At-home Nail Salon Requirements and Risks

Since 2020, the work-from-home life has become more feasible and desirable than ever before. According to data from the Pew Research Center, more than one in five Americans will work remotely by the year 2025. It’s no surprise, then, that nail technicians desire the same opportunities with nail studios at home. Self-employment, control over your atmosphere and schedule, choice of your clientele, and no rent—what’s not to love?

But starting a nail salon at home isn’t as easy as “declaring” your house a salon. To make your work-from-home dreams come true, you’ll have to meet several at-home nail salon requirements. 

You’ll also face the added liability of a beauty home-based business. Whether you’re a nail technician working from home or one of many nail salons that do home visits, you’ll need to keep clients safe from slips and trips, cuts, infections, and other risk factors. 

In this article, we address the essential things you need to start a nail business at home.

At-Home Nail Salon Requirements

What do you need to do nails at home?

The process of becoming a nail technician from home varies depending on where you live. In fact, at-home nail salon requirements can be more or less strict depending on not just your state or city.

1. Research your local laws.

The first step to working as a nail technician from home is to research your municipality and state’s laws to ensure your business’s compliance. Your county, HOA (if applicable), and your state board are great resources, too, says Tina Alberino of This Ugly Beauty Business.

Groupon Merchant advises asking the following questions:

• What licenses and permits do I need? For example, does your state require separate bathrooms, sinks, entrances, or parking permits? What are the nail salon ventilation system requirements for chemicals and other fumes? Your city may also require a home occupation business license and registration with your state’s Department of Commerce.
• What about a hygiene and sanitation license? 
• Can I run a nail business from home with the space I have? Do I have enough room in my home to reserve a professional, private, and quiet atmosphere, away from shared living spaces? Can I accommodate accessibility requirements, as Alberino discusses? Or will I need to modify my house to start a nail salon at home? 
• What inspections do you need?

2. Have a plan.

Once you’re familiar with at-home nail salon requirements and regulations, it’s time to plan. 

As Groupon Merchant recommends, strategize your pricing, your budget for home nail business equipment and supplies, your marketing efforts, any decorating or renovations for your home nail salon setup, and other things you need to start a nail business at home. 

How will you promote your at-home beauty services? How will you build your clientele? What method will you use for booking and tracking appointments? Plan your marketing, sanitizing, and scheduling efforts ahead of time. That way, when your doors open, you’ll already have a system running as smoothly as your clients’ cuticles.

3. Set boundaries.

At-home nail salon requirements exist for a reason: to keep you and your clients safe. They protect both parties from pedicure and manicure risks like cuts, infections, falls, and temperature or chemical burns.

Being a nail technician from home, however, comes with the added concern of your professionalism. After all, if you start a home-based nail salon without researching how to do nails professionally at home, you might overlook crucial boundaries. Dirty laundry in the salon’s bathroom, dodging running kids and pets when they walk through the door, or being serviced by a technician in their bathrobe are all enough to make clients feel uncomfortable.

Follow Alberino’s advice in her blog post and establish policies, designated spaces, and boundaries that separate work from home. Remember, your clients are not your family or best friends, Alberino warns. Keeping those lives separate is essential to keeping your customers happy.

Don’t leave your at-home nail art studio unprotected.

If running a nail business from home is on your vision board, an insurance policy should be, too. 

Protect yourself, your business, and your nail studio at home dreams with the protective coating every nail tech deserves. The best part is, our coverage follows you no matter where you work. So you can work for someone else’s salon, start your own nail studio at home, and even transition to a mobile manicure business later. With glamorous nails and equally glamorous coverage, your home nail business will go the distance!

Click here to learn more about our home-based nail technician insurance.