.00 | £6.40 | £49.08 |
Then round (£12, £33, £52…). Use the slot booked in the diary, set-up and clean-down included, not just treatment time. If you are VAT-registered, add 20%; registration is required above £90,000 of taxable turnover over 12 months (GOV.UK).
Courses, packages and memberships without losing money
Courses (say, 5 facials) build loyalty and fill the diary ahead. But a badly calculated discount can mean working at a loss.
Start from the single price and never go below your floor price: time + consumables + machine share, without margin. For the example facial, the floor is £44.90. A course of 5 at full price is £258.20; you can discount up to about 13% (5 × £44.90 = £224.50) without a loss. A 10% discount (£232.38) stays comfortable.
- Course discounts around 10%, checked against the floor
- An expiry date written clearly
- Late cancellation terms written and given to the client
- “Duo” packages (facial + massage): sum of both, small discount if you like
- Very short services (lip wax): a minimum price that covers the slot, or a combination (“brows + lip”)
Retail products, add-ons and seasonal pricing
Retail products
Selling creams and aftercare products adds margin without using room time. Recommend one or two products suited to the client’s skin, never a basket, and explain how to use them. Price retail from your cost price with a consistent mark-up, and check it against the recommended retail price your supplier may suggest.
Add-ons
Small add-ons (eye treatment during a facial, paraffin during a manicure) can raise the average ticket nicely. Price them with the same method: extra minutes in the slot plus extra product plus margin. Offer them during the consultation, not at the till, so the client chooses calmly.
Seasonal demand
Waxing and pedicures peak before summer, facials and gift vouchers before Christmas. Rather than discounting in busy periods, keep prices steady and use quiet weeks for targeted offers (a mid-week facial offer in January, for instance). This smooths occupancy, which lowers your cost per hour across the year.
Gift vouchers
Sell vouchers for a named treatment or a value, with a clear expiry date printed on them. Count the treatment at today’s price: if prices rise before the voucher is used, honour the treatment named on it.
Compare with local salons and show your prices
Your calculation gives the right price for your salon. Compare it with 4 or 5 salons nearby, at their reception or online.
- Close to the average: round and align
- Clearly above: work on occupancy, booked slot length or a cost, or own a premium position with service and reviews to match
- Clearly below: you may be leaving money behind; a well-rated salon can sit slightly above the area
Under the Provision of Services Regulations 2009, the price of a service set in advance must be made available to clients, for example easily accessible where the service is provided (regulation 8). Show the length of each treatment: it justifies the price and helps clients choose. With Voxtya online booking, each treatment shows its price and length, and clients book without calling.
Your pricing checklist, once a year
- Monthly costs updated, your own pay included
- Occupancy rate measured from the last three months of the diary
- Room cost per hour recalculated
- Consumables re-priced with current supplier invoices
- Each machine checked: sessions sold versus sessions planned
- Floor price noted for every course and package
- Local prices compared (4 or 5 salons)
- New prices rounded, menu updated at reception, online and in the booking system on the same day
- Clients told at least a month ahead
Keep the spreadsheet: next year, you only change the lines that moved, and the whole review takes less than an hour.
The most common pricing mistakes in beauty salons
- One hourly rate for all treatments: it ignores consumables and machines.
- Forgetting your own pay in the costs.
- Counting treatment time, not the booked slot: set-up, clean-down and disinfection take time.
- Over-generous courses that drop below the floor price.
- Buying a machine without a payback calculation.
- Not reviewing prices for years while product costs rise. See how to announce a price increase.
The steps at a glance
The method in five steps.
- Add up monthly costs. Rent, rates, wages, your own pay, energy, insurance, loan.
- Work out the room cost per hour. Costs divided by hours actually sold.
- List consumables per treatment. At cost price, single-use items included.
- Pay off machines. Yearly cost divided by planned sessions.
- Calculate, compare, display. Margin, VAT, rounding, local comparison, clear price list.
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Sources
The rules quoted in this guide come from these official pages, checked on October 28, 2026.