Opening a health, beauty, or personal-care business in Texas takes three layers of approval: the state baseline every business clears, then your industry license which is from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), with tattoo studios licensed by DSHS and dry cleaners registered with TCEQ, and finally local permits for your address. The defining quirk of this field: you almost always need two licenses, one for the establishment and one for each operator. This guide walks all three layers, for the seven business types.
Dry cleaner, laundromat
NAICS 812310Facial spa, waxing studio
NAICS 812112Cosmetology salon, barber shop
NAICS 812111Therapeutic massage studio
NAICS 812199Manicure/pedicure studio
NAICS 812113Gym, crossfit box, yoga studio
NAICS 713940Tattoo parlor, piercing shop
NAICS 812199Every Texas business starts here, regardless of type. Form your entity, get your federal EIN, and register for the taxes that apply to you. Most of these have no or minimal fees. Confirm the current amount with each agency before filing.
This is the heart of a health, beauty, or personal-care business. Most of these trades are licensed by TDLR at both the establishment and individual operator level, you generally need both. Tattoo and piercing studios are licensed by DSHS, dry cleaners register with TCEQ, and fitness studios have no occupational license at all (with one exception for prepaid memberships). Expand your business type:
A dry cleaner that uses solvents must register as a Dry Cleaner Facility with TCEQ and file an Air Quality Permit by Rule. Registration fees scale with gross receipts and solvent use. A coin-op laundromat or wash-and-fold-only service that uses no solvent needs no state license.
| Requirement | Required? | Agency | Renewal | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Cleaner Facility Registration | Yes — if using dry-cleaning solvents | TCEQ | Annual | Scales with gross receipts: facilities $250–$2,500/yr; drop stations $125–$750; plus solvent fee $20/gal perc, $3/gal other |
| Air Quality Permit by Rule — Dry Cleaning (30 TAC §106.392) | If using perc or hydrocarbon solvent machines | TCEQ | None | No fee (Permit by Rule registration) |
| No state-level license (laundromat / wash-and-fold only) | N/A — exempt if no solvent is used | TCEQ | None | No state fee |
To open a skin-care studio you need a Specialty Salon (Esthetician) Establishment License for the business, and every operator — including you, if you provide services — needs an individual Esthetician License. Both are issued by TDLR under the cosmetology program.
| Requirement | Required? | Agency | Renewal | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specialty Salon (Esthetician) Establishment License | Yes | TDLR | Every 2 years | $89 initial / $54 renewal, biennial |
| Esthetician License (Individual Operator) | Yes — at least one on staff | TDLR | Every 2 years | $75 initial / $68 renewal, biennial |
A cosmetology salon needs a Beauty Salon / Cosmetology Establishment License; a strictly-barber shop uses the Barber Shop Establishment Permit instead, and a combined shop needs a Dual Shop license. Every stylist or barber must hold an individual Cosmetology Operator or Barber License.
| Requirement | Required? | Agency | Renewal | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beauty Salon / Cosmetology Establishment License | Yes — for cosmetology services | TDLR | Every 2 years | $89 initial / $54 renewal, biennial |
| Barber Shop Establishment Permit | If operating strictly as a barber shop | TDLR | Every 2 years | $107 initial / $54 renewal, biennial |
| Cosmetology Operator / Barber License (Individual) | Yes — each operator on staff | TDLR | Every 2 years | $60 initial / $53 renewal, biennial |
A massage studio needs a Massage Establishment License, and every therapist must hold an individual Massage Therapist License. Both are issued by TDLR under the massage program.
| Requirement | Required? | Agency | Renewal | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massage Establishment License | Yes | TDLR | Every 2 years | $200 initial / $200 renewal, biennial |
| Massage Therapist License (Individual) | Yes — at least one on staff | TDLR | Every 2 years | $107 initial / $106 renewal, biennial |
A nail salon needs a Nail Salon Specialty Salon Establishment License, and every technician must hold an individual Manicurist / Nail Technician License. Both are issued by TDLR under the cosmetology program.
| Requirement | Required? | Agency | Renewal | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nail Salon Specialty Salon Establishment License | Yes | TDLR | Every 2 years | $89 initial / $54 renewal, biennial |
| Manicurist / Nail Technician License (Individual) | Yes — each operator on staff | TDLR | Every 2 years | $60 initial / $53 renewal, biennial |
Texas imposes no occupational license on personal trainers, gyms or fitness studios. The one state hook: if you sell prepaid memberships over $200 or contracts longer than 31 days, you must file a Health Spa Registration and Surety Bond with the Secretary of State.
| Requirement | Required? | Agency | Renewal | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No state-level occupational license | N/A — trainers and studios are not licensed at the Texas state level | TDLR | None | No state fee |
| Health Spa Registration and Surety Bond | If selling prepaid memberships over $200 or contracts longer than 31 days | Secretary of State | Annual | $100 initial / $100 renewal, plus surety bond |
A tattoo or body-piercing studio needs a Body Art Studio License from DSHS — not TDLR. This state license controls; there is no separate local tattoo permit in the major Texas cities.
| Requirement | Required? | Agency | Renewal | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body Art Studio License | Yes | DSHS | Every 2 years | $933 initial / $933 renewal, biennial |
Health, beauty, and personal-care businesses operate from a physical location, so you also need local permits and they aren’t…well…optional. These vary by city and county, the table shows the common permit types. Note that none of the seven business types has a salon or tattoo-specific local permit in the major Texas cities; the state license controls these. Confirm specifics with your local development services department.
This is where you go for exact, current fees and to file applications.
The beauty and personal-care path has a distinctive quirk: you almost always need two licenses, one for the establishment and one for each operator, and which agency you file with depends on the exact service (TDLR for salons and massage, DSHS for tattoo, TCEQ for dry cleaning). Miss the individual-operator license and your establishment can’t legally open. OrbisUp guides you through each step for your specific business type and location: which TDLR or DSHS license you need, whether your fitness studio triggers the Health Spa Act, what local occupancy and fire permits apply, and the order to do it all in.