What does a beauty salon manager do? A UK guide

Four areas of responsibility

A beauty salon manager's job falls into four areas. Safety means treatments, products and the premises are safe for clients and staff. People means recruiting the right therapists, training them, signing them off and leading them day to day. Clients means a proper consultation, an accurate record and a fair response if something goes wrong. The business means bookings, performance figures, marketing and staying within the law.

In most salons the owner is the employer and carries the legal responsibility, for example for health and safety and employment law. The manager makes sure it all happens every day. If you manage someone else's business, agree in writing what you can decide on your own, such as rotas, refunds or warnings, and what needs the owner's approval.

Licences and registrations depend on where you are

In London, most boroughs require a special treatment licence under the London Local Authorities Act 1991, which can cover treatments such as massage, manicure, and light and electrical treatments. A few areas outside London have similar local laws. Treatments that pierce the skin have their own rules: in England, most councils register people and premises offering tattooing, semi-permanent make-up, cosmetic piercing and electrolysis. Wales has required a special procedures licence since November 2024, Scotland requires a skin piercing and tattooing licence, and Northern Ireland has its own council registration.

Change is coming. Scotland is introducing a council licence for non-surgical procedures, required from 6 September 2027, covering treatments such as superficial chemical peels, microneedling under 1.5mm, radiofrequency, HIFU and non-ablative laser and light treatments. In England, the Health and Care Act 2022 allows a future licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures, but there's no start date yet. The best preparation is to keep training records, hygiene, consent and client records to a high standard now.

Age restrictions

In Great Britain it's an offence to tattoo anyone under 18, and semi-permanent make-up such as microblading should be treated the same way. Sunbeds can't be used by under-18s anywhere in the UK. In England, Botox and fillers can't be given to under-18s for cosmetic reasons. Products carry their own limits too: many lash and brow tints are labelled not for under-16s. Insurers may set minimum ages as well. A good salon has one written policy listing the minimum age for every treatment, with ID checks for anyone who looks under 25.

Insurance

A beauty business typically needs treatment liability and public liability insurance. If you employ staff, employers' liability insurance is a legal requirement, with cover of at least £5 million. Insurers set conditions, such as the qualifications each therapist must hold for each treatment, consultations, patch tests where the product requires them, and recorded consent. If a claim arises and the conditions weren't met, the insurer may refuse to pay, so checking them is part of the manager's job.

Health, safety and hygiene

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 applies to every salon, however small. Employers must assess risks, and record the assessment if they have five or more employees. The COSHH Regulations 2002 cover hazardous products such as nail liquids, peels, tints and disinfectants, which can cause dermatitis and lifelong allergies. Use safety data sheets, good ventilation, extraction at nail stations and suitable gloves. Hand hygiene, single-use items, proper disinfection of tools, safe sharps disposal, first aid cover, a fire risk assessment and accident records are all part of the manager's checklist. Some incidents must be reported to the HSE under RIDDOR.

Leading the team fairly and lawfully

Know whether each person is an employee, a worker or a genuinely self-employed room or chair renter. Status depends on what really happens day to day, not on what the contract calls it, and getting it wrong can mean back pay, tax and penalties. Commission is fine, but total pay must still meet the National Minimum Wage across all hours worked, including time waiting for clients and cleaning. Since October 2024, tips paid to the business must all be passed on to workers and shared fairly, under a written tips policy.

Employment law is changing under the Employment Rights Act 2025. Since April 2026, Statutory Sick Pay has been payable from the first day of sickness. Since 30 October 2026, employers must take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their staff, including by clients. And from January 2027, employees are expected to gain unfair dismissal protection after six months' service, so probation reviews really matter. Before anyone starts work, check their right to work in the UK and their qualifications against your insurance.

Keeping clients safe

Most problems trace back to the consultation. The manager sets the standard for medical history, contraindications, patch testing to the manufacturer's instructions and informed consent, then checks it through regular record audits. Therapists need to know they'll be backed when they refuse a treatment on safety grounds. A written complaints process and a clear plan for managing reactions protect both clients and the business.

Running the business

A handful of figures show how a salon is really doing: utilisation, rebooking rate, client retention, average spend and no-shows. Deposit and cancellation terms must be fair under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Advertising must follow the CAP Code, and since April 2025 consumer law has banned fake reviews, rewarding positive reviews and hiding compulsory fees. Client health information is special category data under UK GDPR, so it needs extra protection.

Training for beauty salon and clinic managers

Our Beauty Clinic Manager course covers all of this in about 3 hours of online learning, with 29 short video lessons, 6 practical workbooks for your own business, quizzes and a certificate of completion. It's for senior therapists stepping up, new managers and owners training a manager. It covers general beauty treatments such as facials, waxing, lashes, brows and nails, not injectables or laser.

The course costs £125. Training a team? Each person enrols separately and gets their own certificate.

CPD accreditation in progress: we hope to have the result by the end of November 2026. If you enrol now, you get the full course and a certificate of completion, but your certificate won't show CPD hours. The price will go up to £195 once CPD accreditation is confirmed.