HOW TO HIRE · BEAUTY & GROOMING

How to hire a nail technician in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register applies to nail technicians outside London, where a licence covers manicures. Here is what to check, what to ask, and what to do if it goes wrong.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a nail technician in five steps

  1. In London, look for the licenceA Special Treatments Licence on the wall of a salon in a London borough.
  2. Look at the toolsFiles and buffers new or cleaned for you; metal tools sterilised.
  3. Say what you wantFile and polish, gel, builder gel or extensions — each is priced differently.
  4. Mention allergiesPast reactions to gel or acrylic, and any skin or nail infection.
  5. Ask about removalSoak-off of old gel or acrylic: in the price or extra?

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Away from Greater London no licence or register applies to nail technicians in any UK nation, so with a nail technician the checks are training, insurance and hygiene.

Look at photos of their real clients' nails and ask where they trained.

Special Treatments Licence (Greater London)

gov.uk lists manicures among the special treatments a Greater London borough licenses, so ask a salon in a London borough offering a manicure whether its licence covers it.

Look for the licence on the wall, or ask the borough's licensing team. gov.uk →

Insurance that covers the manicure

Ask the nail technician about insurance before the manicure, not after: policies list the treatments they cover, and anything left off the schedule is not insured.

A photo of the schedule is enough: it should list the manicure by name.

Trader status under the Consumer Rights Act 2015

Buying a manicure from a nail technician who trades brings the Consumer Rights Act 2015 with it: the work has to meet the standard of reasonable care and skill, with a redo or partial refund if it misses.

Find the trader badge on the profile, and keep the confirmation with the price on it. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

Polish, gel and extensions from a nail technician are standard-rated at 20%. A salon with taxable turnover over £90,000 must register, charge VAT on each treatment and removal, and show it on the receipt; a home studio below that figure may charge none.

Ask whether a VAT number appears on the receipt, and whether the treatment price includes it. gov.uk →

“Where did you train as a nail technician, and in which systems?”

A good answer: A named course for the products they use — gel, builder gel or acrylic.

“How do you clean tools between clients?”

A good answer: Single-use files and buffers or new ones for you, and metal tools sterilised — said plainly by the nail technician.

“Is removal of my current set included?”

A good answer: A yes or no and a price.

“What will you do if I have a reaction to the products?”

A good answer: Stop, remove, and advise you not to keep using them.

“How long will the gel or polish last on my nails?”

A good answer: An honest time based on your nails and your work.

“In London: do you hold a Special Treatments Licence?”

A good answer: Yes, and it is displayed — a London nail technician's salon should have it.

“What if a nail chips or lifts within days?”

A good answer: A free fix within an agreed window.

Getting the quote right

  • The treatment by name — file and polish, gel, builder gel, extensions
  • Removal of an old set, if extra
  • Nail art priced per nail or per set
  • The fix-up window for chips or lifting
  • Who actually attends: the nail technician you booked, or another technician at the salon, and whether they are employed or subcontracted
  • The salon's VAT number, with VAT apart from the treatment, the removal and the art

Walk away if

  • Files and buffers reused from the last client
  • Drilling or filing that hurts, with no stop
  • No licence on display in a London salon
  • Peeling off old gel instead of soaking it
  • Working over an infected nail
LOW
£18
TYPICAL
£29
HIGH
£50

What a nail technician costs: £18–£50 per visit

Nail technicians price by the treatment — polish, gel, builder gel or extensions — with removal and nail art often extra. Nail Technician price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Nail technicians near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. Check your nailsHands and nails looked at for infection or damage before anything starts.
  2. Clean set-upHands sanitised, new or sterilised tools laid out.
  3. Shape and prepNails filed, cuticles pushed back, surface prepared.
  4. ColourPolish or gel applied in thin coats, gel cured under the lamp.
  5. FinishTop coat, cuticle oil and aftercare explained by the nail technician.

Gel polish
Colour cured under an LED or UV lamp; lasts longer than polish.
Builder gel
A thicker gel that strengthens or extends the nail.
Soak-off
Removing gel or acrylic with remover, not by peeling.
Infill
Topping up a gel or acrylic set as the nail grows.
E-file
An electric file used to shape and remove product.
Special Treatments Licence
The London borough licence that covers manicures and other treatments.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the receiptThe treatment and the price, in case of a fix.
Look at your cuticlesRedness, swelling or pain around a nail: tell the nail technician and get advice.
Use the fix windowChips or lifting in the first days are usually fixed free; ask how long.
Leave the reviewLocufy only takes reviews from people who booked. If the manicure is not right, use the make-it-right step first so the nail technician can put it right before the review goes up.

STEP 1Tell the nail technician, in writingRaise it within days, by message, not just in the chair. If the manicure was below the reasonable care and skill the Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires, ask for a repeat or a reduction.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyGive the manicure under four stars and we ask whether to send it to the nail technician first; we follow it through with them, and then you review.
STEP 3No regulator — Trading StandardsNo body licenses a nail technician, so a manicure dispute you cannot settle goes to Trading Standards through the Citizens Advice consumer helpline (0808 223 1133) in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) or Consumerline in Northern Ireland (0300 123 6262).
STEP 4Small claims, if it comes to moneyIf the nail technician will not refund or redo the manicure, you can claim without a solicitor: up to £10,000 on the small claims track in England and Wales, up to £5,000 under simple procedure in Scotland, and up to £5,000 in the small claims court in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a nail technician: questions people ask

Only in Greater London, where the borough's Special Treatments Licence may cover the premises; elsewhere nail technicians need none. Ask a London salon to show its licence before you book a manicure.

Reasonable care and skill — the Consumer Rights Act 2015 standard — applies to every manicure bought from a trader. Write to them, ask for it to be put right, and if it cannot be, ask for money back.

£18–£50 per visit, typically around £29. Gel, builder gel, extensions and nail art push it up. For the breakdown, read the nail technician price guide; your town in the search box above shows nail technicians near you.

Stop using the product and tell the nail technician in writing; if it does not settle, get advice from a pharmacist or GP.

No. A nail technician does cosmetic work; medical foot problems are for a podiatrist on the HCPC Register.

Tell the technician in writing. Removal done without reasonable care and skill can be put right or the price reduced.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in beauty & grooming

How to hire: Gel NailsHow to hire: Acrylic NailsHow to hire: Nail ArtHow to hire: Manicure & PedicureHow to hire: Mobile Nail TechnicianHow to hire: Mobile BeauticianHow to hire: WaxingHow to hire: Eyelash ExtensionsAll 701 hiring guides →

Nail technicians near you

Nail technicians in LondonNail technicians in ManchesterNail technicians in BirminghamNail technicians in GlasgowNail technicians in BelfastAll nail technicians on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — tattoo, piercing and electrolysis licence (England and Wales), with London's Special Treatments Licence
  2. HCPC — the professions we regulate
  3. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — your rights when a service falls short
  5. gov.uk — VAT rates
  6. nidirect — small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  7. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register