Key takeaways
- SPF says manicure and pedicure services without massage do not need a Massage Establishment licence. If you add hand, foot or shoulder massage, check with the police first.
- A joint MOM, HSA and NEA circular sets out how nail salons should manage chemical exposure: low-VOC products, working ventilation, local exhaust and safe handling.
- Staffing is usually your largest cost. Check MOM’s work pass rules for the services sector before you plan to hire foreign technicians.
- Prepaid packages are where most beauty complaints start. Follow CCS’s fair trading guidance, and track every package balance in your system rather than on paper cards.
Last checked against SPF, NEA, MOM, CCS and CASE pages: September 2026. Rules change, so confirm each point with the agency concerned.
Start with the concept: who you serve and what you sell
Before you look at units, decide what kind of nail salon you are opening. The concept drives the size of the unit, the number of stations, your staff mix and your pricing.
- Express counter. A small unit in a mall or MRT-linked location selling quick manicures and gel polish to walk-ins. Speed and queue management matter most.
- Neighbourhood salon. An HDB or suburban mall unit living on regulars, with a mix of manicure, pedicure and simple nail art. Packages and loyalty matter most.
- Nail art studio. Appointment-led, with longer and higher-value services, often booked through Instagram. Some start from home first; our guide to home-based beauty businesses covers what HDB and URA allow. Your booking system and portfolio matter most.
Most of the business steps are the same as for any beauty business, so read our general guide on how to open a salon in Singapore alongside this one. This guide focuses on what is specific to nails.
Premises and licences
URA’s definition of a shop covers premises whose primary purpose is retail sale or the “provision of services”, and URA lists beauty salons as an example. In practice, most mall and shopfront units already approved as shops can host a nail salon. Still, check the approved use of your specific unit with URA’s e-service before you sign. For HDB units, you need HDB’s consent for the trade. Our guide to renting a retail shop covers these checks and the lease terms to negotiate.
The licence question that catches nail salons out is massage. The Singapore Police Force says a Massage Establishment licence is not needed if you provide manicure, pedicure, light, electric or vapour treatment, or baths, without any massage service. SPF defines massage as rubbing, kneading or manipulating the human body. If your menu includes hand massage, foot massage or reflexology add-ons, ask SPF whether your set-up needs a licence before you advertise those services. The licensing regime has its own location, layout and staffing rules, so it changes the business.
Other items to plan for:
- business registration and a GST assessment once your turnover approaches the threshold (check with ACRA and IRAS)
- signage approval from your landlord and, where needed, the relevant authority
- fire safety, electrical load and ventilation in your fit-out plan
Ventilation and chemical safety
Nail products give off vapours that staff breathe all day. In July 2024, MOM, HSA and NEA issued a joint circular on chemicals in nail salons (MOM/OSHD/2024-08). Its guidance is practical and worth building into your fit-out and daily routine.
Ventilation.
- Check that the mechanical ventilation system works properly.
- In air-conditioned spaces with no outdoor air supply, consider opening doors and windows to help air exchange where feasible.
- Consider local exhaust, such as portable ventilation machines or ventilated tables at each station.
- Refer to Singapore Standard SS554, the code of practice for indoor air quality in air-conditioned buildings, for advisory limits on specific volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Working practices.
- Choose water-based or low-VOC products where you can.
- Keep dispenser bottles closed when not in use and clean spills immediately.
- Use only the amount of product needed.
- Put waste containing nail products in sealed bags or covered bins, and empty bins often.
- Provide gloves, goggles or other protective equipment based on each product’s information sheet.
- Tell staff about the hazards and train them in safe handling.
Plan local exhaust on your layout drawing from the start. Adding it after the counters are built is harder and more expensive.
Buying products that meet HSA rules
The same circular reminds salons that nail care products are cosmetic products under the Health Products Act. Suppliers must notify products to HSA, and products must meet safety requirements. Two examples from the circular:
- Formaldehyde is not allowed as an ingredient in any cosmetic product.
- Toluene is permitted in nail care products only up to a maximum concentration of 25%.
The circular lists penalties for dealing in non-compliant products. These go up to a $50,000 fine and/or two years’ jail for unwholesome products or labelling breaches, and up to $20,000 and/or 12 months for unnotified products. The practical lesson is to buy from established suppliers and check that products are notified with HSA. Be careful with cheap bulk imports bought online. Keep supplier invoices and product details on file.
