14/01/2026
Pricing:
Dog grooming looks expensive on the surface, but the reality behind the price is very different.
Groomers are dealing with exactly the same cost of living pressures as everyone else. Rent, mortgages, food, fuel, electricity, insurance and council tax have all gone up, and grooming salons are hit particularly hard by energy costs because dryers, clippers and bathing systems run all day.
A typical groom price is usually split three ways. Roughly a third goes to the groomer as wages. A third goes straight to the government through tax, National Insurance and VAT where applicable. The final third goes back into the business to cover rent, utilities, insurance, equipment servicing, sharpening, products, software, training and saving for big-ticket items like hydraulic tables or professional dryers that can cost thousands.
When you break it down, a £60 groom that takes two hours works out at around £10 per hour for the groomer before personal tax.
That is less than minimum wage, for a skilled, physically demanding job that carries real risk of injury.
Grooming is not just washing a dog. It involves training, handling skills, animal welfare responsibility, physical strain, ongoing education and significant overheads. Many groomers have already absorbed rising costs for years before increasing prices, often at the expense of their own income.
Everyone is feeling the squeeze, including groomers. Higher prices are rarely about profit, they’re about survival. Without realistic pricing, experienced groomers simply cannot afford to stay in business, and that ultimately reduces choice and standards for dog owners.
It’s completely reasonable to shop around and ask questions, but it’s also worth remembering that fair pricing keeps skilled professionals in work and ensures dogs are groomed safely, humanely and properly.
And for the first groomer who says, “I work from home so I don’t have any overheads”, let’s be honest about what that would actually mean.
Are they prepared to rent out their grooming space to me for free? That converted garage or shed, no rent at all please, and all bills included. I’d also like the electricity, water, gas and internet to cost nothing. My blade sharpening can be free too, along with shampoo, conditioner and dematting sprays. I’ll need all my brushes and combs replaced every year at no cost, and while we’re at it, the insurance should be completely free as well.
Because that is what “no overheads” would have to look like.
Working from home does not mean zero costs. It still involves utilities, equipment, consumables, maintenance, insurance, training and wear and tear, all of which add up very quickly. The building might be attached to the house, but the bills, responsibility and expenses are still very real.
Saying there are no overheads massively undervalues the work and misrepresents what it actually costs to run a safe, professional grooming setup.
