Frequently Asked Questions

WHAT IS BEAUTY & BODYWORK INSURANCE (BBI)?

BBI (short for Beauty and Bodywork Insurance) offers insurance coverage to beauty and bodywork professionals like hairdressers, massage therapists, estheticians, and more! Our policies offer protection for small business owners and independent contractors in case of accidental injury, negligence, false advertisement, equipment damage—all of which can put your business at financial risk.

WHO IS THE INSURANCE CARRIER?

While BBI is responsible for packaging the different elements of your policy and making them available for purchase, your insurance coverage is provided by and managed through the Great American Alliance Insurance Company, an A+ rated carrier. As the insurance carrier, Great American Alliance is responsible for carrying the actual risk of the policy, as well as honoring any claims made.

IS MY PRACTICE /TECHNIQUE/METHOD COVERED?

The short answer is: it depends! BBI insures a wide range of techniques and modalities commonly used in the beauty and bodywork industry. However, there are limits to what we cover that depend on factors like risk of the proposed treatment, accreditation, industry precedent, etc.

Policyholders must also be in compliance with all federal, state, and local regulations. For example, if your state requires you to have a license before practicing, you must have that license in order for the policy to be valid.

Check here for a full list of who qualifies for a BBI policy.

WILL MY POLICY TRAVEL WITH ME?

Yes, your policy is good in the U.S., Canada, and may cover you for business services you provide when you temporarily travel for business. Contact one of our dedicated insurance agents for specific questions regarding your travel plans.

WHAT IS A DEDUCTIBLE?

Your insurance deductible is the amount of loss that the insured is responsible to pay before benefits from the insurance company are payable. Deductibles are used to dilute risk across all policyholders and to incentivize those policyholders to take appropriate protective actions since they too will be financially impacted by any claims.

WHAT IS A CERTIFICATE OF INSURANCE?

Your certificate of insurance (or COI) is a document that provides evidence that certain general types of insurance coverages and limits have been purchased by the person or organization listed on the certificate. COIs are sometimes required by landlords or venues before a practitioner can provide services. Your COI may even need to be physically displayed by law in business common areas.

HOW CAN I ACCESS MY CERTIFICATE OF INSURANCE?

Your Certificate of Insurance (COI) will be emailed to you at the time of your purchase. You can also access your COI any time from the option in your customer dashboard.

DOES A BBI POLICY EXCLUDE ANY METHODS?

Certain treatments, methods, and practices incur too much risk to insure under our basic policy plan. These methods are referred to as “excluded methods” and include things like laser treatments, cubbing, microblading, and more. Read our full list of exclusions here.

CAN I OPERATE A BUSINESS FROM MY HOME?

Yes, your policy will cover you for services you provide inside your home. However, we highly recommend that you check with your homeowners insurance agent to make sure that your home is covered for business use.

WHAT ARE POLICY LIMITS?

Policy limits are the monetary damages amounts that your policy is able to cover. BBI’s general and professional liability aggregate limit is $3,000,000 in total and $2,000,000 per occurrence. See our full list of policy limits here.

HOW LONG IS MY POLICY COVERAGE?

BBI policies cover the policyholder for 1 full year (12 full months) from the date of purchase or from the effective date of coverage. For example, if you purchase your policy or set the effective date to March 15, 2023, your policy will remain active until March 14, 2024.

WHAT IS PROGRAM INSURANCE?

Program insurance is simply a way to purchase insurance that provides a competitive advantage in the marketplace to a group of like-minded people. By purchasing through the BBI Program, you save money on insurance premiums because you are part of a “risk purchasing group” (an RPG).

An RPG is a legal entity that allows groups or persons with similar liability risks to take advantage of a joint insurance purchase in order to take advantage of significant cost savings. An RPG is not an insurance company, and there is no additional risk assumed by the RPG members. You don’t share coverage limits with the rest of the group, just savings on your premium.

WHAT DOES GENERAL LIABILITY COVER?

General liability is your first defense against specific types of unexpected problems and risks that can arise out of nowhere and threaten your business. It covers bodily injury, property damage, and personal and advertising injury claims (to which the policy applies) that you become legally liable to pay to the third party.

An example of where general liability comes in handy is in the event of an accidental injury sustained by your client during one of your services. In this case, a general liability policy can pay the medical bills and damages instead of the money coming out of your pocket.

