There’s no shortage of lists with 267 tanning salon names on them. The trouble is that everyone else has read them too. Pick your own name, then spend an hour finding out whether you can actually use it, before you pay for a sign, a van wrap or a box of loyalty cards.
We run three tanning salons: Luxe Glow Studio, Tantastic Tanning and Ibiza Sunbeds. One sells a feeling, one is a pun and one is a place you’d rather be in February. All three work, and none of them came off a list. This guide is general information for UK salons and isn’t legal advice, so talk to a solicitor if a name matters a lot or a check throws up a problem.
What makes a name work
Before you check anything, get a shortlist of three. A good salon name passes a few simple tests, and you can run them on a tea break:
| Test | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Say it down the phone | If you have to spell it, so will every customer. Clever spellings cost you word of mouth |
| Type it on your phone | A customer searching for you will only give it one go |
| Picture it on the sign | Long names shrink, and short ones can be read from across the road |
| Think about next year | “Sunbeds” in the name reads oddly if spray tans become half your trade, and a town name reads oddly at a second salon |
| Check the short version | Customers will shorten it. Make sure what’s left is something you’d like them saying |
Then try it on a real site. Type your shortlist into the box on our homepage and it’ll show each name on a salon website design. Nothing leaves your browser, and it’s the quickest way to find out that a name looks better in your head than on a page.
The five checks
Run them in this order, because the earlier ones are the ones most likely to knock a name out.
| Check | Where | You’re looking for |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Company names | Companies House name checker | Nothing the same as yours |
| 2. Trade marks | UK trade mark search | Nothing too similar for salons or beauty |
| 3. Domain | Any domain registrar | The .co.uk you want, or a sensible second choice |
| 4. Local clashes | Google Maps, Instagram and Facebook | No salon near you already trading under it |
| 5. Wording | ASA sunbed advice | Nothing that hints at safety or health |
1. Company names
GOV.UK’s naming rules say a company name can’t be the same as one already on the register. “Same as” is wider than it sounds. Punctuation, similar-looking characters and common words such as “UK” are ignored when names are compared, so “Glow Tanning UK Ltd” could count as the same as “Glow Tanning Ltd”.
There’s a second test. If someone complains that your name is too like theirs, and Companies House agrees, you may have to change it. GOV.UK’s example treats “EZ Electrix 4U Ltd” and “Easy Electrics For You Ltd” as too alike, so swapping a letter for a number won’t get you far.
Some words also need permission. GOV.UK says names can’t contain a sensitive word or expression, or suggest a link to government, without it. “Accredited” is its own example, so leave that one off the sign unless you’ve got the paperwork.
2. Trade marks
This is the one people skip, and the one that can cost most. GOV.UK says you may have to change your name if someone complains that it’s too similar to an existing trade mark, and that goes for trading names as well as company names.
Use the UK trade mark search to search by word. Try your name, the main word on its own and any obvious spelling change. Trade marks are registered for classes of goods and services, so a match in an unrelated trade may not trouble you, while a match in beauty or tanning should. That’s the point to ask a solicitor.
3. Domain
Look for the .co.uk first, since that’s what UK customers expect. Keep it short, and avoid hyphens, which nobody says out loud. If the exact name has gone, your name plus “tanning” or your town is a sensible fallback.
Buy it yourself, in your own account, so it stays yours whoever builds the site. Our website moving guide explains why that matters later on.
4. Local clashes
The registers only show who registered something. Plenty of salons trade as sole traders with no company and no trade mark, so a clear register doesn’t mean a clear high street.
Search your name on Google Maps around your town, then on Instagram and Facebook. Look at more than the exact match, because “Sunkissed” and “Sun Kissed Tanning” will land in the same customer’s search and collect each other’s reviews. While you’re on Instagram, see whether the handle is free. A small variation is fine, and a totally different handle makes you harder to find.
5. Wording
A name goes on every advert you’ll ever run, so it has to live with the ad rules. The ASA’s sunbed advice says marketers shouldn’t claim or imply that sunbeds are safe or without risk, and that health claims need robust clinical evidence.
So we’d steer clear of names built on words like safe, healthy, wellness, vitamin or therapy for a sunbed business. Nobody’s told us those words are banned in a name. We just wouldn’t want to argue the point with the ASA, on our own shopfront, with the sign already paid for.
Passing all five doesn’t make a name legally clear. It means you’ve ruled out the problems you can find for free, which is most of what a small salon needs before talking to a solicitor about anything that looks close.
Company or sole trader
Your setup changes the rules a little. GOV.UK covers sole trader names and company names separately.
| Limited company | Sole trader | |
|---|---|---|
| Name ends in | Usually Limited or Ltd | Can’t use Limited, Ltd, LLP or plc |
| Checked against the register | Yes | No |
| Offensive names | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| Trade mark risk | Yes | Yes |
| On invoices and letters | Your company details | Your own name, plus your business name if you use one |
A company can also trade under a different name from the one on the register. That’s handy if your limited company has a dull name and your salon doesn’t, and the trade mark check still applies to the name above the door.
Once you’ve picked
Write the name down exactly as you’ll use it, including capitals and any “&”, and use that version everywhere. Then, in this order:
- Buy the domain and claim the social handles the same day.
- Register the company, if you’re using one.
- Set up your Google Business Profile under your real trading name.
- Put together your website brief before you speak to a designer.
- Order the sign last.
If you’re moving an existing salon to a new name, treat it as a small relaunch. Keep the old name on your site for a while so returning customers know they’re in the right place, and run the launch checklist before the new one goes live.
Sources
Checked on 31 October 2026.
- GOV.UK: choose a company name
- GOV.UK: sole trader business names
- GOV.UK: search for a trade mark
- Companies House: company name availability checker
- ASA: beauty and cosmetics, sunbeds
Questions owners ask
Do I have to register my tanning salon name?
A limited company's name is registered with Companies House when you set the company up. A sole trader can trade under a business name without registering it there, but must show their own name as well on official paperwork such as invoices. Neither route stops someone with an earlier trade mark from complaining.
If a name is free at Companies House, is it safe to use?
It means the register will accept it. It doesn't clear it against trade marks, and it tells you nothing about the salon two streets away using the same name without a company.
Should I put my town in the name?
It can help people place you, but it gets awkward if you open a second salon somewhere else. Your town belongs on your website and Google Business Profile either way, so it doesn't need to be in the name to be found.
Can I use the word tan or sun in the name?
Yes, plenty of salons do. The care goes into anything that hints at safety or health, because a name goes on your adverts and your adverts have to follow the ad rules.