The Hidden Cost of Cancellations: How No-Shows Are Reshaping the Beauty Industry

If you run a salon or wellness business, you already know the feeling. You prep your space, stock up on products, block out your diary, and then… the client cancels at the last minute, or simply just doesn’t show up.

For many business owners, this pattern is doing more than disrupting a single day. It is shaping how sustainable the work feels in the long term. Over half of beauty and wellness businesses say that cancellations cause significant income loss, and for some, that financial pressure is starting to change how they see their future. More than a third of owners aged 25-to-34 say that cancellations make them consider leaving altogether.

To understand how widespread cancellations really are, Fresha, the world’s best booking software for beauty salons and spa businesses, surveyed UK salon, wellness, and grooming businesses. From this, we found that only 8% of businesses say they never experience cancellations or no-shows. For everyone else, it’s a regular part of the job:
 

• 30% are dealing with them one to two times a week

• 14% face cancellations three or more times a week

• 3% deal with no-shows or cancellations more than five times each week

Let’s explore some other key insights we found from the survey…

Almost one in three clients admits they have never thought about the impact of cancelling

When we asked clients whether their cancellations have an emotional impact on salon owners and beauticians:

• 29% admitted they had never thought about it
• 15% just said “no”

Interestingly, men tend to be less focused on their impact. Over a third haven’t ever thought about their actions when cancelling, compared with 27% of women who said the same. Instead, 45% of women answered that they “definitely” think about the effects, while only 36% of men do. While this shows that women may be more conscious of their cancellation habits than men, the figures still show a real gap in awareness around the emotional impact overall.

Pie chart showing statistics that 62% of clients give less than 24 hours notice when they cancel beauty appointments

62% of clients give less than 24 hours’ notice when they cancel

Cancellations will always exist. Life happens, children get sick, meetings overrun, trains are cancelled, and budgets tighten at the last minute. But should late notice be the norm? Almost two-thirds of clients cancel with less than 24 hours’ notice.

One in five cancellations lands with less than half a day to react. That short notice can turn what looks like a minor change into a full loss. Staff are already scheduled. Products are already prepared. Rent, utilities, and wages still need to be paid.

Younger clients are most likely to cancel without thinking about the consequences


Statistics showing that 53% of people never cancel or miss salon appointments. 
Numbers may not add up to 100% due to rounding

On the customer side, most people think their salon habits are pretty reasonable. Over half of clients (53%) say they never cancel or miss their appointments. Another 27% cancel once or twice a year, while 19% admit they cancel more regularly.

When they do cancel:

• 77% say they give at least 12 hours’ notice
• 23% admit to cancelling with less than 12 hours’ notice or simply not showing up at all

Clients give clear reasons for these cancellations or no-shows:

• Illness (47%)
• Work schedule changes (38%)
• Social plans changing (25%)
• Forgetting the appointment (22%)

Younger clients are much more relaxed about changing plans. More than four in 10 (45%) 18-to-24-year-olds say they have never thought about the emotional impact on their stylist or therapist when they do cancel.

Among the 18-to-24-year-olds who miss appointments:

• 48% do so with less than 24 hours’ notice
• And 5% admit to no-shows

Over-55s are far more cautious. Over half (55%) of clients aged 55-to-64 give more than 24 hours’ notice when they cancel, and over two-thirds (68%) in this age group say they never cancel at all.

Over half of beauty businesses say cancellations cause them to lose significant income

Bar chart showing that 20% of beauty businesses say that they strongly agree that cancellations cause them to lose significant income.
Numbers may not add up to 100% due to rounding

Table showing responses to survey, including that 19% of beauty businesses strongly agree that cancellations make it difficult to pay business expenses.

For most beauty and wellness businesses, cancellations do far more than disrupt a diary. They directly undermine financial stability. Across all owners:

• 56% agree that cancellations cause them to lose significant income
• 51% say cancellations make it difficult to pay business expenses
• 50% say they make it harder to pay personal bills, rent or day-to-day costs

In some regions, the squeeze is especially intense. In the Midlands, for example, 67% of owners say cancellations make it difficult to pay their personal bills, compared with 48% in London and the South East and 43% in the North. 

Over one in six beauty businesses lose more than 10% of their revenue to cancellations

Across the industry, cancellations quietly chip away at income. Nearly a third (29%) lose between 5% and 10%. A further one in six (15%) say cancellations wipe out between 11% and 20% of their income, and 1% lose even more.

Statistics show that 56% of businesses say they lose less than 5% of business monthly revenue due to cancellations and no shows.
Numbers may not add up to 100% due to rounding

Looking beneath the averages:

• In hair and beauty, average revenue lost to cancellations sits at almost 7% a month, compared with 6% in health and wellness
• Micro-salons (two to 10 employees) are more likely to say they lose between 5% and 10% of their revenue to cancellations than sole traders

On paper, a 5% to 10% loss might not sound dramatic. In reality, it could be the difference between breaking even and falling behind. If a salon or studio turns over £10,000 a month, a:

• A 5% loss is £500 gone
• A 10% loss is £1,000
• A 20% loss is £2,000

Cancellations cost mid-career business owners more than anyone else

Business owners aged 35-44 are hit particularly hard, with an average revenue loss of 8% each month, double the 4% average loss reported by owners aged 45 and over.

