Running a Salon in the UAE Through Ramadan and Eid: Hours, Staff, Bookings

Ramadan changes a UAE salon's day more than any other month. Expect daytime bookings to thin while clients fast, evenings to fill after iftar, and the last week before Eid al-Fitr to be one of the busiest of your year. Staff hours change by law as well. This guide covers the rules, the rota, the pre-Eid rush and the messages that suit the month.

Rules are as they stood on 3 November 2026. They cover mainland private-sector employers under the federal Labour Law, which applies in every emirate. Salons in the DIFC in Dubai and ADGM in Abu Dhabi follow those free zones' own employment laws. This is not legal advice: for your own staff, ask MoHRE or your free zone authority.

#When are Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr in 2027?

Ramadan 1448 is expected to begin on or around Monday 8 February 2027, and Eid al-Fitr on Tuesday 9 or Wednesday 10 March 2027. Both dates are astronomical forecasts, subject to moon sighting. The UAE follows the official announcement of the moon-sighting committee, and Ramadan lasts 29 or 30 days.

The forecasts come from the Emirates Astronomical Society and the UAE Astronomy Centre. Plan your rota and opening hours on them, but publish your Ramadan hours as starting "from the first day of Ramadan", so a one-day shift doesn't make your announcement wrong.

#What are the working-hour rules for salon staff in Ramadan?

Normal working hours in the private sector fall by two hours a day for the whole of Ramadan. MoHRE announces the cut each year shortly before the month (on 12 February in 2026 and 24 February in 2025), and the UAE government says it applies to Muslim and non-Muslim employees alike. So a stylist normally on an eight-hour day works six, whether or not she is fasting.

MoHRE's 2026 announcement also let companies use flexible or remote working within the reduced daily hours. In a salon, flexible means choosing when each person's six hours fall, not adding to them.

The Labour Law treats time beyond the normal working day as overtime, and in Ramadan the normal day is shorter. So if you keep a stylist for her usual eight hours, the last two are overtime. If your contracts are unusual, ask MoHRE before you build the rota.

#How should you set salon hours and the rota?

Move the day later rather than making it longer. Opening later and staying open until close to midnight follows when clients book, and with two shifts no one works beyond six hours, so there is no overtime to pay. If your salon is in a mall, check the mall's Ramadan hours first; the UAE government notes that malls stay open late in the month.

Rostering fasting staff

Ask each person which shift they prefer before you publish the rota. Some fasting staff want to be home for iftar; others prefer the evening shift, after they've eaten, and colleagues who aren't fasting can cover sunset. Whatever the split, everyone's six hours stay six.

• Set the evening shift's break at iftar, so fasting staff can break their fast together.
• Give staff who aren't fasting a private place to eat and drink, away from clients and colleagues who are.
• Avoid booking a fasting stylist's longest service to finish right at sunset.
• Keep the last hour before iftar for short services, such as blow-dries, threading or beard trims.
• Repeat the rota rules at your daily huddle in the first week, and adjust after it.

#How do you plan for the pre-Eid rush?

Open Eid bookings early, protect the long services and fill every gap. The last nights before Eid bring hair, nails, henna, make-up and men's grooming into the same few evenings, on a reduced rota, and a slot lost to a no-show then is hard to refill.

Deposits only work if clients know the rule before they book. Put it in the booking confirmation and on your booking page; our guide to a salon no-show policy has wording clients accept. If you're VAT-registered, VAT on a deposit is due when you receive it, as explained in UAE VAT for salons.

For the quiet daytime hours earlier in the month, the ideas in filling slow days apply: package rebooking, regulars' standing slots and services that suit a midday visit.

#How do Eid holidays work for salon staff?

Eid al-Fitr is an official holiday for the public and private sectors under Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024: 1 to 3 Shawwal, plus the 30th of Ramadan if the month runs to 30 days. The exact days follow the moon sighting, and MoHRE announces them for the private sector each year. In 2026 it announced a paid holiday from Thursday 19 to Saturday 21 March, extended to Sunday 22 March if Ramadan completed 30 days.

Private-sector employees get paid leave on public holidays. If you need someone to work one, the UAE government says you must give them another rest day for each day worked, or pay them for the day plus at least 50% of their basic wage for it.

You may decide to close on the first day of Eid and open shorter hours after it. If you open, rota the team so each person gets their holiday or the compensation, and agree it in writing before Ramadan starts. Plan for Eid al-Adha the same way when MoHRE announces its dates.

If you're setting up a salon and hiring now, how to open a salon in Dubai covers licences, work permits and contracts.

#What marketing suits Ramadan and Eid?

Short, respectful messages on WhatsApp, sent only to clients who agreed to hear from you. WhatsApp's Business Messaging Policy says you may contact people only if they gave you their number and opted in to messages from you, and you must respect every request to stop, on WhatsApp or anywhere else.

Keep the month's messages to the useful ones: your Ramadan hours, when Eid booking opens, a reminder that few slots remain, and an Eid greeting. Skip countdown timers, "last chance" pressure and prize draws. Before you advertise an Eid discount or any prize draw, ask your licensing authority, such as the Department of Economy and Tourism in Dubai, whether it needs a permit.

Send after iftar, or mid-morning, rather than in the hour before sunset when people are preparing to break their fast. If your desk phones clients with offers, the UAE's telemarketing rules apply: marketing calls only between 9am and 6pm, never to numbers on the Do Not Call Register, and limits on calling back.

Salos also sends booking confirmations and reminders on WhatsApp, paid per message from a prepaid wallet; we quote the rate for your country on a free demo. More guides for salon owners are in Fully Booked's international edition.