Semi-Permanent Make-Up (SPMU) Artists: Renting Your Own Room in London

Semi-permanent make-up (SPMU) artists can rent a private room at SSV Suites from £18 an hour or £68 a day at North Finchley and Holloway Road, and £20 an hour or £72 a day at Finchley Road in Hampstead. No VAT is charged on room hire, and bills, fibre Wi-Fi, cleaning, reception and 24/7 access are included. Sharps disposal is available for £15 a week.

SPMU work, including brows, lip blush and eyeliner, calls for a calm private room, good lighting and careful hygiene. This guide covers what to check before you rent.

Licensing is your responsibility

SPMU involves breaking the skin, so councils often treat it alongside skin piercing or tattooing type treatments. Registration or licensing is the practitioner's responsibility, and it is arranged through the council for the premises where you work.

Special treatment licensing is run by each London council, and the licence belongs to the practitioner rather than the room. Check the requirements for your treatments with the right council before you take bookings:

• Barnet for North Finchley
• Camden for Finchley Road
• Islington for Holloway Road

Councils may want to know about your training, your hygiene procedures, your equipment and the room itself, and some carry out an inspection. Contact them early, describe each treatment you offer and allow time for the process before you take bookings. The special treatment licences guide explains how to prepare.

What to look for in an SPMU room

Our beauty rooms have a treatment bed, mirror, storage and professional lighting. For SPMU, also think about:

• Hand washing: ask which rooms have an in-room sink.
• Surfaces: wipeable surfaces around your work area.
• Layout: space for a trolley, lamp and stool on the side you work from.
• Storage: somewhere tidy for pigments, needles and consumables.
• Waste: a clear process for sharps and clinical waste.

Bring your equipment list to a viewing so we can suggest suitable rooms. Our beauty and treatment rooms page explains what every room includes, and the aesthetics room to rent page covers rooms suited to more clinical treatments.

Hourly, daily or monthly?

SPMU appointments are long, often two hours or more for a first session, with shorter top-ups later. That shapes the hire pattern that suits you.

• Hourly suits artists starting out or adding SPMU to an existing beauty menu.
• Daily suits artists who group consultations, first sessions and top-ups on set days.
• Monthly suits established artists who want to brand the room and leave equipment and stock in place.

Hourly and daily hire need no deposit or contract, so you can test demand before committing.

Hygiene routines that build confidence

Clients choosing SPMU want to see that you take hygiene seriously. Create a written routine that covers:

• cleaning and disinfecting surfaces before and after each client
• single-use needles and consumables, opened in front of the client
• covering equipment such as lamps and machine cords where appropriate
• hand hygiene and glove changes at each stage
• safe sharps disposal

Your council, insurer and training provider may set out specific expectations, so follow their guidance. Our treatment room hygiene checklist gives a practical starting point.

Insurance and consent

Make sure your insurance names SPMU treatments specifically and covers your branch. Keep thorough consultation forms, medical history questions, patch test records and aftercare instructions. Good records protect you and reassure clients that they are in safe hands.

Turning a room into a strong SPMU business

Your portfolio is your best marketing. With client consent, photograph healed results in consistent lighting, ideally in the same room each time. Healed results build far more trust than fresh ones.

Use a booking system that takes deposits for longer appointments, and schedule top-ups when the client books their first session. Clear policies on deposits and rescheduling help keep your diary reliable.

Quick checklist

• Contact your council about SPMU registration or licensing.
• Confirm insurance covers SPMU at your branch.
• Ask which rooms have an in-room sink.
• Arrange sharps disposal.
• Plan your hire pattern around session length.

Planning your SPMU appointment day

SPMU days run best when each appointment type has its own place in the diary. Many artists keep mornings for first sessions, when they and their clients are fresh, and use afternoons for consultations, patch tests and top-ups. Leave generous gaps after longer sessions so you can clean down thoroughly, record pigment details and take healed-result photos of returning clients without rushing. Grouping similar appointments on the same day also makes daily hire excellent value, because the room is working for you from first client to last.

View available rooms

Looking for a private room for your SPMU work? Browse every available room across North Finchley, Finchley Road and Holloway Road, filter by trade and availability, and send an enquiry or book a viewing when you find the right fit.