Best value cities for beauty treatments revealed
- Average combined cost of a cut and blow-dry, half-leg wax and full-body spray tan in the UK is £72.32
- Average cost of a cut and blow-dry at a salon in the UK is £35.24
- London is the most expensive place to look 'lush', costing 20 per cent more than the UK average
- Glasgow is the cheapest city for hair and beauty treatments
London, 17 August 2017: New research1 by small business insurer Direct Line for Business reveals Glasgow as the UK's beauty bargain capital with popular beauty treatments costing 17 per cent less than the national average.
Analysing the cost of three popular beauty treatments – a cut and blow-dry, half-leg wax and spray tan – across twelve major cities in the UK, Glasgow came in as the cheapest hair and beauty hotspot, with the three treatments costing a combined £60.03 on average, compared to an average of £72.32 across the UK. London, meanwhile, came in as the most expensive city, with these treatments costing a combined £86.77.
The research revealed the average cost of a cut and blow-dry at a hairdressing salon in the UK is £35.24, with London (£42.46) the most expensive and Glasgow (£26.88) the cheapest.
However, salons provide a wide range of pricing options for beauty-seekers. Nearly four fifths (79 per cent) of businesses offer a range of prices, from junior stylists up to creative, salon and managing directors. On average, costs vary from £30.44 to £40.78 – a difference of £10.34, depending on the experience and expertise of the person carrying out the treatment.
The average cost of a full-body spray tan, meanwhile, stands at £21.77 across the UK, with Bristol (£26.68) coming out as the most expensive location and Glasgow (£18.76) again the cheapest. This is possibly good news for Glaswegians, who have an average of 46 minutes less sunshine every day2 compared to their Bristolian counterparts.
When it comes to leg waxing, Bristol comes in with the lowest price for treatments costing (£13.90). Glasgow comes in at second place with £14.40, while London is once again the priciest location, with the average half-leg wax costing £18.45, which is over £3 more than the national average.
Carly Menken, Head of New Products at Direct Line for Business, said: "Hair and beauty businesses are a fixture of the British high street, with nearly 100,000 businesses operating across the nation3. While looking beautiful doesn't always come cheap, workers in the industry spend long hours honing their skills and investing in the best products, making customers feel wonderful and giving them more confidence."
Table One: The cost of hair and beauty treatments across the UK relative to monthly disposable income
| City | Total treatment cost (hair, tan and wax) | Percentage difference in price vs. UK average | Percentage of monthly disposable income3 |
| London | £86.77 | +20.0% | 4.6% |
| Bristol | £76.78 | +6.1% | 5.2% |
| Manchester | £76.74 | +6.1% | 6.4% |
| Southampton | £75.50 | +4.4% | 6.3% |
| Cardiff | £73.38 | +1.4% | 5.0% |
| Newcastle | £73.10 | +1.1% | 5.5% |
| Liverpool | £71.93 | -0.6% | 5.9% |
| Belfast | £69.35 | -4.1% | 4.9% |
| Leeds | £68.45 | -5.4% | 4.9% |
| Birmingham | £68.11 | -5.8% | 5.9% |
| Nottingham | £67.92 | -6.1% | 6.6% |
| Glasgow | £60.03 | -17.0% | 4.7% |
| UK AVERAGE | £72.32 | - | 4.7% |
Source: Direct Line for Business 2017
When comparing the cost of these beauty treatments to disposable income4 London actually came out as the most affordable city for hair and beauty, with the three treatments costing just 4.6 per cent of the monthly disposable income in the capital. Nottingham, meanwhile, despite having the second cheapest combination of treatments at just £60.03, was the most expensive city relative to disposable income, with the treatments representing 6.6 per cent of the disposable income per month.
Table Two: Cost breakdowns for individual beauty treatments
| City | Average cut and blow-dry | Average half-leg wax | Average full body spray tan |
| London | £42.46 | £18.45 | £25.86 |
| Glasgow | £26.88 | £14.40 | £18.76 |
| Cardiff | £38.38 | £14.95 | £20.05 |
| Manchester | £40.81 | £15.90 | £20.03 |
| Liverpool | £36.50 | £14.35 | £21.08 |
| Birmingham | £33.71 | £14.90 | £19.50 |
| Nottingham | £31.35 | £16.67 | £19.91 |
| Belfast | £33.70 | £14.75 | £20.90 |
| Newcastle | £33.50 | £15.60 | £24.00 |
| Leeds | £34.40 | £14.55 | £19.50 |
| Bristol | £36.20 | £13.90 | £26.68 |
| Southampton | £34.30 | £15.30 | £25.90 |
| UK AVERAGE | £35.24 | £15.31 | £21.77 |
Source: Direct Line for Business 2017
Checkout our infographic below on the UK Hair and beauty treatment index and find out more about the average cost of a haircut, wax and spray tan in the UK.
For further details on Direct Line for Business' Hair and Beauty Insurance, please visit: https://www.directlineforbusiness.co.uk/small-business-insurance/hair-and-beauty-insurance
Notes to Editors
1 Direct Line for Business analysis of salons offering the following treatments in 12 major conurbations across the UK:
- Cut and blow-dry
- Half-leg wax
- Full-body spray tan
2 Direct Line for Business analysis of Met Office data on annual hours of sunshine in 12 weather stations located near the cities surveyed in this initiative. Glasgow has an average of 03 hours 41 minutes of sunshine per day, compared to 04:27 in Bristol.
3 Direct Line for Business analysis of Yell.com data conducted in November 2016.
4 Direct Line for Business analysis of ONS Gross Disposable Household Income (GDHI) per head data.
For further information please contact:
Citigate Dewe Rogerson
Antonia Green
Tel: 020 7282 2967
Email: antonia.green@citigatedr.co.uk
Direct Line Group
Jade Trimbee
PR Manager
Tel: 0137 283 9452
Mobile: 07825 315 931
Email: jade.trimbee@directlinegroup.co.uk
Direct Line for Business
Launched in 2007 Direct Line for Business provides a range of insurance products for the small business sector direct by phone or online.
Direct Line for Business insurance policies are underwritten by U K Insurance Limited, Registered office: The Wharf, Neville Street, Leeds LS1 4AZ. Registered in England and Wales No 1179980. U K Insurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.
Direct Line for Business and U K Insurance Limited are both part of Direct Line Insurance Group plc.
Customers can find out more about Direct Line for Business products or get a quote by calling 0345 301 4827 or visiting www.directlineforbusiness.co.uk