Arch Cosmetics
Stop guessing what to charge. Grab your bank statements, set aside 15 minutes, and find out exactly what your minimum price needs to be — and whether you're currently undercharging.
Step 1 of 4
What do you want to take home each month, and how many treatments do you realistically want to do? Be honest — this is for you, not anyone else. Before you start, pull up your bank statements so your numbers are accurate.
Monthly take-home profit goal This is the actual money you want in your pocket after paying tax, overheads and consumables. Not revenue — profit.
What you actually want to keep — not turnover
Working days per month The number of days you actually want to be in clinic treating clients. Think about how many days a week feels sustainable.
Days you want to be treating — not days you have to be
Treatments per day Be realistic. Include setup, consultation, the treatment itself and aftercare discussion. Most PMU artists do 1–3 per day.
Realistic number — include setup and consultation time
Monthly treatments — calculated
Profit needed per treatment — calculated
Step 2 of 4
This money is not yours — it belongs to HMRC. A lot of artists forget to factor this in, which is how they end up with a tax bill they can't cover. Build it into your price from the start.
Estimated tax rate For most sole traders in the UK, 20–25% is a safe estimate. If you earn under the personal allowance (£12,570) you may pay less. Ask your accountant for your exact figure.
20–25% is a safe estimate for most sole traders — ask your accountant to confirm
Tax per treatment — calculated
Step 3 of 4
What it costs to run your business each month before you've seen a single client. Go through your bank statements for the last 3 months and average it out — this is the step most people rush, and it's the most important one. Enter zero for anything that doesn't apply to you.
Rent / chair rent Monthly studio rent or chair rental. If you work from home, include a fair portion of your bills — utilities, broadband, heating.
Studio rent, chair rental, or a portion of home bills
Insurance Public liability and professional indemnity insurance. Typically £15–£40/month for PMU artists depending on your provider and coverage level.
Public liability + professional indemnity
Booking software Fresha is free, Timely is around £20–£30/month, Vagaro around £25/month. Include whichever platform you use to manage bookings.
Fresha, Timely, Vagaro or similar
Other subscriptions Canva Pro (~£10/month), Adobe (~£20/month), Lightroom, scheduling tools, cloud storage, email marketing platforms etc.
Canva, Adobe, scheduling tools, cloud storage
Website hosting & domain Domain registration is typically £10–£20/year. Hosting varies — Netlify free tier, Squarespace ~£15/month, Wix ~£12/month. Divide annual costs by 12.
Domain registration + hosting fees
Card processing fees Stripe takes ~1.5% + 20p per transaction, SumUp ~1.69%, Square ~1.75%. Estimate based on your average monthly card turnover — e.g. £3,000/month at 1.5% = £45.
Stripe, SumUp, Square — approx 1.5–1.75% of card turnover
Sharps & clinical waste disposal Sharps bin collection services typically charge £5–£20/month depending on frequency and volume. Some studios include this in their chair rent — check before adding.
Sharps bin collection and clinical waste
Accounting fees A self-assessment accountant typically costs £200–£500/year for a sole trader. Divide by 12 for your monthly figure — e.g. £300/year = £25/month.
Accountant or bookkeeping fees — divide annual cost by 12
Bank fees Business bank accounts typically cost £5–£12/month. Monzo Business, Starling and Tide are popular with freelancers — some have free tiers.
Business bank account monthly fee
Marketing
Paid ads, content creation, photography
Staff
Travel
Fuel, parking, public transport to and from clinic
Other
Total overheads — calculated
Overhead per treatment — calculated
Step 4 of 4
What you physically use on each client. To work out cost per use, divide the product price by how many treatments you get from it — e.g. a £20 bottle of pigment that does 10 treatments = £2 per client.
Needles
Pigment
Gloves
Numbing
Other Disposable lip wands (£0.40), cotton pads (£0.08), baby wipes (£0.25), tattoo sheets (£0.10), machine wrap and grip tape (£0.05) — total approx £0.88.
Lip wands, cotton pads, wipes, sheets, machine wrap etc.
Total consumables per treatment — calculated
Your results
Minimum price to charge
Recommended price (minimum + 20% margin)
Charging at least this gives you breathing room for slow months, equipment upgrades and unexpected costs
Profit per treatment
What you keep
Tax per treatment
Goes to HMRC
Overheads per treatment
Cost of running
Consumables
Per client cost
Now let's look at the full picture
Your minimum price is one number. But what's actually stopping you from hitting your goal? Answer two questions and we'll tell you exactly where to focus.
How many clients are you getting per month right now?
Be honest — this is just for you
What are you currently charging per treatment?
What different booking levels look like at your minimum price
| Treatments/month | Revenue at minimum | Revenue at recommended | Days needed |
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Want to go deeper?
Now you know your number — the Business Builder teaches you how to actually get there. Six lessons covering brand, pricing strategy, visibility, consultations and building a business that genuinely works for your life. Knowing your price is just the start.
View the Business Builder →£400 · Klarna available