How much should you charge for sunbed minutes?
Charge by the minute, and take something off for minutes bought up front. In three UK price lists we read on 3 November 2026, paying as you go cost 73.5p a minute at a leisure centre in Orkney, 90p in Leeds and £1.65 in central London. Courses and saver cards took 10% to 35% off, and the longest was the best value: 150 minutes for £88 in Leeds, 58.7p a minute. Start from what salons near you charge, give each session length its own price, and make your biggest course the cheapest a minute.
We make Covered Beauty, booking software for sunbed salons. We don’t set anyone’s prices, and three lists aren’t a survey, so treat these as a starting point and check the salons near you.
What do UK salons charge?
| Where | Pay as you go | Courses and cards |
|---|---|---|
| The Pickaquoy Centre, a leisure centre in Kirkwall, Orkney | 73.5p a minute (its sunbed, prices from 1 April 2026), so 10 minutes for £7.35 and 20 minutes for £14.70. Source: The Pickaquoy Centre: sunbed | A saver card of 10 sessions for the price of 9 is £66.15, and 20 for the price of 17 is £124.95. |
| The Tanning Shop, Leeds | 90p a minute (Megasun 6900 and Luxura V8). Source: The Tanning Shop Leeds | 75 minutes for £55 (73.3p a minute, 19% off), 120 minutes for £79.50 (66.3p a minute, 26% off), 150 minutes for £88 (58.7p a minute, 35% off). Its Megasun K11 is £1.30 a minute. Sessions are 6 to 20 minutes, subject to a consultation. |
| The Tanning Shop, Paddington, London | £1.65 a minute (iBed, Megasun 6900 and Matrix L28). Source: The Tanning Shop Paddington | 60 minutes for £89 (£1.48 a minute, 10% off), 100 minutes for £112.50 (£1.13 a minute, 32% off). Its iDome is £1.45 a minute, with 60 minutes at £73 and 100 minutes at £96. Sessions are 6 to 20 minutes, subject to a consultation. |
London costs more than twice what Orkney does, so the town you’re in matters more than any national figure. Look at the salons a client could walk to instead of you, and decide whether you want to be the cheapest, the same or a bit dearer with better beds.
By the minute, or by the length?
Clients ask for a length, like 6 or 9 minutes, so price each length. Working it out by the minute keeps it fair. At 80p a minute, for example:
| Length | Price |
|---|---|
| 3 minutes | £2.40 |
| 6 minutes | £4.80 |
| 9 minutes | £7.20 |
| 12 minutes | £9.60 |
| 15 minutes | £12 |
Then round any that are awkward to say at the desk. A short session still needs the bed cleaning and its cool-off time, so it’s fair to charge a little more a minute for the shortest one and keep the longer ones on the rate.
How much should a course take off?
In the lists we read, courses and saver cards took 10% to 35% off paying as you go, and the bigger the course, the more it took off. A course brings the money in up front and brings the client back, so it’s worth a real saving, and a clear best value at the top helps people pick.
For example, a 60-minute course at 15% off 80p a minute comes to £40.80. You might sell it at a round price close to that.
Decide too whether minutes run out. A use-within period, such as 90 days, brings clients back sooner, and an open course is easier to sell. Whichever you choose, say so before they buy.
Should every bed cost the same?
Not if one costs you more to buy or run. In Leeds the list we read charges 90p a minute on most beds and more on one, and in London one bed is cheaper a minute than the rest. Price each kind of bed on its own, and sell its minutes as their own package.
Whatever you charge, cover your own costs first: the bed or its lease, tubes, electricity, cleaning time, rent and your software. Then check the price against the salons near you.
Setting it up in Covered Beauty
- Beds. Each bed has its type, such as lay-down or high-powered lie-down, its lengths and a price for each one. Type them in, or fill them in by the minute (a price a minute, from, to and how often) and round the ones you want.
- Packages. Each has its minutes, its price and, if you want, a number of days to use it in. It can be kept to one type of bed, such as stand-up only or high-powered lie-down only. Clients see the price a minute before they buy.
- Booking. Clients book online and pay at the salon, or use their minutes, or pay by card once Stripe is connected on Payouts. At the desk, a walk-in goes straight on the bed calendar.
Sunbeds come with Pro, at £14 a month for one login, and the Team plan, at £19.99 when staff need their own logins. Beds aren’t counted. For every rule that applies to a sunbed salon in each nation, read Sunbed rules in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland (2026).
Questions about sunbed prices
How much should I charge for sunbed minutes?
Charge by the minute, and take something off for minutes bought up front. In three UK price lists we read on 3 November 2026, paying as you go cost 73.5p a minute at a leisure centre in Orkney, 90p in Leeds and £1.65 in central London. Courses and saver cards took 10% to 35% off, and the longest was the best value: 150 minutes for £88 in Leeds, 58.7p a minute. Start from what salons near you charge, give each session length its own price, and make your biggest course the cheapest a minute.
How much do sunbed courses cost in the UK?
In the lists we read on 3 November 2026: 75 minutes for £55, 120 minutes for £79.50, 150 minutes for £88 in Leeds, and 60 minutes for £89 or 100 minutes for £112.50 in central London.
Should sunbed minutes run out?
It’s up to you. A use-within period brings clients back sooner, and an open course is easier to sell. Whichever you pick, tell clients before they buy.
Should every bed cost the same a minute?
Not if one costs you more to buy or run. The Tanning Shop’s lists in Leeds and London both charge different prices a minute for different beds. Price each kind of bed on its own, and sell its minutes as their own package. In Covered Beauty, give a high-powered bed the high-powered lie-down or stand-up type, and a package for that type works on those beds only.
Can I give each session length its own price in Covered Beauty?
Yes. Each bed has its own lengths and a price for each one, or you can fill them in by the minute and round the ones you want. A high-powered bed can be its own type, with its own prices and packages. Sunbeds come with Pro, at £14 a month for one login, and the Team plan, at £19.99 when staff need their own logins. Beds aren’t counted.
Sources
The Pickaquoy Centre: sunbed, The Tanning Shop Leeds and The Tanning Shop Paddington, each read on 3 November 2026. Prices change, so check a salon’s own list before you quote it.
What else should you read?
Sunbed rules in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland (2026)
Under-18s, staff on the premises, the health leaflet, the notice and goggles in each nation, linked to the law itself, and what England plans next.
Read the guideCan you run an unstaffed sunbed salon in the UK?
Not in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. Allowed in England today, but maybe not from 2027. What each nation says, and how to check ID with nobody there.
Read the guideFresha for sunbed salons: team members or bookable resources, and what each costs
Beds set up as team members are paid for like people. Set up as bookable resources, they aren’t. What each costs a month, with VAT, and how to switch.
Read the guideChoosing software? See what Covered Beauty does for sunbed salons, our guide to booking apps for tanning salons and Covered Beauty vs Salon Tracker.