How to open a med spa in California, in order

Ownership comes first, before the lease or the laser

Settle who owns the practice before spending on premises or equipment, because in California a med spa offering medical treatments must be owned by physicians.

Every later step depends on this answer. The entity type, the name on the permit, the name on the lease and the supervision agreements all assume a physician-majority practice. A founder who signs a lease in a personal or LLC name and only afterwards learns the ownership rule has to unwind it.

The Medical Board's position is short and direct: a med spa offering medical procedures must be owned by physicians. Read who can own a med spa for the 51/49 detail, and the medical director page if someone has offered you a lay-owned arrangement with a paid physician attached.

The Medical Board of California states that medical spas offering medical procedures must be owned by physicians. — Medical Board of California, retrieved 2026-09-27

Forming the professional medical corporation with the state

The practice entity is normally a professional medical corporation, created by filing Form ARTS-PC with the California Secretary of State for a $100 fee.

The form itself states the $100 filing fee and an optional $5 fee for a certified copy, and it warns that corporations may owe an $800 minimum tax to the Franchise Tax Board each year. It asks for the profession the corporation will practise and declares the corporation a professional corporation under Corporations Code section 13400 and following.

A standard LLC is not an option for the practice: California's LLC act does not permit an LLC to render professional services. The comparison of structures is on the entity page, and the full filing walk-through, including the management company if you have one, is in the setup guide.

$100The California Secretary of State charges $100 to file Articles of Incorporation of a Professional Corporation on Form ARTS-PC. — California Secretary of State, retrieved 2026-09-27

$800Form ARTS-PC notes that corporations may have to pay a minimum $800 tax to the Franchise Tax Board each year. — California Secretary of State, retrieved 2026-09-27

The fictitious name permit before any sign or ad goes up

A medical corporation that will trade under a spa-style name needs a fictitious name permit from the Medical Board, which takes roughly four to six weeks to issue.

The Medical Board charges a $70 application fee and requires a copy of the Articles of Incorporation with the application, so the permit cannot start until the corporation exists. Practising or advertising under an unapproved name is unprofessional conduct under Business and Professions Code 2285.

Order the sign and the website launch around the permit date, not the other way round. The application steps are in the fictitious name permit guide.

$70The Medical Board of California charges a $70 application fee for a fictitious name permit and processes applications in roughly four to six weeks. — Medical Board of California, retrieved 2026-09-27

The Statement of Information is due within 90 days

A new California corporation must file a Statement of Information within its first 90 days and then every year before the end of its registration month.

The Secretary of State's welcome letter to new corporations sets out that schedule, and the fee for a stock corporation is $25. File it directly through bizfile Online. The Secretary of State warns that some private companies send official-looking letters offering to file it for many times the state fee, and that those letters are not sent on its behalf.

Missing it is how a new practice first falls out of good standing. The full calendar of recurring filings is on the taxes and annual filings page.

90 daysCalifornia stock corporations must file a Statement of Information within the first 90 days of registering and every year thereafter. — California Secretary of State, retrieved 2026-09-27

$25The Secretary of State's fee to file a Statement of Information is $25 for California stock corporations. — California Secretary of State, retrieved 2026-09-27

Supervision paperwork must exist before the first injection

Before a nurse or physician assistant treats anyone, the practice needs written standardized procedures or delegation agreements, and a physician or qualified practitioner must examine each patient first.

Business and Professions Code 2725 describes standardized procedures as policies and protocols developed collaboratively by administrators and health professionals, including physicians and nurses. The Medical Board's guidance adds that the physician is responsible for documenting each nurse's training and competence, and that the prior examination required before prescriptive drugs or devices are used may not be delegated to a registered nurse.

Who may examine, inject and operate a laser is set out role by role on the treatment roles page.

B&P 2725B&P 2725 describes standardized procedures as policies and protocols developed through collaboration among administrators and health professionals including physicians and nurses. — California Legislative Information, retrieved 2026-09-27

The Medical Board's guidance states that the appropriate prior examination before prescriptive drugs or devices are used may not be delegated to registered nurses. — Medical Board of California, retrieved 2026-09-27

Employer safety cover and the seller's permit close out the list

Before opening day, the practice needs workers' compensation for its first employee, a written bloodborne pathogens exposure control plan, and a seller's permit if it will sell retail products.

The Department of Industrial Relations states that California employers must carry workers' compensation even if they have only one employee. Cal/OSHA's bloodborne pathogens standard requires any employer with occupational exposure to blood to maintain a written exposure control plan, reviewed at least annually. The CDTFA requires a seller's permit for anyone selling tangible personal property at retail, which covers a shelf of take-home skincare.

The detail for each is on insurance and workplace safety. Once these are in place, review the launch advertising against the physician rules before it goes live.

The California Department of Industrial Relations states that employers must have workers' compensation insurance even if they have only one employee. — California Department of Industrial Relations, retrieved 2026-09-27

The CDTFA requires a seller's permit for anyone doing business in California who intends to sell tangible personal property subject to sales tax at retail. — California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, retrieved 2026-09-27

Questions