Opening a beauty salon: when and where to file the opening notification, the facility standards and the procedure

In short: when you open a new beauty salon, before you start operating you file a beauty-salon opening notification with the public health centre (the prefectural governor; in cities and special wards with a public health centre, the mayor or ward head) and receive confirmation of the structural facilities on inspection. Under the Beauty Practitioners Act, Article 11, the notification gives in advance the salon's location, structural facilities, and the names of the managing beautician and other staff. You may not use the salon until the prefectural governor has inspected the notified structural facilities and confirmed that they are suitable for taking the hygiene measures required (Beauty Practitioners Act, Article 12). This article organises the requirements and flow; the acceptance and confirmation are made by the public health centre, and our office does not guarantee confirmation.

When and where do you file the opening notification for a beauty salon?

The Beauty Practitioners Act (Act No. 163 of 3 June 1957), Article 2, defines "beauty" as "making the appearance beautiful by methods such as permanent waving, hairdressing and make-up," a "beautician" as "a person who conducts beauty as a business under a licence from the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare," and a "beauty salon" as "a facility established to conduct the business of beauty." What matters here is that a beautician's licence is a personal qualification, whereas opening a beauty salon requires, separately from the licence, a notification for each salon. Holding a licence alone does not let you open a shop.

The notification goes to the prefectural governor with jurisdiction over the salon's location. However, in cities with a public health centre (designated cities, core cities, etc.) and in special wards, the mayor or ward head is the counter. The notification is made "in advance"—before you start operating (Beauty Practitioners Act, Article 11). The main matters notified are the salon's location, its structural facilities, and the names of the managing beautician and other staff. If a notified matter changes, or the salon is abolished, you also notify promptly (same Article).

Item	Content
Basis	Beauty Practitioners Act, Article 11 (opening notification)
Destination	Prefectural governor (mayor or ward head in cities/wards with a public health centre)
Timing	"In advance," before operation starts
Who files	The salon's opener (may be an individual or company that is not a beautician)
Change / abolition	Notify promptly on any change or abolition

What must the structural facilities (area, partition, lighting, disinfection equipment) meet?

The salon's opener must take the hygiene measures required for the salon (Beauty Practitioners Act, Article 13). The specifics are set in the Ministry's ordinance—the Regulation for Enforcement of the Beauty Practitioners Act—and in each prefecture's ordinance. The representative measures the national regulation sets are as follows.

Item	Main content	Basis
Disinfection equipment	Equipment to disinfect instruments that touch the skin, such as razors, scissors and combs. Instruments to which blood is or may be attached are disinfected by boiling (2 minutes or more), an ethanol solution, a sodium-hypochlorite solution, etc.	Enforcement Regulation, Article 25
Cleanliness	Floor and wainscot of impermeable material. A running-water device at the washing place. A lidded waste box and hair box	Enforcement Regulation, Article 26
Lighting and ventilation	Illuminance at the work surface of 100 lux or more. Keep the carbon-dioxide concentration in the workroom at 5/1000 or less	Enforcement Regulation, Article 27
Partition	Completely separate the workplace by a partition wall, etc., from places not directly related to the work, such as living rooms and rest rooms	Hygiene Management Guidelines

Concrete figures such as the workroom area and the number of beauty chairs are delegated to each prefecture's ordinance and the public health centre's guide. Because we have not been able to confirm a national provision setting a uniform area standard, here we do not assert a specific area figure; confirm it in the opening area's ordinance and the public health centre's guide. The thinking on partitions and disinfection places is shown in the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's "Hygiene Management Guidelines for Barbershops and Beauty Salons" (Kanshi No. 95 of 1 June 1981; amended by Kenpatsu No. 0915-5 of 15 September 2010).

Can you run a barbershop and a beauty salon in the same shop?