Hiring nail technicians and work passes
Good technicians build a salon’s regulars, and they often take clients with them when they leave. Plan pay, training and commission carefully. Our guide to salon commission structures covers how to design and track pay fairly.
If you plan to hire foreign technicians on Work Permits, MOM’s services sector requirements (updated September 2026) set the key limits:
| Rule | Services sector position |
|---|---|
| Approved source countries and regions | Malaysia, PRC, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, Taiwan. Non-Traditional Sources only for occupations on MOM’s NTS list. |
| Quota (dependency ratio ceiling) | 35% of the total workforce |
| Monthly levy, basic-skilled | $450 (Tier 1, up to 10%), $600 (Tier 2, above 10% to 25%), $800 (Tier 3, above 25% to 35%) |
MOM’s NTS Occupation List, last updated 1 September 2026, covers cabin attendants, childcare workers, food processing, food services, heavy vehicle drivers, housekeeping and porters, and manufacturing workers. It does not list nail or beauty roles. Confirm with MOM which sources and pass types fit the roles you want to fill before you make offers. Because the quota is a share of your total workforce, local hires also decide how many Work Permit holders you can have.
Building your service menu and pricing
A clear menu speeds up booking and reduces disputes at the counter. Structure it around time, because a technician’s hours are what you sell:
- Core services with fixed durations: classic manicure, gel manicure, pedicure, gel removal.
- Add-ons priced separately: nail art per nail or per set, extensions, repairs, French tips.
- Bundles that fill quiet periods, such as weekday afternoon manicure and pedicure combinations.
Show prices clearly before the service. CCS’s fair trading guidance for the beauty industry says businesses should give clear and accurate information on prices, discounts and promotions before the treatment or service is done. It also says any discounts should be genuine. If nail art is priced by design, show examples with prices so customers are not surprised at payment.
Packages, prepayments and fair trading
Packages bring in cash early and lock in regulars. They also carry most of the risk in the beauty industry. The Consumers Association of Singapore reported 2,113 complaints against the beauty industry in 2025, up 76.2% from 1,199 in 2024, with $2,129,979 in prepayment losses. CASE said about two in five beauty complaints involved prepayment losses from sudden business closures, and about one in five involved unfair practices such as pressure sales and misleading claims.
CCS’s guidance says beauty businesses should not pressure customers into buying, should not promote to consumers who cannot clearly understand or respond, and should not make unsubstantiated claims. For a nail salon, that means:
- written package terms showing sessions, expiry, what happens if the customer moves away, and any transfer rules
- no hard selling during the service
- package balances recorded in your system, visible to the customer on request
Some businesses choose CaseTrust accreditation to signal trust. Under the CaseTrust Spa & Wellness scheme, accredited businesses buy prepayment protection insurance, give a cooling-off period of at least five working days, and follow a “No Selling” policy in the treatment room. Ask CASE whether the scheme fits a nail salon’s service mix. Ask your accountant how to record prepaid packages, including their GST treatment.
Choosing a nail salon booking system and POS
A nail salon booking system needs to handle technician calendars, service durations, add-ons, no-shows and reminders. Our guide to appointment booking systems compares free calendar booking pages, standalone apps and POS-linked booking. Our nail salon POS guide covers the till side: packages, commission and retail products. For a side-by-side view of vendors, see our best salon POS system guide.
ChaChaCha is a POS for Singapore businesses, powered by AppsPOS, and our salon and spa POS page covers services. From our facts list, ChaChaCha covers:
- PayNow, PayLah!, NETS, Visa/Mastercard and GrabPay, with split payments
- e-wallet or stored value, vouchers, points and stamps, birthday rewards and WhatsApp marketing
- a queue system with SMS notifications, which helps walk-in express counters
- staff permissions, reports and Xero integration
For appointment booking, technician calendars, package session tracking and commission rules, ask us to confirm what fits your salon. Get it in writing from every vendor, including us.
Opening checklist
- Settle the concept, service menu and target price points.
- Check the approved use of the unit with URA, and get HDB consent if applicable.
- Confirm with SPF whether any massage add-ons would need a licence.
- Plan ventilation and local exhaust on the layout drawing.
- Choose suppliers whose products are notified with HSA, and keep the paperwork.
- Check MOM work pass rules and quota before you recruit.
- Write package terms and train staff on CCS’s fair trading guidance.
- Set up booking, POS, payments and package tracking, and test them with friends before opening.