That means a mid-career salon owner turning over £12,000 a month could lose £960 to no-shows and late cancellations alone, compared with around £480 for an older owner on the same income.

Over two-fifths of salon owners say cancellations harm their business

Bar chart showing that over two-fifths of salon owners say cancellations harm their business.
Numbers may not add up to 100% due to rounding

Table showing statistics from survey, including that 34% of beauty business owners strongly agree that clients don't understand the impact of cancellations.

Four in 10 (44%) salon owners say repeated no-shows take a real toll on their mental health. But, this toll isn’t always obvious to the people behind the cancellations:

• 69% of business owners say their clients do not seem to understand the impact their cancellations have on the business
• 61% go further and say clients often do not care about that impact when they cancel

Disappointment, frustration, and stress are the default reactions to no-shows

When we asked salon and wellness business owners how cancellations make them feel, disappointment and frustration came out on top, with just over half (52%) choosing each. More than a third (35%) said cancellations leave them stressed or anxious.

Almost three in five (58%) sole traders say cancellations make them feel disappointed or frustrated, compared with half (between 50% and 52%) of those within slightly bigger companies.

However, those working alone are more resilient. Almost one in four (23%) said they feel like they can bounce back after cancellations – only one in six (15%) respondents in businesses with two to 10 employees said the same.

More than half of salon owners work longer hours because of cancellations

Bar chart showing that more than half of salon owners work longer hours because of cancellations.
Numbers may not add up to 100% due to rounding


Table showing survey statistics, including that 9% of beauty business owners strongly agree that cancellations make them consider closing their business or changing their line of work.

More than half (55%) of salon owners say no-shows force them to work longer hours, while nearly five in 10 (46%) say they have to turn away other clients because of the unpredictability.

Over a quarter (26%) even say repeated cancellations make them question whether they can stay in the industry at all.

That pressure is not felt evenly:

• Owners in the Midlands feel the longest hours most intensely, 63% agree cancellations require them to work longer hours, compared to 46% in the North 
• But, turning clients away is a bigger issue in the North, where 52% say cancellations force them to decline other bookings
• Over a third (34%) of business owners aged 25-to-34 say cancellations make them consider leaving the industry, compared with 20% of those 45 and older

Cancellations change how beauty businesses operate

The effects of cancellations show up in day-to-day decisions:

• Owners overbook popular slots to protect themselves, knowing a percentage will not turn up
• They extend their hours to fit in extra bookings and claw back lost income
• They tighten last-minute availability, which can make it harder for loyal clients to book spontaneously
• Some rethink pricing and minimum spend just to cover the risk that a fully booked day will not actually translate into a full day of income

The good news is that while the problem is widespread, it is not unsolvable.

The future of bookings: how better tools and habits can reduce no-shows

The important thing to remember is that both sides want smoother, more respectful booking experiences. The goal is not to eliminate all cancellations, but to make them earlier, clearer, and fairer.

How businesses can protect their time

Salon and wellness businesses are already taking steps to protect themselves, including:

• Clear cancellation policies that explain what happens if someone cancels late
• Deposits or pre-payments to secure bookings
• Waitlists to help fill last-minute gaps
• Automated reminders so fewer clients forget altogether

Platforms such as Fresha make it easier for beauty salons, barbers, massage therapists, and other wellness businesses to put these ideas into practice. With built-in online booking, automated reminders, secure payments, and flexible cancellation settings, owners can design a booking journey that suits their reality.

That means:

• Fewer forgotten appointments
• More notice when clients genuinely need to cancel
• More chances to refill those slots with other clients
• A more predictable income, which supports fair pricing and better working conditions

For clients, booking through a platform like Fresha also reduces friction. You can see your appointments in one place, reschedule earlier when you need to, and understand policies upfront.

Methodology

Fresha is the world’s leading beauty and wellness booking platform, helping salons, barbers, spas, and independent professionals manage appointments, secure payments, and grow their businesses with ease. By offering simple online booking, automated reminders, and flexible cancellation settings, we support millions of professionals and clients in creating smoother, more reliable schedules.

Cancellations and no-shows are one of the biggest hidden pressures facing the industry, affecting everything from income and staffing to well-being and long-term sustainability. To understand the true scale of the problem and its impact on both business owners and clients, we set out to explore the frequency of cancellations, the notice given, and the financial and emotional consequences for the individuals behind the services we enjoy.

To achieve this, we surveyed over 200 UK beauty and wellness businesses, as well as 500 of their clients. All data was collected in December 2025 and is correct as of then.

Note: Any variances in total percentages were due to rounding differences.