You can, but with conditions. From 1 April 2016, if certain requirements are met, you may open a barbershop and a beauty salon in the same place as a dual operation. There are two main requirements: (1) meeting both the structural-facility and hygiene requirements of the barbershop and of the beauty salon; and (2) all staff who provide services at the facility holding both the barber and the beautician licences. This treatment is shown in "On the enforcement of the ministerial ordinance partially amending the Enforcement Regulations of the Barbers Act and the Beauty Practitioners Act" (Seishoku-hatsu No. 1209002 of 9 December 2015) and the like, following the Regulatory Reform Implementation Plan (Cabinet decision of 30 June 2015).

Even for dual operation, an opening notification is required for each of the barbershop and the beauty salon, because the barbershop is opened under the Barbers Act and the beauty salon under the Beauty Practitioners Act—different laws. Whether you open both at once or add one to an existing facility can change the matters to write in the notification (the counterpart facility's name, the planned opening date), so confirm the forms with the opening area's public health centre.

What documents does the notification need, and how does the public health centre inspection flow?

Besides the notification form, the notification calls for drawings of the facility and documents on qualifications and hygiene. Forms and copies vary by municipality, but typical ones are as follows.

Document	Outline
Beauty-salon opening notification	Location, structural facilities, names of the managing beautician and other staff
Floor plan of the facility	Positions and dimensions of the workroom, waiting area, disinfection equipment, washing place and toilet
Copy of the beautician's licence	For beauticians who conduct the business of beauty at the salon
Copy of the managing-beautician course certificate	Where two or more beauticians are constantly engaged
Doctor's certificate, etc.	On tuberculosis, skin disease, etc. (depends on the municipality)
Water-quality test result	Where well water, etc., is used
Certificate of registered matters	Where the opener is a company

The flow is: prior consultation → filing the opening notification (before operation starts) → the public health centre's on-site inspection (confirming the structural facilities) → confirmation → start using the salon (operation). You may use the salon only after the inspection confirms that it is suitable for taking the measures of Article 13 (Beauty Practitioners Act, Article 12). Because the standard processing period and the inspection schedule vary by municipality, work back from the planned opening date and consult the opening area's public health centre.

Also, a salon where two or more beauticians are constantly engaged places one managing beautician. A managing beautician must be a person who, after receiving the beautician's licence, has been engaged in the business of beauty for three years or more and has completed the course of a training designated by the prefectural governor (Beauty Practitioners Act, Article 12-3).

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May you proceed with construction before the notification? The order that avoids rework

If you finish all the interior works before filing, the structural facilities may not meet the standards and need reworking. Partitions, the washing place, disinfection equipment and ventilation are safest built into the design from the design stage in line with the standards. The recommended order is: (1) viewing the premises and confirming the use → (2) prior consultation with the public health centre (bringing drawings) → (3) construction → (4) filing the opening notification → (5) the public health centre's on-site inspection and confirmation → (6) start of operation. In particular, the complete partition of the workplace from living rooms, etc., the running-water device at the washing place, and the disinfection equipment tend to require redoing walls and piping if added later. Before signing the premises contract, check whether the layout can meet the standards and whether water supply/drainage and ventilation can be secured.

Because opening a beauty salon crosses several fields, the roles are divided as follows.

• Preparation of the beauty-salon opening notification and support for prior consultation with the public health centre → Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office (administrative scrivener)
• Selection, lease and important-matters explanation of the business premises → Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd.
• Employees' working conditions, social insurance and work rules after opening → Yotsuba Labour and Social Security Attorney Office (labour and social security attorney)
• Confirmation application where the interior amounts to a large-scale change of use → an architect and the specified administrative agency
• Accounting and tax of the building and business → a tax accountant
• Individual legal judgement on rights, obligations and disputes → an attorney

Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office and Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. are separate businesses. Our office handles only support for the beauty-salon opening notification as an independent business, and premises, labour and tax are contracted or consulted separately with each qualified professional and business. Our office receives no referral fee. For the whole picture of licensing, see Licensing and Permits; for the flow of engagement, see Engagement Flow; and for fees, see Fee Schedule. If you also run food service, please also check Restaurant business permit and the public health centre's facility standards. The acceptance and confirmation themselves are decided by the public health centre.

