How much does it cost to open a salon? Startup cost calculator and checklist

Rent deposit is months of rent held by the landlord, so it moves with the rent you enter. The rent you pay for the months you are open sits in the runway below, not here.

Fit-out and renovation is the line that swings most: plumbing for basins, electrics for dryers and lamps, ventilation for nails and lashes, floors, paint and a WC that passes inspection. Taking over a space that was already a salon can cost a fraction of an empty shell.

Furniture and equipment covers chairs, basins, mirrors, treatment beds, trolleys, a steriliser, reception and a washing machine. Tools and opening stock is the first full supplier order — colour, gels, oils, towels — which is usually larger than people expect, because suppliers sell in ranges rather than single bottles.

Registration, licences and permits is the paperwork: registering the company or sole trade, the hygiene and safety assessment, waste disposal, the trade licence. In some countries (Germany, Austria, Croatia) a master craftsman certificate or an equivalent qualification is required to run the business — check locally before you sign anything.

The forgotten items are almost always the same: VAT on the fit-out (recoverable later if you register, but you pay it now), liability and contents insurance, the accountant’s set-up fee, utility deposits, the first payroll run before the till catches up — and the quiet weeks before the diary is full. The contingency percentage is there for exactly these.

• Own savings. The cheapest money there is, and the reason the runway line matters: spending the last of it on the fit-out is what sinks otherwise healthy salons.
• A bank or startup loan. Banks want a simple plan: the numbers on this page, your price list, and how many clients a week cover the repayment.
• Leasing the equipment. Chairs, beds and laser or fitness equipment can be leased, which turns a large one-off line into a monthly one. It costs more in total, but it keeps cash for the runway.
• Second-hand. Salons close every month and sell their chairs, basins and reception desks at a fraction of new. Buy the treatment equipment new, the furniture used.
• Supplier terms and grants. Product suppliers often extend payment terms or a starter package to a new salon, and many countries run self-employment or small business grants — ask the local chamber of trade what applies to you.

1. Legal form and registration. Sole trader or company, tax number, VAT registration if you will cross the threshold.
2. Qualifications and trade licence. In some countries (Germany, Austria, Croatia) a master craftsman certificate or an equivalent is required — check locally, and check it before you sign a lease.
3. The space. Confirm the premises may be used for your trade, then negotiate the lease around the fit-out you need and a notice period you can live with.
4. Health, safety and hygiene. The inspection, a hygiene plan, sterilisation, waste disposal contract, first aid.
5. Insurance. Public liability at minimum, plus contents and, if the rent is heavy, business interruption.
6. Bank account and payments. A business account, a card terminal, and a compliant receipt or fiscal register where the law requires one.
7. Booking system and online presence. Online booking, a Google Business Profile, a marketplace listing and photos of the finished space — all live before the doors open, not after.
8. Prices. A service menu with times and prices that cover the monthly costs on this page, not just the products.
9. Hiring. Contracts, rota, payroll and training — and a realistic view of how long a new colleague takes to fill their own column.
10. Launch. A soft opening for friends and former regulars to test the flow, then the public announcement once the booking link works.