How to Start a Nail Salon in 2026: 10 Steps
How to start a nail salon in 2026: licences in the US, UK, Australia, Canada and the UAE, startup costs, ventilation, pricing, staff pay and booking software.
Salon Operations & Content, Blyssbook
To start a nail salon you need a licensed tech (you or your staff), the right licence or registration for the premises, a space with good ventilation and hot water, equipment, a price list, a way for clients to book and pay, and enough money to run for a few months while you build a client list. Here are the ten steps in order, with licence rules and fees we checked on official sites on 6 November 2026.
1. Pick your salon model
| Model | What it is | Upfront cost | Best when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent a booth or room | You rent space in someone else's salon and run your own book | Lowest | You have clients already and want to test demand |
| Solo studio | Your own small space, one or two stations | Low to medium | You want your own brand and hours |
| Full nail salon | Several stations, pedicure chairs, employed or booth-renting techs | Highest | There's walk-in demand and you can manage a team |
| Mobile or home service | You go to the client | Low | Your area has demand and local rules allow it |
2. Get licensed
Rules are set by state, council or emirate, so check with the body for your exact address. Examples we checked:
| Where | Tech licence | Salon licence or registration |
|---|---|---|
| California | Manicurist: 400 hours of training at an approved school, then the state exam; $110 exam and licence fee | Establishment licence: $50 application, $40 renewal |
| New York | Nail specialty: 250 hours of approved training, $40 application, $15 written and $15 practical exam | Appearance enhancement business licence: $60 for 4 years, plus liability cover and a wage bond |
| London (UK) | No national nail licence | Special treatment licence from your borough; Hounslow 2026-27 charges £164 plus £249 for a new licence |
| New South Wales (Australia) | No state nail licence | Premises doing skin penetration must notify the local council; some councils include nail work |
| Ontario (Canada) | No provincial nail licence | Personal service setting rules (O. Reg. 136/18); tell your public health unit before you open |
| Dubai (UAE) | Staff need health certificates | Trade licence from the Department of Economy and Tourism, plus a Dubai Municipality health and safety permit |
In England the government plans a licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures such as fillers and Botox. Nails are not among the procedures named in its August 2025 consultation response, and no start date has been set.
3. Write a business plan and budget
Work out startup costs, monthly running costs, how many services per day you need to break even, and how long your money lasts. Our nail salon business plan template has the worksheets.
4. Find the premises
Look for passing trade or easy parking, hot and cold water, drainage if you want plumbed pedicure chairs, and room for extraction. Check the lease allows a nail salon and who pays for fit-out. In London and many councils, the licence is tied to the premises, so the space has to pass inspection.
5. Plan ventilation and safety
Acrylic and gel products give off vapour and dust. The UK Health and Safety Executive tells nail businesses to provide an extractor hood or a down-draught table for nail work, along with gloves and eye protection where needed. In the US, OSHA's nail salon guidance names ventilation as the most effective way to cut chemical levels. Budget for source-capture extraction at each station: as one listed example, a two-station ceiling-mount system from HealthyAir is $2,695 on its site (6 November 2026). Keep safety data sheets for every product, and plan single-use files and buffers or a proper disinfection routine.
6. Buy equipment and stock
- Manicure tables with dust extraction, chairs and stools
- Pedicure chairs (plumbed or pipeless) or pedicure stations
- UV/LED lamps, e-file drills, sterilisation and disinfection equipment
- Opening stock: gel, acrylic, polish, tips, disposables, retail products
- A tablet or laptop at the desk, a receipt printer, a card machine
Get two or three quotes on chairs and extraction; prices vary widely between new, used and imported.
7. Set your prices
Price from your costs, not only from what the salon down the road charges: product cost per service, your rent and running costs per hour of station time, and what you pay the tech. Then compare with three to five local salons. Our nail salon price list template has a menu layout you can copy.
8. Decide how you'll pay techs
Commission, hourly, salary plus commission, or booth rent. In the US, tips belong to the techs, and commission pay still has to meet the minimum wage. Our guide to how much nail techs make covers pay by country and how to set a commission rate.
9. Set up booking, checkout and payments
Before you open, clients should be able to book online from your Instagram and Google profile, and the desk should be able to check out a mani-pedi with two techs, split the tip, sell a gift card and close the till at night. Blyssbook does all of that from $11 a month with a 14-day free trial: a booking page, a calendar per tech, a walk-in floor board, a POS with tips split per tech, gift cards, and commission and payroll on every plan.
10. Launch and fill the book
- 1Claim your Google Business Profile with photos, hours, services and your booking link.
- 2Put the booking link in your Instagram bio and post your actual work.
- 3Run an opening offer for first visits, and sell gift cards to friends and family.
- 4Rebook every client before they leave: gel and infills come back every 2 to 4 weeks.
- 5Ask happy clients for a review the same day.
Starting a nail salon: questions
Do you need a licence to open a nail salon?
Usually yes, but for different things in different places. In US states such as California and New York, techs need a state nail licence and the salon needs an establishment or business licence. In London the premises need a special treatment licence from the borough. In Ontario and New South Wales, public health and council rules apply to the premises rather than a nail licence.
How much does it cost to start a nail salon?
It depends on the model. Renting a booth costs little more than your licence, tools and stock. A full salon adds a lease, fit-out, pedicure chairs, extraction and months of running costs. Licence fees themselves are small; for example, California charges $50 for an establishment licence application (checked 6 November 2026).
Can I start a nail business from home?
Sometimes. It depends on your local licensing, zoning and health rules. Some areas license home salons, some don't allow them, and in parts of London a special treatment licence isn't needed if you only treat clients in their own homes. Ask your licensing body or council before you start.
Sources
- California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, FAQ (manicurist 400 hours), manicurist and establishment applications, barbercosmo.ca.gov, checked 6 Nov 2026
- New York Department of State, nail specialty licence and appearance enhancement business licence, dos.ny.gov, checked 6 Nov 2026
- London Borough of Hounslow, massage and special treatment licences 2026-27; London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, special treatment licences, checked 6 Nov 2026
- UK Department of Health and Social Care, licensing of non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England, consultation response (updated 7 Aug 2025), gov.uk, checked 6 Nov 2026
- NSW Health, skin penetration, health.nsw.gov.au, checked 6 Nov 2026
- Ontario Regulation 136/18, Personal Service Settings, ontario.ca/laws/regulation/180136, checked 6 Nov 2026
- Dubai Municipality, technical guidelines for salons, barbershops and beauty centres (V4, Jan 2025), dm.gov.ae, checked 6 Nov 2026
- UK Health and Safety Executive, beauty and nail bars (COSHH), hse.gov.uk/coshh/industry/beauty.htm, checked 6 Nov 2026
- OSHA, nail salons, osha.gov/nail-salons, checked 6 Nov 2026
- HealthyAir, ceiling-mount source capture system, dual station, healthyair.com, checked 6 Nov 2026
How this guide was made: written by Sam Rahman from Blyssbook setups. Licence rules and fees are from the official pages above, read on 6 November 2026. They change, so confirm with your licensing body before you apply.
Written by Sam Rahman, Salon Operations & Content at Blyssbook. Last updated 6 November 2026.