HOW TO HIRE · BEAUTY & GROOMING · CHECKED OCTOBER 2026
How to hire a spray tan technician in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.
Spray tan technicians need no licence anywhere in the UK. Here is what to check, how to prepare, and what to do if it goes wrong.
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THE 60-SECOND VERSION
Hiring a spray tan technician in five steps
- Patch test if sensitiveOr if it is your first spray tan.
- Shave or wax a day beforeAnd exfoliate the night before.
- Arrive bare-skinnedNo deodorant, moisturiser or make-up.
- Ask about extractionA booth or tent with a fan to clear overspray.
- Wear loose dark clothesTo travel home in.
BEFORE YOU BOOK
Check before you book
No register applies
Anyone in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland can offer a spray tan — no law licenses spray tan technicians or keeps a register of them. The council licences that do exist are for tattooing and piercing, not for the work of a spray tan technician.
Ask the spray tan technician for the training certificate for this treatment and the insurer that covers it.
Insurance that covers the spray tan
The insurance norm for spray tan technicians is cover written for each treatment, so a spray tan technician whose schedule leaves out the spray tan is not insured for it.
Ask the spray tan technician for the insurer's name and the schedule line that covers the spray tan.
Trader status under the Consumer Rights Act 2015
Buying a spray tan from a spray tan 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.
The trader badge shows on the spray tan technician's Locufy profile; save the booking message as your record. legislation.gov.uk →
Patch test before the treatment
No register or law sets a patch test, but it is one of the checks that matters in place of a register: a spray tan technician should test the product on your skin with enough time before the spray tan for a reaction to show.
Ask the spray tan technician when the patch test is done and how long they wait before the spray tan.
VAT
A spray tan in a salon is standard-rated at 20%, packages and courses included. A tanning business over the £90,000 registration threshold must charge VAT and show it on the receipt; a spray tan technician working alone below that usually charges none.
Ask for the salon's VAT number and check a course price shows the VAT for the whole course. gov.uk →
A good answer: A named solution, with its ingredients available if you ask.
A good answer: Yes, ahead of the appointment, from the spray tan technician.
A good answer: An extractor or fan to clear overspray, and eye and nose protection offered.
A good answer: A shade matched to your skin and the depth you want.
A good answer: A clear time for that solution.
A good answer: An honest number of days.
A good answer: A fix or a re-spray within an agreed time.
Getting the quote right
- Express or standard, full body or partial
- The solution — standard, organic or premium
- Packages or courses
- Who actually attends: the spray tan technician you booked, or another technician, and whether they are employed or subcontracted
- The salon's VAT number, with VAT apart from the tan and any package
Walk away if
- No extraction in the booth
- No barrier cream on hands and feet
- A solution they cannot name
- No patch test offered when you ask
What a spray tan technician costs: £20–£50 per session
Spray tan technicians price per session, set by the solution and whether it is full body or partial. Spray Tan 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
Spray tan 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.
- Shade consultationSkin tone and depth discussed.
- Barrier creamHands, feet and dry areas protected.
- SprayAn even full-body application in a ventilated booth.
- DryA quick dry before dressing.
- AftercareShower time and care from the spray tan technician.
- DHA
- The active ingredient in most tanning solutions.
- Express tan
- A solution that develops faster.
- Barrier cream
- Cream that stops patchy colour on hands and feet.
- Extraction
- A fan that clears overspray from the booth.
- Development time
- How long before your first shower.
- Patch test
- A test of the solution on your skin first.
AFTER
When the job is done
Hiring a spray tan technician: questions people ask
No register or licence applies. That puts the checking on you: photos of their work, their training and who insures them.
The spray tan technician has to put a poor spray tan right at their own cost, within a reasonable time, under the Consumer Rights Act 2015; where they cannot, part or all of the price comes back.
£20–£50 per session, typically around £25. Premium or organic solutions and city-centre studios cost more. More detail sits in the spray tan price guide, and typing your town above brings up spray tan technicians you can book.
Ask your midwife or GP and tell the technician; they may suggest waiting or extra ventilation.
Ask the technician for that solution; a day or two before is common.
Tell the technician that day. A tan not done with reasonable care and skill is a reason for a re-spray or a reduction.
MORE GUIDES
More hiring guides in beauty & grooming
Spray tan technicians near you
Sources — checked October 2026
- gov.uk — tattoo, piercing and electrolysis licence (England and Wales), with London's Special Treatments Licence
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — your rights when a service falls short
- gov.uk — VAT rates
- nidirect — small claims process (Northern Ireland)
- GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register