Salon insurance 101: everything you need to know

How big is your salon? How many people do you employ? How many different services and treatments do you provide? Already, with only three relatively easy-to-answer questions, you could have any number of different answers, depending on your circumstances.

That’s why we, as insurers, tailor what we do to what you do, creating policies that will keep your salon protected through both good times and bad.

Here’s everything you need to know about salon insurance.

Do I need it?

If you have any other staff on your payroll, even part-time or temporary, you will already need employer’s liability insurance. What’s more, this legally required policy is just one of several types of liability insurance that you will find in every salon insurance policy.

However, business owners, and not just salon owners, often stop there. They’ve done what’s legally required, paid for their policy, and don’t feel that any other cover is required.

But then, there’s an accident. And sadly, this is where endless tales of insurance-related ‘coulda, woulda, shoulda’ begin. Without adding public liability insurance to your cover – whichever type of salon you run – any accident involving a member of the public – your customers – is likely to start and end in the same way.

If the mistake was yours, you pay. If an injury was sustained on your property, you pay. And if one of your employees makes a mistake, the outcome is exactly the same. Public liability claims can ruin a business in one fell swoop, which is why this type of cover is included as standard in all of our salon insurance policies.

Given the nature of every salon business, we also add products and treatments liability insurance to each and every policy. Products liability insurance covers you in the event of injury, illness or reaction to anything, ranging from shampoo to an aftercare product. Similarly, treatment liability is automatically in place to protect you in the event of a customer coming to harm while you work on them. You might have noticed distinct similarities between public liability, and both products and treatment liability.

And you’d be right. They are similar. However, whereas any business that deals with the public will benefit from public liability insurance, most businesses don’t deliver as intimate and ‘hands on’ a service as a salon does. This is why we package these four essential types of cover together in all of our Salon Gold salon insurance policies.

What type of salon is it for?

Knowing how diverse salon businesses are, from the customers that visit them to the services they deliver, we’ve put together several exclusive policies. Each one is tailored to the needs of a particular type of salon, and we’ll also adapt your individual package to your needs when you call us for a quote. Here are a number of the packages we have created for popular salons across the UK.

• Hair salons – not only are you covered for accidents, reactions and injuries, but we will also help you to pen the paperwork that guarantees your freelance stylists can’t steal your clients.
• Beauty salons – when you’re working with sensitive areas of the body, you’re also dealing with an increased risk of upsetting a customer. Treatment insurance as standard has you covered.
• Nail salons – filing a nail slightly too hard or getting even a little liquid on sensitive skin can be a sure path to a compensation claim. Whatever the outcome, though, your costs will be paid.
• Barbershops – men may still love the feel of a wet shave, but skin and sharp objects are a combination made for compensation claims. However, our insurance will be there to help you if any accident occurs.
• Tanning salons – another popular recipient of legal expenses, unfortunately not every customer who passes through your doors will be as sensible as the last. With tanning salon insurance behind you though, your business will survive any claim they make.
• Spa owners – from an adverse reaction to treatment or products to an injury suffered on the premises, you’ll be covered for any accident or eventuality.

Essentially, any salon in the country could benefit from taking out a Salon Gold insurance policy. Any business can put in place any number of steps to ensure hazards and risks are reduced to the absolute minimum, but it only takes a moment for something to go wrong.

Even the most seemingly innocuous of incidents can lead to an enormous claim being made against a salon business, so you should protect your livelihood with as much cover as you could need.

Is anything else included?

Within all of our salon insurance packages, you will also find a number of other useful policies that come as standard. Business interruption insurance will cover you in the event of an accident that means the entire salon has to close. And yes, we realise that public, products and treatments liability cover seemingly should have been enough to stop you going out of business – but this is different.

Business interruption insurance means you will be covered should you have to temporarily shut down due to flooding, fire or storm damage. Also covering you in the event of your business losing revenue due to the failure of a telephone line or public utility, business interruption insurance protects you against income lost and bills unpaid until you’re up and running again.

Plus, when it comes to your stock, contents and hard-earned cash, any damage, theft or loss is covered too. And if you happen to have a number of gleaming glass surfaces and counters on your premises, we’ll even protect you against damage to those.

When you take out salon insurance with us, you’re protecting your livelihood from the unfortunate and the unforeseen alike. We will create a policy designed specifically for your type of salon, the size of your business, and the level of cover you require. Visit our dedicated salon insurance page to start your policy today, or give us a call on 020 8655 0444. We’re looking forward to taking your call.