Common funding needs in the beauty and personal services sector
- Salon and treatment-room fit-out, chairs, beds and lighting
- Buying specialist equipment (laser, IPL, tanning, beauty tech)
- Working capital for stock of products and consumables
- Marketing spend for new locations or services
- Lease deposits and shopfront refurbishment
- Bridging quieter months in a seasonal business
Finance types that usually fit
Based on how UK lenders typically underwrite this sector, the following finance categories are the most common fit:
Merchant Cash Advance
Cash advance repaid as a share of card/POS/platform sales.
Asset Finance
Finance to buy/refinance equipment, vehicles or machinery.
Unsecured Business Loan
Term loan or credit line repaid through fixed instalments.
Business Credit Card
Revolving credit/charge card for expenses and short-term spend.
Sector-specific eligibility blockers
- Sub-sector restrictions on aesthetics, cosmetic and some specialist services at some lenders
- Single-operator chair-rental businesses harder to underwrite for larger limits
- Sole traders with limited accounting infrastructure
- Short remaining lease where lender wants longer security
- Cash-heavy operations with limited card volume reduce MCA fit
How routing usually works in beauty and personal services
Beauty and personal services routing usually starts with the card processor. If the salon takes most payments via SumUp, Square or a high-street acquirer, the platform-native or partner MCA product is often the cleanest first option. Fit-out and equipment go to asset finance, with Lombard, Novuna and Propel covering chairs, beds, lasers and salon kit. Stable operators with 12+ months trading can apply for unsecured loans from iwoca. Cards from Capital on Tap suit smaller everyday spend. Premises purchase routes to commercial mortgage if owning rather than leasing.
UK lenders active in beauty and personal services
The lenders below publish criteria consistent with funding businesses in this sector. Final approval is always subject to lender underwriting.
Liberis
Business Cash Advance
- Amount
- £500–£1m; flexi up to £2m via partners
- Speed
- Minutes via partner
- Security / PG
- Not clearly disclosed
- Data confidence
- Medium
YouLend
Sales-based funding
- Amount
- Up to 2x monthly revenue
- Speed
- Offer <24h; funding ~48h
- Security / PG
- Not disclosed
- Data confidence
- Medium
SumUp
Cash Advance
- Amount
- £500–£100k
- Speed
- In-app offer
- Security / PG
- Not disclosed
- Data confidence
- Medium
Square
Square Loans
- Amount
- £100–£250k
- Speed
- 1–2 business days
- Security / PG
- Not disclosed
- Data confidence
- Medium
Lombard
Asset finance / HP
- Amount
- £25k+
- Speed
- Not disclosed
- Security / PG
- Security/guarantees may be required
- Data confidence
- Medium
iwoca
Business loan / credit line
- Amount
- £1k–£1m
- Speed
- Instant/same-day for many
- Security / PG
- Unsecured positioning
- Data confidence
- High
Capital on Tap
Business credit card
- Amount
- Up to £250k
- Speed
- Often same-day decision
- Security / PG
- No unsatisfied CCJs in last 12 months; director/shareholder test
- Data confidence
- High
Frequently asked questions
- Can a salon get a merchant cash advance?
- Yes, if the salon takes card payments via a supported processor. MCA repayment as a percentage of daily sales matches the seasonal flow of the sector well. Liberis, YouLend and platform-native products like SumUp Cash Advance are commonly used.
- What finance covers a new salon fit-out?
- Asset finance covers the kit (chairs, beds, lasers, lighting). Unsecured loans from iwoca or similar can cover labour and softer fit-out costs. A new operator without trading history may need stronger director PG and possibly a higher deposit.
- Is aesthetics covered by mainstream lenders?
- Some lenders restrict aesthetics, cosmetic and laser services. Others underwrite the sector normally with appropriate insurance and qualifications. Confirm sector appetite at application stage, particularly for laser and energy-based treatments.
- Can a sole-trader barber get finance?
- Yes — particularly for vehicle, chair or equipment finance via asset finance, and for small revolving spend via Capital on Tap. Unsecured term loans are harder without a limited company structure and 12+ months of accounts.
- How is gym or fitness studio finance assessed?
- Gyms are sometimes treated as a sub-sector with their own underwriting due to direct-debit membership income and lease-tied equipment. Several mainstream MCA and asset finance providers cover the sector; confirm appetite explicitly when applying.
Related use cases
Eligibility checks for this sector
Each finance type has its own eligibility signals. The pages below explain what UK lenders typically look at — criteria can change and final decisions are subject to lender underwriting.