For more information and examples, check out our General Liability Insurance resource.

WHAT DOES PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY COVER?

The professional liability policy will pay damages and claim expenses arising out of negligent acts, errors, or omissions in rendering or failure to render professional services. It might sound similar to general liability, but think of it this way: If a client is injured during one of your services, a general liability policy can cover the damages—but if the client claims your recommendation for a product or service caused them harm, professional liability can protect you from legal fees and damages.

To learn more, check out our Professional Liability resource.

WHAT IS A RETROACTIVE DATE (RETRO-DATE)?

If you purchased a professional liability policy in the past, and that policy has continually remained in force without a lapse in coverage, a retro-date should appear on your professional liability policy. This date represents the beginning of your professional liability coverage and may be several years in the past. It is important to keep the retro-dates from one policy to the next the same. Any claims on a loss or injury that took place prior to the retro-date will not be covered under the policy.

If you have not purchased professional liability coverage in the past, or if you had a lapse in your professional liability coverage, your effective date and retro-date may be the same.

WHAT IS TOOLS AND SUPPLIES INSURANCE?

Tools and supplies insurance (sometimes called “inland marine” insurance) protects the tools and equipment necessary for you to perform your job in the case that they are damaged, stolen, or lost—either while in your possession or in transit. This can be something like a massage table or hair clippers, lotions or essential oils, and more. Learn more about tools and supplies insurance here.

WHAT ISN’T COVERED BY TOOLS AND SUPPLIES INSURANCE?

Most normal and customary tools and equipment used for work by beauty and bodywork professionals are covered. However, certain causes of loss are not covered under our policy. For example, mysterious disappearance, abandonment of property, flood or water damage, and breakage from wear and tear are not covered.

CAN I GO BEYOND THE LIMITS OF THE PERSONAL PROPERTY COVERAGE?

Currently, there are no other options for increasing the limits on your personal property coverage.

WHAT DOES DAMAGE TO RENTED PREMISES COVER?

If you enter into a rental or lease agreement to occupy a premises for seven (7) or more days, we will provide coverage to that premises for damages (by a fire only) up to the limit shown on the certificate of insurance.

WHAT IS BBI’s PRIVACY POLICY?

Follow the link to read our Privacy Policy.

WHY DO I HAVE TO PURCHASE MY POLICY ONLINE?

BBI is in the business of making insurance for small business owners as easy to procure as possible. By offering our products online, BBI cuts out the need to talk to an insurance agent, get a quote, or anything else that stands in the way of you getting coverage when you need it! Simply select the policy you need, fill out the online form, and get covered the same day.

HOW MUCH DOES INSURANCE FROM BBI COST?

BBI policies start at $9.99/month or $96 per year for individual practitioners and $349 per year for salon and spa owners looking to insure multiple employees or contractors. BBI also offers a number of optional endorsements (changes to your policy that cover additional services or methods) for an additional price. Other factors that influence your overall cost include additional insureds, or the number of booths you insure in your salon.

WHAT MAKES BBI SO AFFORDABLE?

BBI’s policies are specifically packaged to help both business owners and individual beauty and bodywork practitioners find the coverage they need at the best price available. By leveraging our relationship with an A+ rated insurance carrier and packaging pre-existing policy elements—instead of writing customized policies for each client—we’re able to pass on significant savings to you.

HOW DO I GET A QUOTE?

With BBI, you don’t need a quote! All of our pricing is fully transparent and readily available in order to make the purchasing process as easy as possible. You can complete an application by clicking on Buy Policy, where you’ll find a full breakdown of our pricing and coverage. Once the application is fully complete you can buy the policy immediately online.

ARE THERE MONTHLY PAYMENTS?

Yes, you can opt into monthly payments starting at $9.99/month.

WHEN IS MY INSURANCE EFFECTIVE?

Your insurance policy becomes effective immediately after your online payment is verified. The verification process takes only seconds. You can print your certificate of insurance immediately after purchasing.

CAN I “FUTURE DATE” THE START OF MY POLICY?

Yes, your effective policy date can be set to take effect up to 30 days in the future. Simply select the desired start date during the initial application process at the time of purchase.

HOW LONG IS MY POLICY COVERAGE?

BBI policies are annual, so your policy will provide you coverage for twelve months from the effective date you select. You will also see the effective and expiration dates listed on your proof of insurance document, which is accessible from your online account.

