Tanning salon insurance

Running a tanning salon comes with unique risks. Whether you operate a high-street sunbed shop, a boutique solarium, or a mobile spray tan service, ensuring you have the right insurance in place is essential to the longevity of your business.

At Premierline, our insurance brokers understand that every tanning business is different. We work closely with you to understand the specific challenges you face – from maintaining expensive sunbed equipment to ensuring customer safety during treatments. We’re experienced in creating specialist beautician insurance packages, whatever your specialism or offering. Our team will help you build a comprehensive tanning salon insurance package tailored to your specific setup, whether you need specifically sunbed insurance or spray tan insurance – we’ll help you get covered.

Tanning salon insurance is a tailored business insurance package designed to protect the specific needs of businesses offering tanning treatments, whether that’s sunbeds or spray tans. Unlike a standard policy, it addresses the unique liabilities associated with UV tanning beds, spray tanning booths, and other tanning treatments.

Because no two salons or solariums are the same, our experts help you build a policy that fits your exact requirements rather than offering a generic off-the-shelf solution. A comprehensive policy brings together several essential covers – such as public liability and contents cover – into one manageable package. This ensures that whether you’re dealing with a claim for an allergic reaction, a customer injury, or damage to your expensive sunbeds, your business has financial support and protection whenever needed.

Who needs tanning bed insurance?

Specialist insurance is recommended for any business or sole trader providing tanning services to the public. You should consider this cover if you run:

• Sunbed shops: Dedicated salons with lay-down or stand-up UV beds.
• Spray tan technicians: Mobile or salon-based professionals using spray guns or booths.
• Beauty salons with tanning beds & spray tan services: Hair and beauty businesses that offer tanning alongside other treatments.
• Solariums: Facilities focusing exclusively on UV therapy and tanning.

If you offer other services alongside tanning, such as nails or hair styling, we can also help you combine your cover. We provide specialist nail technician insurance, barber and hairdresser insurance, and mobile hairdressing insurance, to ensure every aspect of your hair and beauty business is protected.

Why do you need tanning salon insurance?

Owning a tanning business comes with unique responsibilities. From maintaining high-tech sunbeds to managing customer safety, the daily risks you face are different from those in a standard salon. Having the right protection in place is vital for several reasons:

• Financial protection against claims: Liability claims for injuries – such as slips, trips, or burns from a sunbed – can be incredibly expensive. Insurance helps cover legal defence fees and compensation payouts, protecting your bottom line.
• Safeguarding your assets: Your sunbeds and spray tan booths are the heart of your business and are expensive to repair or replace. If they’re damaged by fire, theft, or vandalism, the cost could be crippling without adequate cover.
• Meeting lease requirements: Many commercial landlords will insist on seeing proof of public liability before you can sign a lease for your salon premises.
• Business survival: Unexpected events, like a flood or a major theft, can force you to stop trading. Insurance provides a financial safety net to help you recover and reopen.

Safety is paramount in the tanning industry. Insurers will often require you to adhere to specific regulations to validate your policy.

Compliance usually involves following the Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010, which bans under-18s from using sunbeds. You may also need to demonstrate that you:

• Provide safety goggles to every client.
• Display mandatory health warnings.
• Adhere to maximum UV output limits (0.3 W/m2 compliance).
• Maintain equipment servicing records.

Failure to comply with these regulations could invalidate your tanning salon insurance, leaving you exposed to significant costs in the case of a claim.

Common tanning salon insurance claims

It can be helpful to understand what can go wrong to better appreciate the value of your cover. Some of the most frequent incidents insurance can help with include:

• Slips and trips: A customer slipping on residual spray tan solution or a wet floor after cleaning.
• Theft of equipment: A break-in where high-value sunbeds or cash from the till are stolen.
• Glass breakage: Accidental damage to a sunbed during cleaning or customer use.

How much is tanning salon insurance?

Tanning salon insurance cost varies depending on several factors unique to your business. Insurers will consider:

• Services offered: A salon with ten UV beds will typically have a different premium to a spray tan business.
• Location and premises: The size of your shop and local crime rates can impact the price.
• Turnover and staff: Higher revenue and more employees generally increase the level of cover required.
• Claims history: A business with previous claims may see higher premiums.

Because every salon is different, it is difficult to give an average price. The best way to get an accurate figure is to speak to our experts who can compare quotes tailored to your specific risk profile.