FAQ

Q. If I have a beautician's licence, can I open my own shop right away?
A. The licence and opening are separate. A beautician's licence is a personal qualification, but to open a shop (a beauty salon) you must, separately from the licence, file a beauty-salon opening notification with the public health centre and receive an inspection and confirmation of the structural facilities (Beauty Practitioners Act, Articles 11 and 12). You may not use the salon until the inspection confirms that it is suitable for taking the required hygiene measures.

Q. When should I file the opening notification?
A. You file it "in advance," before you start operating (Beauty Practitioners Act, Article 11). After the notification there is an on-site inspection by the public health centre, and you can start operating only after that confirmation. Because scheduling the inspection takes time, working back from the planned opening date and starting from prior consultation is the safe route. The standard processing period varies by municipality, so confirm it on the official page of the opening area's public health centre.

Q. I want to run both a barbershop and a beauty salon in one shop—is that possible?
A. From 1 April 2016, dual operation in the same place is allowed where (1) the structural-facility and hygiene requirements of both the barbershop and the beauty salon are met, and (2) all staff who provide services hold both the barber and the beautician licences. However, an opening notification is required for each of the barbershop and the beauty salon. Confirm the detailed requirements and forms with the opening area's public health centre.

Q. Must I always place a managing beautician?
A. It is required at a salon where two or more beauticians are constantly engaged. A managing beautician must be a person who, after receiving the beautician's licence, has been engaged in the business of beauty for three years or more and has completed a training course designated by the prefectural governor (Beauty Practitioners Act, Article 12-3). A salon with only one beautician constantly engaged has no duty to place a managing beautician.

Sources (Primary Information)

• e-Gov Law Search, "Beauty Practitioners Act" (Act No. 163 of 3 June 1957), Article 2 (definitions), Article 11 (opening notification), Article 12 (inspection and confirmation), Article 12-3 (managing beautician), Article 13 (hygiene measures required) (accessed 2026-09-17)
• e-Gov Law Search, "Regulation for Enforcement of the Beauty Practitioners Act" (Ordinance of the Ministry of Health and Welfare No. 7 of 1998), Article 25 (methods of disinfection), Article 26 (cleanliness measures), Article 27 (lighting and ventilation) (accessed 2026-09-17)
• Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "On the Hygiene Management Guidelines for Barbershops and Beauty Salons" (Kanshi No. 95 of 1 June 1981; amended by Kenpatsu No. 0915-5 of 15 September 2010) (accessed 2026-09-17)
• "On the enforcement of the ministerial ordinance partially amending the Enforcement Regulations of the Barbers Act and the Beauty Practitioners Act" (Seishoku-hatsu No. 1209002 of 9 December 2015) / dual operation of barbershops and beauty salons under the Regulatory Reform Implementation Plan (Cabinet decision of 30 June 2015) (accessed 2026-09-17)
• Guides to beauty-salon opening notifications published by the public health centre of the planned site, and each prefecture's ordinance (standards for structural facilities, area and hygiene measures; forms and required documents; accessed 2026-09-17)

This article is general information and does not guarantee individual acceptance of a notification, conformity with the standards for structural facilities and hygiene measures, or the result of an inspection. Acceptance of the beauty-salon opening notification, the on-site inspection and the confirmation are made by the public health centre (prefecture, city with a public health centre, or special ward). Concrete standards for structural facilities such as the workroom area are delegated to each prefecture's ordinance; confirm the standards, forms and required documents for each facility on the relevant municipality's official page. Building confirmation where a large-scale change of use is involved is handled by an architect and the specified administrative agency. Selection, lease and important-matters explanation of the business premises are handled by Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd.; employees' working conditions, social insurance and work rules after opening by Yotsuba Labour and Social Security Attorney Office; accounting and tax by a tax accountant; and individual legal judgement on rights, obligations and disputes by an attorney, each as an independent business under a separate contract or consultation. Our office receives no referral fee. Individual judgements are made by a qualified professional after a meeting. Written by Joji Uramatsu, administrative scrivener and licensed real estate broker.