Is Treatwell worth it for salons?
Treatwell's commission is quoted as 35%, but VAT and payment fees push what actually leaves your till closer to 45% on a first visit. Whether that is worth paying comes down to one number you already have.
Quick answer
Treatwell charges 35% plus VAT on a new client's first visit, which at 20% VAT is about 42% of the booking value, and a prepaid online booking adds roughly 3% more in payment fees, so a first visit can cost up to about 45% of the service price. Clients who rebook with you within 365 days carry no commission. Treatwell Connect is reported at around 35 pounds a month on top. The decision is therefore entirely about retention: on a typical margin a salon loses money on a new Treatwell client's first visit and only moves into profit if that client comes back, so your rebooking rate is what makes it a growth channel or a tax.
Visits before a new Treatwell client turns a profit
| Your gross margin | Lost on visit 1 | Profit per later visit | Break-even at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50% | About 45% of price | 50% of price | Visit 2 |
| 40% | About 45% of price | 40% of price | Visit 3 |
| 30% | About 45% of price | 30% of price | Visit 3 to 4 |
| 20% | About 45% of price | 20% of price | Visit 4 to 5 |
Step-by-step
- 1
Start from 45%, not 35%
The quoted rate is 35%, but it is 35% plus VAT, which at the UK rate is about 42% of the booking. If the client prepays online, payment processing adds roughly another 3%. Planning around 35% understates what leaves your account by nearly a third, and that gap is usually the difference between a channel that works and one that quietly does not.
- 2
Work out your real gross margin on the treatment
Take the service price, subtract product cost and the stylist's time at what you actually pay for it. That is the number the commission eats into, not the headline price. A treatment with a 30% margin cannot absorb a 45% first-visit cost — the first booking is a loss, by design, and the only question is how quickly it is recovered.
- 3
Find your rebooking rate before you judge the price
Treatwell charges nothing on a client who rebooks within 365 days, so the model runs on retention. If 60% of first-time clients come back, the maths works comfortably. If 15% do, you are buying one-off appointments at a 45% discount to yourself. That's not a marketing channel. It's a slow leak.
- 4
Know that cancellations changed
Since April 2025 Treatwell has charged the new-client commission even where the salon cancels the appointment. If you are in a habit of cancelling to reshuffle a diary, that habit now has a direct cost attached, and it is worth telling whoever manages your bookings.
- 5
Give first-time clients a reason to come back directly
Since the commission is only on the first visit, everything depends on visit two. Rebook them in the chair before they leave, and make sure they leave holding your own booking details rather than only the app they arrived through. That single habit is what converts the commission from a cost into an investment.
Tips & best practices
- Model it on your own numbers before signing up. A 45% first-visit cost is either excellent or ruinous depending entirely on a retention rate you can measure today.
- High-margin, habit-forming treatments suit a marketplace best. Nails, brows and blow-dries rebook often; a one-off bridal package almost never does.
- If your diary is already full, a new-client marketplace is the wrong tool. You are paying a premium for demand you did not need.
Common questions
How much commission does Treatwell take?
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35% plus VAT on a new client's first visit, which works out at about 42% at the UK VAT rate, and closer to 45% once payment fees on a prepaid booking are included. Rebookings within 365 days carry no commission.
Do I pay commission on repeat clients?
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Not if they rebook with you within a year. Your rebooking rate therefore matters more than the headline percentage does.
Is there a monthly fee as well?
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Treatwell Connect is reported at around 35 pounds a month, separate from commission. Confirm the current figure with Treatwell, as published pricing varies between sources and changes.
Do I get charged if I cancel the appointment?
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Since April 2025, yes — the new-client commission has been charged even on appointments the salon cancels. That is a change from earlier practice and worth knowing before you reshuffle a diary.
Is Treatwell or Fresha better value?
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On commission alone Fresha is much cheaper, at 20% once versus roughly 42% plus fees. Treatwell's argument is the volume of its marketplace, so it comes down to whether it sends you clients you would not otherwise have had, in numbers that survive the maths above.