Can you run an unstaffed sunbed salon in the UK?
Not in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. There the law says someone has to be on the premises whenever a sunbed is in use. In England it’s allowed today, but you still have to stop anyone under 18 using a bed, the government consulted in 2026 on requiring trained staff and ID checks, possibly from 2027, and some councils already require staff in their licences. Check with your council’s licensing team before you plan a salon with nobody there. This is the law as it reads on 3 November 2026, not legal advice.
We make Covered Beauty, booking software for sunbed salons, and it’s built for salons with someone there. So read this knowing that. Every rule links to the law itself.
Nation by nation
| Nation | With nobody there? | What the law says |
|---|---|---|
| England | Allowed today | Not required by law today. Some councils’ licences require staff. Source: Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010 and Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010, section 2 |
| Wales | No | Required. A supervisor must be on the premises whenever someone wants to use or is using a sunbed, to check they’re 18 or over, help assess their skin type, and give them the health information and safety advice (regulation 4). Source: Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010 and Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010 (Wales) Regulations 2011 |
| Scotland | No | Required. You, or someone working for you, must be on the premises whenever a sunbed is in use (section 98). Source: Public Health etc. (Scotland) Act 2008, Part 8 and Public Health etc. (Scotland) Act 2008 (Sunbed) Regulations 2009 |
| Northern Ireland | No | Required. You, or someone working for you, must be on the premises whenever a sunbed is in use (section 3). Source: Sunbeds Act (Northern Ireland) 2011, Sunbeds (Information) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012 and Sunbeds (Fixed Penalty) (Amount) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012 |
What you still have to do in England
No law in England says someone has to be on the premises today. You still have to make sure nobody under 18 uses a sunbed, is offered one or goes into the room or cubicle with one, unless they work for you. If one does, your defence is that you took all reasonable precautions and all due diligence. With nobody there, you’d have to show how you did that.
Councils check this with test purchases. In August 2026 a 15-year-old, sent by Lancaster’s council and Lancashire Trading Standards, was offered a session and paid for it at two of the six places they tried. In a salon with nobody there, there’s nobody to say no.
A licence can already rule it out. Where London boroughs license sunbeds as special treatments, the conditions can be stricter than the law: Islington’s want trained staff supervising who gets on a sunbed and how it’s used. Your council’s licensing team can tell you what applies to your premises.
Source: Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010, section 2, Lancaster City Council: sunbed shops found to be in breach (August 2026) and Islington Council: standard conditions for UV tanning, checked 3 November 2026.
What England is planning
The government consulted from 22 May 2026 to 14 August 2026 on tighter rules for England. Two of the proposals would end the unstaffed salon as it runs today: a trained member of staff on the premises, responsible for letting each client use a sunbed (they wouldn’t have to be in the room during the session), and ID checks before a session is sold or used. They’re aimed at coin-operated, token and contactless sunbeds with no staff there. The press release said new rules could be in place as early as 2027. On 3 November 2026 GOV.UK said it was analysing the feedback.
So a salon built today to run with nobody there could have to take on staff within a year or two. Plan for that before you sign a lease or buy beds.
Source: GOV.UK: Age checks to stop children using sunbeds under new laws (22 May 2026) and GOV.UK: Strengthening the regulation of commercial sunbeds in England, checked 3 November 2026.
How do salons check ID with nobody there?
There are three ways, and each has its limits.
- In person, once. The client comes in while someone’s there, shows their photo ID and is then free to book. It’s free, and you see the person and their ID together, but someone has to be there when they come in.
- On a video call. The client holds their ID up to the camera. It costs nothing, but it’s easier to fool, and you’re the one judging it.
- An automated check. Identity companies compare a photo of the ID with a selfie and charge for each check. Some sunbed software sells one as an add-on: TanPlan’s page lists an ID check as an optional extra, with no price given.
Whichever you use, write down what you checked, when and who checked it. UK GDPR says to keep no more personal data than you need, so think twice before keeping copies of people’s passports or licences. A note of what you saw is a record you can show an officer.
Source: TanPlan, checked 3 November 2026.
What Covered Beauty does, and doesn’t
Covered Beauty is built for salons with someone there. The check it does is on the date of birth: no sunbed is booked without one showing the client is 18 or over. A client who joins online types that date in themselves and can book straight away, with Check ID showing on their record, and a red ID on the bed calendar, until someone has seen their photo ID. In a salon with nobody there, nobody would clear that.
It doesn’t check ID itself, open doors or start beds. If you’re planning an unstaffed salon in England, it isn’t the right tool for that today, and we’d rather say so now.
For every rule in each nation, read Sunbed rules in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland (2026).
Rules, not legal advice
This is the law as it reads on legislation.gov.uk on 3 November 2026, put in plain words. It isn’t legal advice, and only the courts decide what the law means. Your council enforces it, so ask its licensing or environmental health team about your own premises, and check whether your licence adds conditions of its own.
Questions about unstaffed sunbed salons
Can you run an unstaffed sunbed salon in the UK?
Not in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. There the law says someone has to be on the premises whenever a sunbed is in use. In England it’s allowed today, but you still have to stop anyone under 18 using a bed, the government consulted in 2026 on requiring trained staff and ID checks, possibly from 2027, and some councils already require staff in their licences. Check with your council’s licensing team before you plan a salon with nobody there. This is the law as it reads on 3 November 2026, not legal advice.
Can I watch the salon on a camera or video call instead?
Not in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. The law there says present on the premises, and someone watching from somewhere else isn’t on the premises. Trading Standards Wales says unsupervised coin-operated tanning isn’t allowed in Wales.
Are coin-operated or token sunbeds legal in England?
Today, yes, as long as nobody under 18 uses one or is offered one, and your council’s licence doesn’t say otherwise. They’re what England’s 2026 proposals are aimed at: premises that sell sunbed use with no staff there.
When could England’s new rules start?
Nothing’s decided. The consultation closed on 14 August 2026, and on 3 November 2026 GOV.UK said the feedback was being analysed. The government’s press release said new rules could be in place as early as 2027.
Does Covered Beauty check ID, open doors or start beds?
No. Covered Beauty won’t book a sunbed without a date of birth showing the client is 18 or over, and it reminds you to see their photo ID at their first visit, with Check ID on their record and a red ID on the bed calendar. The salon checks the ID. It doesn’t open doors or start beds.
Sources
Everything here was read on 3 November 2026. On legislation.gov.uk: Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010, Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010, section 2, Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010 (Wales) Regulations 2011, Public Health etc. (Scotland) Act 2008, Part 8, Public Health etc. (Scotland) Act 2008 (Sunbed) Regulations 2009, Sunbeds Act (Northern Ireland) 2011, Sunbeds (Information) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012 and Sunbeds (Fixed Penalty) (Amount) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012. On GOV.UK and councils’ own sites: GOV.UK: Age checks to stop children using sunbeds under new laws (22 May 2026), GOV.UK: Strengthening the regulation of commercial sunbeds in England, Trading Standards Wales: sunbeds, Lancaster City Council: sunbed shops found to be in breach (August 2026) and Islington Council: standard conditions for UV tanning. The ID check add-on: TanPlan.
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 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 guideHow to price sunbed minutes and courses
What three UK salons charge a minute and for courses, how much a course takes off, and how to set a price for each session length.
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.