How Much Does Treatwell Really Cost? The Hidden Fees Salon Owners Miss

The Treatwell Pricing Problem

Treatwell markets itself as a growth tool for salons. And it does bring in new clients — that part is real. But the price of those clients is where most salon owners get a nasty surprise.

Here is what Treatwell actually charges:

• EUR 35/month subscription fee (mandatory)
• 35% commission on every new client booking through the marketplace
• 2.5% processing fee on all online prepayments
• All fees subject to VAT at the local rate (21% in the Netherlands)

Those costs add up faster than most owners realise. Let us do the actual math.

The Real Math: What You Are Actually Paying

Let us take a common scenario. You are a mid-sized salon and Treatwell is sending you 50 new clients per month. Average booking value is GBP 60.

Here is what that looks like on your monthly invoice:

Cost item	Calculation	Monthly cost
Subscription	EUR 35/month	EUR 35
Commission (35% x 50 clients x GBP 60)	0.35 x 3,000	GBP 1,050
Processing fee (2.5% on prepaid bookings)	0.025 x 3,000	GBP 75
VAT on all fees (21%)	approx. 21% added	approx. GBP 246
Total monthly cost to Treatwell		approx. GBP 1,406

That is over GBP 16,800 per year going to Treatwell — on top of your own effort to service those clients. And notice that your subscription fee is essentially irrelevant compared to the commission bill.

Scaling Makes It Worse, Not Better

The commission model has a painful characteristic: the more successful you are on Treatwell, the more you pay them. There is no cap. There is no loyalty discount. You do not graduate to a lower commission tier after a year.

New clients/month via Treatwell	Avg booking	Treatwell commission/month	Treatwell total/year (excl. VAT)
10	GBP 60	GBP 210	GBP 2,940
25	GBP 60	GBP 525	GBP 6,720
50	GBP 60	GBP 1,050	GBP 12,600
100	GBP 60	GBP 2,100	GBP 25,620

Every new client Treatwell sends you costs you 35p on the pound. You are essentially running a revenue share with a platform you do not own.

The Hidden Fees That Compound

Beyond the headline commission, there are structural costs that are easy to miss:

Processing fees on prepayments: Treatwell charges 2.5% on all online card payments taken through the platform. On a GBP 60 booking, that is GBP 1.50 before Stripe or your own card provider sees a penny.

VAT on top: All Treatwell fees are subject to VAT at the local rate. In the Netherlands that is 21%. In the UK it is 20%. You are paying tax on commission — meaning a 35% commission effectively costs you 42.35% (NL) before the processing fee.

Treatwell owns the client relationship: Clients who book through the Treatwell marketplace are registered with Treatwell, not your CRM. When they return, they may book via Treatwell again — triggering another commission even though they are no longer truly new. The definition of new is controlled by Treatwell.

Calculate Your Own Treatwell Costs

Use the calculator below to see what Treatwell actually costs at your booking volume, compared to a flat monthly fee with zero commission.

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The Alternative: A Flat Fee You Can Budget For

DoTheBeauty charges EUR 19.95/month on the Starter plan. That is the entire cost. There is no commission on bookings — not on new clients, not on returning clients, not on anyone. Ever.

Clients book directly through your own salon website (built by DoTheBeauty in minutes), not through a marketplace. You own the client relationship from day one.

Scenario: 50 new clients/month at GBP 60 avg	Treatwell	DoTheBeauty Starter
Monthly platform cost	approx. GBP 1,406	EUR 19.95
Annual platform cost	approx. GBP 16,872	approx. EUR 239
Commission on new clients	35%	0%
Annual savings vs Treatwell	—	approx. GBP 16,600+

The tradeoff is honest: Treatwell brings a marketplace with existing traffic. DoTheBeauty does not — your bookings come from your own site and your own marketing. But once those clients exist, you pay nothing to the platform for keeping them, rebooking them, or growing with them.

What To Do Next

If you are on Treatwell and questioning the cost, the right answer depends on how much of your new-client pipeline depends on their marketplace. For salons that rely on it for discovery, switching overnight is a real risk.

But if you already have a client base, a Google presence, or a social following — paying thousands per year in commissions is money that could stay in your business.

Read our full side-by-side breakdown at Treatwell vs DoTheBeauty, or start a 7-day trial and build your booking site to see what the alternative looks like in practice.