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Running a salon comes with risk. Things simply goes wrong sometimes. That’s just how it is.
This is why all salon owners need a set of insurance policies.
But what insurances are mandatory for salons? What’s the most cost-effective way to insure a salon? And what type of insurance does a salon owner need?
This can be confusing at first sight. This is why I created this short and simple summary of insurances you need when starting hair salon, nail salon, beauty salon or spa.
Please note that I’m not an insurance agency or legal expert. The purpose of this article is to give you a good idea of what you need. To get full details from an expert, I suggest you request a free quote based on your specific salon requirements from Hiscox which only takes a few minutes to do.
Let’s get to it.
A typical salon needs a General Liability Insurance, Commercial Property Insurance, Professional Liability Insurance, and Workers Compensation Insurance. Some insurance companies offer something called a Business Owner Policy which is a combination of insurance policies that are needed for business owners which is a more cost effective option.
To save money, you can can apply for a Business Owner Policy which is a combination of the General Liability Insurance and Commercial Property Insurance.
To learn more about how much salon insurance cost you can read my salon insurance cost guide here which also includes the estimates in the table above. But this will still only give you a rough estimate. To understand what cost to expect for your specific salon, you can request a free quote from Hiscox. Hiscox is one of the most popular insurance companies for beauty salons. And when you fill out their online form, you get an accurate cost quote back immediately.
Salon owners need to insure their salon to protect themselves, their employees and customers against liability, accidents, and damage. There are many things that can go wrong in a salon and it’s important to protect against potential losses.
Just imagine one of the following scenarios:
I’m sure you’ll agree with me that things like this can easily happen. You need to make sure you salon, employees, and clients are protected against the impact of such events.
Booth renters needs a General Liability Insurance, Professional Liability Insurance, and Property Insurance as they are liable for professional mistakes, property damage, and bodily injury. If you for example are a hairdresser renting a chair you are functioning as a separate business within the salon and is therefor not covered by the salon’s Insurance.
In many cases, the salon owner will require you to have your own insurance to work in the salon. However, even if they don’t, you should make sure you’re covered. You’ll most likely not need a workers compensation insurance as you don’t have any employees. But it’s a good idea to ask the salon owner about their insurance requirements.
The cost for salon booth renter insurance is typically lower than if you’re a salon owner. You can also save cost by opting in for a Business Owner Policy which typically combines the General Liability Insurance and Property Insurance.
I don’t mean to upset anyone, but if you’re based in the U.S., you have a business in the most litigious society in the world (source). And if you run a salon business, there’s many reasons why you may get sued.
Let’s say one of your employees slips next to the shampoo station and break their ankle. Or maybe you’re a mobile salon and during one of your client home visits, you drop nail polish on their expensive carpet.
For both event’s below, you’d be liable for the cost.
A General Liability Insurance would protect you against these type of claims. This is why all salon owner’s must have a liability insurance. However, as salon owner, you may have better options to go for than a General Liability Insurance.
Most insurance companies, at least if they focus on helping small business, would offer something called a Business Owner Policy which includes also the General Liability Insurance.
Let’s say you run a hair salon and your expensive hood dryer breaks down on you. That can be an unexpected expense that completely ruins your holiday plan that month.
Or what if you’r running a tanning salon and a water pipe breaks and you get water all your electronic sun beds? Not only could it get extremely expensive to repair or replace the sun beds, but you’d also have loose all the revenue your sun beds generate until they’ve been replaced.
These are both reasons why you need a Commercial Property Insurance. It protects you against costs if your equipment breaks and also for lost revenue during repairs in your salon or while waiting for replacement of equipment.
However, similar to the General Liability Insurance, as a salon owner, you may not need a Commercial Property Insurance if you’re signed up for a Business Owner Policy as that’s typically covered there.
Let’s look at this policy next.
The Business Owner Policy is a combination of the General Liability Insurance and Commercial Property Insurance. It typically also includes a Business Interruption Insurance and other specific insurances depending on the needs of your business.
If you setup your insurance with a provider that has experience of working with hairdressers, nail technicians, beauty therapists or other types of salons, they can adapt it to cover the common needs you have. Hiscox is one of the best beauty salon insurance companies and they’ll tell you what you need, and what it would cost, when you request a free quote here.
Note that there are still specific claims that a Business Owner Policy do not cover. These are claims for inaccurate client advice and those that arise from the professional salon services your perform. This is why you’ll need a Professional Liability Insurance on top.
Let’s say you’re a hairdresser and let’s say you’ve coloring a clients hair and they get a scalp reaction after. Even if the client told you that they aren’t allergic and you conducted the service the exact right way according to the product suppliers instructions, you could get sued.
Or maybe you’re a massage therapist and a client claim’s to have an even worse pack pain after being treated in your salon, this could put you in the same tricky spot.
Let’s face it.
Even if you’re an expert at the service you provide, you can make mistakes. And if your salon client thinks the mistake has financial impact to them, you may be sued. The same applies if the service was provided by a member of your staff.
A professional liability insurance, also called errors and omissions insurance (E&O insurance) or indemnity insurance, protects you against any potential risks you may face when conducting your salon services on your clients.
In some states, certain kind of salon services require you to have a professional liability insurance.
If you have salon employees, this insurance is mandatory.
Your salon staff is most likely working with hot tools, chemicals, and sometime under less ergonomic circumstances. What if one of you’re hairdressers burns herself that bad on a styling tool that she needs to be treated in hospital?
A Workers Compensation Insurance covers your employees lost wages and medical treatment in case of injury. It also protects you from being sued for workplace conditions that result in injury or illness.
A must have insurance if you have employees in your salon.
There are many insurance companies out there but I’d recommend you to pick an insurance company that specialize in salon insurance.
One of the most popular providers in the U.S. is Hiscox. They help small business owners to the right insurance and have dedicated beauty salon insurance, hairdresser insurance, Nail technician insurance, as well as spa owner insurance. They’ve been around since 1901 and is the leading specialist insurance company so a safe option.
You can also look at other options to see if you can find something at a better price that still has the same good coverage as Hiscox. To see what the cost and coverage is with Hiscox, you can request a salon quote for free on their website.
Hiscox offer a fast and easy way to get an exact picture of what an insurance will cost you. Try to be as detailed and specific as possible when you request your quote so that you get your insurance tailored to your needs and avoid paying for something you don’t need.
Getting a good insurance is critical for and nail salon, hair salon, beauty salon or spa.
When you provide services to other people, you always run the risk that something goes wrong. As a salon owner you have many worries on your plate but a good insurance can at least remove some.
We’ve now covered the salon insurance policies you need: A Business Owner Policy, a Professional Liability Insurance, and a Workers Compensation Insurance if you have salon staff.
Written by John Hallberg
2020-09-10 17:53:29
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