Insurance for salons and barbers
Salons usually carry general and professional liability together: one for the floor, one for the chair. Property covers your stations and product, and workers’ comp comes in with your first employee.
- Usually starts with
- General and professional liability
- Often asked for by
- Landlords and salon owners
About five minutes. Your certificate is ready the day you buy.
What goes wrong in a salon
What happens most often to salons, and the policy that answers each one.
- Professional liability
01
A color treatment burns the scalp
Lightener stays on too long, and the client leaves with a chemical burn and broken hair. Professional liability typically covers claims that a service you performed hurt a client.
- Professional liability
02
A nick from the razor
A client flinches during a straight-razor shave or a lineup and needs stitches. Professional liability can help with their medical bills and the claim, subject to the policy’s terms.
- General liability
03
A slip at the shampoo bowl
Water on the tile or a dryer cord across the walkway sends a client down. General liability typically covers their medical bills and your defense.
- Workers’ comp
04
A stylist’s wrist gives out
Ten-hour days of blow-drying and cutting lead to tendinitis. Workers’ comp pays for treatment and part of their wages while they rest it, as your state’s rules set out.
- Property
05
A pipe bursts over the stations
Water from the unit upstairs ruins chairs, dryers and a shelf of retail product. Property insurance can help pay to repair or replace them.
- Cyber
06
Your booking app is breached
Someone gets into your booking or payment account, and clients’ phone numbers and card details are exposed. Cyber insurance can help pay to notify clients and get your systems back.
The coverage salons carry
In the order most owners buy it. Quote them together and see every limit before you pay.
Numbers on the photo match the policies beside it.
- Most carry it01 General liability
Clients sit in your chairs and walk your floors. Your landlord will usually ask for it.
$1M / $2M - Most carry it02 Professional liability
For cuts, color, waxing and chemical services that go wrong. General liability often excludes professional services, so this fills the gap.
$1M per claim - Most carry it03 Property
Chairs, dryers, shampoo bowls, tools and the product on your shelves.
What you own - Once you hire04 Workers’ comp
For your employees. Booth renters usually aren’t, though your state decides. Most states require it once you hire.
Set by state - If it applies05 Cyber
If clients book and pay online, or you keep card details on file.
Up to $250K
Who will ask for proof
Your certificate is ready the day you buy, so you can send it as soon as someone asks.
Landlords and shopping centers
Usually general liability at $1M per claim and $2M a year, with the landlord named as an additional insured. Some also ask for a waiver of subrogation.
Salon owners renting booths
Owners often require each booth renter to carry their own general and professional liability, with a certificate naming the salon.
Wedding and event venues
If you do hair and makeup on site, venues often ask for a certificate naming them as an additional insured for the date.
Franchisors
Franchise salons usually have minimum limits for each policy written into the franchise agreement.
What moves your price
There’s no price on this page. Your quote is the real number, in about five minutes.
How much does business insurance cost?- 01The services you offer, especially chemical treatments
- 02How many stylists, and whether they’re employees or booth renters
- 03Your revenue
- 04The value of your chairs, equipment and product
- 05Your location
- 06Your claims history
Keep claims small
Habits that make a claim less likely, and easier to settle when one happens.
Patch and strand test
Test for reactions before color and chemical services, and note the result on the client’s card.
Keep consultation notes
Write down what the client asked for, what you used and any warnings you gave. Notes like these help when a client disputes a result.
Route cords and mop fast
Keep dryer cords out of walkways, and keep a mat and a mop by the shampoo bowls.
Collect renters’ certificates
Ask each booth renter for a current certificate every year, and keep the copies.
Every kind of salon
Choose yours and the quote starts with it filled in.
Guides for salon owners
Longer answers to the questions below.
Booth renters vs. employees: insurance for salons9 min read
General liability vs. professional liability9 min read
Insurance requirements in a commercial lease9 min readReplacement cost vs. actual cash value9 min readBarbershop insurance: chairs, clippers and the people in them8 min readWhat decides the cost of professional liability insurance9 min read
Business insurance for sole proprietors8 min readHow business insurance works: premiums, limits and deductibles10 min readQuestions from
salon owners
What insurance does a salon need?
Most salons carry general and professional liability together, plus property for chairs, equipment and product. Workers’ comp comes in once you have employees. If clients book online, cyber is worth a look.
Does general liability cover a bad haircut or color?
Usually not. Injuries or damage from the services you perform are typically handled by professional liability. General liability covers things like a client slipping on a wet floor.
I rent a booth. Do I need my own insurance?
Usually, yes. The salon owner’s policy covers the owner’s business, not yours, and many owners require renters to carry their own general and professional liability. Check your rental agreement.
Do I need workers’ comp for booth renters?
Usually not, if they’re truly independent. But a renter whose hours, prices and products you control may count as an employee under your state’s rules. Rules vary by state, so check before you decide.
Does professional liability cover allergic reactions?
Often, yes, when the reaction comes from a service you performed, subject to the policy’s terms and exclusions. A documented patch test helps if a claim comes in.
Are my shears and tools covered away from the salon?
Property insurance usually covers your tools, chairs and product at the salon. If you take your kit to weddings or clients’ homes, check how your policy treats equipment at other locations.
Do barbershops need different insurance from salons?
Usually the same policies. Barbers do more blade work close to the skin, so professional liability matters as much as it does for color. Your quote asks about the services you offer.
Cover the floor and the chair.
Quote General liability, professional liability, property and workers’ comp together, and see every limit before you buy.