Salon and barber equipment finance
Salon and barber equipment finance funds styling chairs, backwash units, treatment beds, laser and IPL machines and full salon fit-outs, spreading the cost over the equipment life instead of a large up-front outlay. The usual routes are hire purchase, which suits keep-forever fit-out a salon expects to run for years, and finance lease, which suits equipment like laser and IPL machines that need periodic refresh to stay current. The equipment is the security and salon kit holds value reasonably well, so lender comfort is good for established operators and tighter for first-year salons. Aesthetic and laser treatments bring extra compliance, and training costs for new equipment often sit outside the finance. For hair salons, barbers, beauty clinics and aesthetic practices, financing the chairs and machines keeps cash free for stock, staffing and the marketing that builds a client book in the early months of a new site.
At a glance
- Category
- Beauty
- Typical tickets
- £8,000 to £80,000
- Typical term
- 36 to 60 months
- Best finance type
- Hire purchase for keep-forever fit-out; finance lease for laser equipment requiring refresh.
How financing salon and barber equipment works
The lender funds the equipment and you repay over a fixed term, with the kit as security. Hire purchase transfers ownership at the end; finance lease keeps it leased over its usable life, which fits equipment that dates. Lenders look at trading history and, for first-year salons, a deposit and projections. Where treatments are regulated, compliance status feeds into the decision.
Typical terms
Terms typically run 36 to 60 months. Established salons get the keenest terms; first-year operators pay more and need a larger deposit. Laser and IPL equipment often carries training costs that aren't part of the finance, so budget those separately.
Who it suits
Hair salons and barbers, beauty clinics, aesthetic clinics and mobile beauty operators financing kit separately from a vehicle. Established operators fitting out or refurbishing a site are the core fit; first-year salons can still qualify with a deposit and projections.
What to check
- Licensing for laser and IPL treatments, which sits separate from the finance: in England cosmetic laser and IPL left CQC regulation in 2010, and some councils (London boroughs among them) license them as special treatments.
- Laser and IPL training costs, which are often outside finance scope.
- Resale value of specialist treatment equipment.
- Whether mobile-beauty kit is financed separately from the vehicle.
Why asset finance fits
Salon equipment holds value well. Lender comfort is good for established operators; tighter for first-year salons.
New to the structures? The guide to hire purchase, finance lease, operating lease and refinance explains how each route is taxed and accounted for, and the asset finance cost compare calculator puts them side by side on the same asset.
Top sectors
- Hair salons and barbers
- Beauty clinics
- Aesthetic clinics
- Mobile beauty (asset finance for the kit, separate from vehicle finance)
Top UK lenders
- Aldermore
- Time Finance
- Specialist beauty asset finance lenders
Apply
Check your salon and barber equipment finance options →Last updated: .