Trusted Insurance Partner
Peace of mind starts here.
At Sentio Salons, we understand the unique challenges faced by salons, freelancers, and stylists. That’s why we’ve partnered with the Fellowship for British Hairdressing—an organisation dedicated to raising industry standards and supporting hair professionals at every level.
Whether you own a salon, rent a chair, or work as a mobile stylist, having the right insurance is essential to protect your business, reputation, and financial security. As the trusted insurance partner of the Fellowship, we provide comprehensive cover, expert guidance, and exclusive benefits designed specifically for the hair industry.
With years of experience and the trust of some of the UK’s leading salon professionals, we make getting insured simple, stress-free, and cost-effective—so you can focus on what you do best.
Complimentary Cover Appraisal
Not sure if your current insurance fully protects your business? As part of our commitment to supporting salons, we offer a complimentary, no-obligation appraisal of your existing covers. Our expert team will review your policies, identify gaps, and recommend the right solutions to keep your salon safe and secure.
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Supporting You Every Step of the Way
At Sentio Salons, our dedicated team brings a wealth of experience from senior positions at major international and UK regional insurance brokers. We are passionate about supporting salon owners with tailored insurance solutions that truly understand their needs. Our clients are at the heart of everything we do—we listen, we understand, and we deliver bespoke protection that helps salons thrive.
Patch testing made easy
Patch testing has been a hot topic in the hair and beauty sectors, with salons facing inconsistent patch testing coverage across insurers. Some only cover the manufacturer’s instructions, while others provide broader options, leaving salon owners uncertain about the best course of action.
At Sentio Salons, we offer tailored solutions to support the various patch testing protocols in the industry, including:
- Manufacturer’s Instructions – Requires a 48-hour patch test before each colour treatment.
- Vendor or Colour House Protocols – Some colour houses have their own testing guidelines, including recorded consultations and patch testing every 3 to 6 months.
- Colourstart® – A third-party system that allows clients to self-certify their suitability for colour treatments, avoiding the need for repeated patch testing.
- Bespoke Patch Testing Protocols – For salons without a colour house protocol, we offer bespoke options that allow testing every 6 months.
We understand the importance of offering clarity and consistency, which is why Sentio Salons developed a bespoke patch testing protocol in collaboration with The Hair & Barber Council. This ensures salons, no matter their colour house, get the right coverage for patch testing, allowing them to operate safely and confidently.
Qualifications & Juniors
The hair industry is seeing a growing number of stylists entering the profession without accredited qualifications, alongside shifts in how some insurers approach trainees and juniors in salons.
Some insurers now require trainees or juniors to complete up to a year at college before being allowed to perform even basic tasks like washing or drying hair.
At Sentio Salons, we strongly advocate for education while recognising the importance of hands-on experience in training. That’s why, with the appropriate risk management in place (such as recorded training), trainees and juniors can wash and dry hair unsupervised. Beyond this, additional treatments can be carried out under the supervision of a qualified professional.
We define a qualified person as someone with either:
- An NVQ Level 2 (or equivalent), or
- At least three years of continuous experience in the industry—ensuring that those with established expertise are recognised and protected.
Rent-a-Chair Stylists
Changes in underwriting guidelines and evolving HMRC definitions of self-employment have led to inconsistencies in how insurers cover rent-a-chair stylists. In some cases, salons have found their insurers unwilling to indemnify claims, leaving them exposed and seeking support from Sentio Salons.
Our approach is proactive—we engage directly with insurers to address these challenges head-on. We provide clear guidance on what salons need to do, how to do it, and how to ensure their position remains protected in the event of a claim. With Sentio Salons, you can operate with confidence, knowing your business is covered correctly.
EXAMPLES OF SOME OF THE COVERS YOU’LL NEED
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Public liability insurance covers the cost of claims made by members of the public for incidents that occur at your salon. It covers the cost of compensation for personal injuries and loss of, or damage to property. For your sector this will be extended to include ‘treatment liability’ or for more advanced treatments a more specialist ‘medical malpractice’ cover may be required.
Our policies will usually give £2million or £5millon worth of public liability cover depending on your salon’s specific needs.
Employers’ liability insurance covers the cost of compensating employees who are injured at or become ill through working for your business.
If you have employee’s, this cover is a legal requirement.
Business interruption insurance covers you for loss of income during periods when you cannot carry out business as usual due to an unexpected adverse event. The main cover itself is property lead meaning there needs to be physical damage in order to claim. However there are some caveats to this in some of the extensions insurers offer. It aims to put your business back in the same position as you were prior to the event.
Examples of incidents may be fire, flooding or storm and we will usually provide cover for a period of either 12, 24, or 36 months depending on your businesses’ requirements and the type of property you are trading from.
Buildings insurance covers any damage to the building itself, including the main structure, outbuildings, and underground pipes. You may not be responsible for insuring the building if you are a tenant. You may have made alterations to the building as a tenant, such as new flooring, boilers and lighting. These would be covered under something called ‘tenants improvements’. You will need to confirm the rebuild cost in the event of a total loss. If you are unsure of this, we have a service to provide you with this information.
Contents insurance covers the cost of loss or damage to your business contents, including furniture, computer equipment, tools of your trade amongst other items not more specifically mentioned elsewhere.
This covers both retail and professional stock. You insure this for the cost to replace it, not what you sell it out at. It is worth noting that most insurers also automatically include a seasonal uplift for the festive period.
TYPICAL EXAMPLES OF CLAIMS THAT COULD ARISE
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Many salons are situated underneath other businesses or residential premises with no association to them. A common claim for this reason can be damage to a restaurant’s contents from water that has escaped from a burst pipe upstairs.
Speak to us and we’ll discuss in more detail about other covers you may want to consider when insuring your salon, such as directors and officers, legal expenses, and employee dishonesty insurance.