CAN I CANCEL MY POLICY?

Because our policies are 100% earned, we regret that we cannot offer refunds once coverage begins.What this means is that once the policy is purchased, even if you cancel, the insurance company has accepted the full risk of liability that is covered and remains under the same obligation to cover claims.

HOW DO I ACCESS MY POLICY DOCUMENTS?

You can access your policy documents at any time by logging in to your customer portal.

WHAT IS AN ADDITIONAL INSURED?

An additional insured is a person or organization (not an employee or a friend) that can be added to your insurance policy by endorsement. When you provide additional insured status to a person or organization, your policy will protect that additional insured for claims arising out of your negligence.

For example, if you rent a chair at a salon that requires you to name that salon as an additional insured, your policy will provide coverage to the salon if a bodily injury or property damage claim occurs during your operations and the salon is held liable for your negligence.

CAN I ADD AN ADDITIONAL INSURED AFTER I PURCHASE MY POLICY?

Yes. Additional insureds can be added during the initial application process or after purchase through the customer dashboard by clicking the “add additional insured” button within the policy management portion of the dashboard. 

IS THERE A COST TO ADD AN ADDITIONAL INSURED?

When adding an additional insured, you have two options to choose from. You can add one additional insured for $15 or you can add unlimited insureds for $30.

DO I NEED TO ADD THE PLACES I WORK AS AN ADDITIONAL INSURED?

Adding your workplace as an additional insured (AI) can help show your professional commitment to employers and landlords. Some will require it, as this protects them from potential lawsuits and claims that they may be named in due to your business and services. You are covered for your professional services wherever your business takes you, whether that is at a client’s home, a venue, a spa or virtually any place you provide services—even without adding those workplaces as an AI. 

CAN I ADD A CO-WORKER TO MY POLICY?

Co-workers, friends, and spouses can not be added to your policy as an additional insured. They must have their own policy to cover services they provide to clients.  

HOW DO I FILE A CLAIM?

Start by logging into your account and clicking the “file a claim” button on your dashboard. You’ll be asked to fill out a form describing the details of your claim which will be sent to our internal processing teams. After that, you’ll be contacted by a claims adjuster from Great American Alliance Insurance Company via email.

This person will handle the rest of your claims process and request additional information to validate your claim before deciding whether or not your claim is covered under the terms of your policy. Be prepared to communicate with your claims adjuster in order to receive any payments you are entitled to. Once your claim has been sent to Great American Alliance, BBI will no longer be involved in verifying your claim, nor will we have any direct contact with your claims adjuster.

WHAT IS A CLAIMS-MADE POLICY?

On a Claims-Made policy, the claim or incident must occur during the policy period and be reported to us during the policy period or extended reporting period. The BBI policy is a claims-made policy.

WHAT IS AN EXTENDED REPORTING PERIOD?

The extended reporting period is a designated amount of time provided after the claims-made policy has expired in which you can report a claim or incident. You may not report any claims or incidents after the extended reporting period time has expired.

The extended reporting period is 30 days after the expiration date. However, if you purchase a renewal policy with no lapse in coverage, your retro date will apply and will give you until the expiration of your renewal policy or the cancellation of that policy to report any claims.

IS RENEWAL PRICE THE SAME AS PURCHASE PRICE?

Yes, new and renewal prices are the same as long as the policy remains unchanged. In the event that the policy rate changes, you will be notified by email 120 days before your policy renews.

WILL I GET RENEWAL REMINDERS?

The best way to ensure your business remains covered is to opt for EZ-Renew, which automatically renews your policy and sends renewal notices at 120, 90, 30, 14, 7 and 1 days before expiration. An expiration notice is sent afterwards if the policy is not renewed or payment fails.

DOES MY POLICY AUTOMATICALLY RENEW?

When purchasing your policy, you’ll be given the option to have it automatically renew at the end of the policy term for your convenience and to prevent any potential lapses in your coverage. However, If you decide to change your automatic renewal preferences, you may do so on your customer dashboard.

HOW DO I RENEW MY POLICY?

To renew your policy, log in to your online account. Click on “My Policies” then click the “Renew” button next to your expiring policy number. The renew button will only be available within 30 days of the policy expiration date. Click that button and follow the directions provided to you.