Tanning bed finance
Sunbeds and stand-up units are heavy, installed assets that most salons fund rather than buy outright, and funder appetite varies widely.
Whole-of-market — 60+ lenders searched, including
Can you finance a tanning bed?
Often yes, but tanning is a sector where funder appetite is genuinely mixed and some lenders exclude it outright. A sunbed is a bulky installed asset: it needs three-phase power in many cases, it is awkward to remove from an upstairs unit, and its second-hand value falls quickly as lamps and acrylics age. Agreements are therefore written on the business and the director, with a personal guarantee. Used and refurbished beds from established suppliers can be funded. The thing that catches people out is the sector exclusion list — it pays to know which funders will look before applying.
Used kit: Yes, refurbished sunbeds from recognised suppliers are fundable, provided the invoice records the make, model and what has been replaced.
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What would a tanning bed cost per month?
Asset finance is quoted on a flat rate, so that is what the buttons show, with the equivalent APR beside it. Your exact rate depends on the asset, the term, the deposit and the lender.
Prime is an established, profitable business with clean credit. Specialist covers newer businesses and credit that needs explaining — the asset itself carries part of the risk, which is why finance is often available where an unsecured loan is not.
Representative example: on Hire Purchase, borrowing £25,000 over 48 months at a 5.15% flat rate (equivalent to 9.9% APR representative), you would repay around £628 a month; total amount repayable approximately £30,150, of which £5,150 is the cost of finance. This calculator is for illustration only — it is not a quote or an offer of finance, and the rate and repayments you are offered will depend on the asset, term, deposit and your circumstances. CW Asset Finance is a credit broker, not a lender, and will receive a commission from the lender that funds your agreement. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval.
Rates shown are indicative flat rates with the equivalent APR alongside — the two are not the same number. Indicative only and does not constitute a quote or an offer of finance. Subject to status and lender approval.
How lenders treat it
Two honest points about this market. First, not every funder writes tanning — several have it on an excluded-trades list, so the effective pool is smaller than for general salon equipment and a broker’s job is largely knowing who is open. Second, the asset degrades in a very visible way: lamps, acrylics and control boards all have finite lives, so a used bed’s value drops faster than its age suggests. Funders who do write it lean on trading history, bank conduct and a personal guarantee rather than the bed. Installation matters too. A unit craned into a first-floor room, wired to a dedicated supply and boxed in with partitioning is effectively part of the building, and that part of the spend has no recovery value at all.
Makes and models we fund
Examples of the machines we are asked to fund. This is not an exhaustive list — if what you are buying is not here, it does not mean we cannot fund it. Your supplier quote is what the agreement is written against.
| Machine | What it is |
|---|---|
| Ergoline Prestige 1600 | High specification sunbed |
| Ergoline Open Sun 550 | Open design commercial sunbed |
| KBL megaSun 6800 | Premium horizontal sunbed |
| KBL megaSun Tower pureEnergy | Vertical stand-up tanning unit |
| Hapro Luxura X7 | Commercial horizontal sunbed |
| Hapro Luxura V8 | Vertical tanning unit |
| Ultrasun Q Series sunbeds | Salon horizontal sunbed range |
| Ultrasun vertical tanning units | Stand-up tanning cabin |
| Ergoline Beauty Angel red light unit | Red light collagen treatment unit |
| Sunbed lamp and acrylic refit | Replacement tubes and canopy acrylics |
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Who buys one
Usually a tanning salon replacing beds that have reached the end of their lamp and acrylic life, or a beauty salon adding one or two units to fill a spare room. Gyms adding a bed as a membership extra are a steady source of enquiries. The trigger is frequently a competitor opening nearby with newer equipment and customers noticing the difference.
Get a quoteor call 0333 772 4864
How it is treated for tax
Bought on hire purchase, business plant and machinery normally qualifies for capital allowances on the full cost even though you pay for it monthly, which is a large part of why hire purchase is the common structure. On a finance lease you generally set the rentals against profit instead. The rules change between budgets and your position depends on how you trade, so treat this as the direction of travel and get your accountant to confirm the detail before you commit.
Tanning bed finance questions
Why do some funders refuse tanning salons?
Credit policy rather than judgement of your business. Funders maintain excluded-trade lists shaped by past loss experience, regulatory noise and the difficulty of recovering assets from small leased units. It is not personal and it is not negotiable, which is why the practical step is to approach funders who already write the sector.
Can I finance replacement lamps and acrylics?
Generally no. Consumables and wear parts are not assets a funder can lend against, and they are typically expected to come out of trading income. Where a full refurbishment of a bed is being invoiced by a supplier as a package of work, it may be possible to include it, but a lamp order on its own will not be financed.
Does three-phase installation affect the application?
It can. Electrical works are unrecoverable spend, so a package that is heavily weighted towards a new supply rather than equipment looks weaker to an underwriter. It also raises the landlord question, because altering the incoming supply in a leased unit usually needs written consent under the lease terms.
I run a gym and want one bed — is that easier?
Sometimes, because the funder is assessing a gym with membership income rather than a standalone tanning business. A single unit may be too small to finance alone, so it often works better added to a wider equipment order. Check that your chosen funder does not exclude tanning even as an ancillary service.
What happens at the end of a hire purchase agreement?
Once every payment and any option fee is settled, title passes to your business and the bed is yours to keep, sell or trade in. Many salons plan a replacement cycle around that point, since a bed reaching the end of an agreement is often also reaching the end of its practical service life.
Get a quoteor call 0333 772 4864
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Not an offer of finance. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval.
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Tell us what you’re looking to fund and Conor will come back to you personally — usually the same day.
Prefer to talk? Call 0333 772 4864 · serving Leeds, York, Harrogate, Wakefield, Selby, Tadcaster & across North & West Yorkshire.
If the bank has already said no
A decline from one lender reflects that lender’s appetite, not the whole market’s.