DID YOU KNOW THAT..
most nail techs in the uk are working for less than £7 per hour!
Dear Client,
Firstly, your nail tech wants you to know how truly grateful they are that you continue to choose them to be your nail tech. Your support really does mean the world to them.
There will soon be an adjustment to their service rates, as they have been working with us (The Nail Tech Org) to correctly calculate their own personal business costs and pricing structure. This adjustment is necessary to ensure that they can continue providing you with the exceptional service and quality you deserve – which is always their priority.
They also want to say thank you for your continued support as you navigate these changes together.
If you have any questions or concerns about the upcoming changes then please reach out, but this page is here to help you to understand why this increase is necessary for them.
according to our findings…
We have been gathering data from our NTO members gain a snapshot into the financial world of nail techs. Based on our findings, we have discovered that on average, our members:
work 23 hours per week
charge £38 per set
Based on these numbers as an average, we have worked out the average income of a nail technician who takes 5 weeks holiday and 1 week of sick/cancellations per year – this is the same allowance as they would get in an employed career.
annual income: £27,968
At first glance, this might sound like a good income to most, but the cost of running the business is then offset against this amount..
Let’s break it down:
*Here we make the assumption that the nail technician rents a space in a salon, buys their own products and equipment, has a booking system, is an NTO member and regularly updates their knowledge and skills with training courses*
PER CLIENT COST: £25
If you compared this to an employed job where the wage per hour is calculated before pensions, tax and national insurance are deducted:
A treatment which takes 1 hour 30 minutes and costs £38 = £13 profit
£8.70 per hour
UK National Living Wage (2024) is £11.44 per hour.
If you then also take into consideration saving 12.5% towards a pension, 20% tax and 9% National Insurance contributions, it then works out at:
£6.99 per hour
This does not account for any additional time for marketing, social media, salon hygiene and upkeep or admin which is all done completely unpaid.
your nail tech doesn’t want to increase their prices
but they need to.
We know that you wouldn’t work for less than minimum wage with unpaid overtime & no holiday allowance..
and we know that you wouldn’t want your nail tech to either.
Over the years, nail prices have actually gone DOWN, instead of up in line with inflation.
A set of acrylic nails in 2005 (before the days of gel polish & builder/BIAB) cost on average £45, and that price has ended up dropping with more nail techs entering the industry and undercutting each other in order to try to gain new clients.
If this had risen in line with inflation, that same set of nails should now be costing £84.21.
however, think about this..
If you compare the quality of that set of nails almost 20 years ago to the quality of the sets you get now, is it the same?
Cuticle care, detailed natural nail preparation, longer retention times, prescriptive manicures & advanced nail art techniques are all things that have developed and become the new ‘standard’ in the industry.
Along with this, your expectations as a client have risen in line with the amazing works of art that you find and use as inspo on Pinterest or Instagram – and rightly so!
But, these are all things that take more time, expertise, knowledge, money and skill than ever before.
Your nail technician is an ARTIST & an EXPERT.
We think they deserve to be paid at least minimum wage for their services, don’t you?
So, yes, your nail tech may be increasing their prices, and it might possibly feel like a big jump, but just remember that if you are currently not paying them much, they probably aren’t making minimum wage.
please, please please
continue to support them in any way you can, if this means that you can no-longer afford their top level nail art or boujie extensions, ask them what they do offer that would fit your budget instead, they would much rather this than not see you at all!
They can’t wait to see you at your next appointment!