How to Start an Aesthetic Business in London, Ontario: Licence, Health Unit, Market Data

Planning to open a med spa, a laser clinic, a skin and esthetics studio or a laser hair removal or tattoo removal business in London? This guide is written for owners and founders. London grew by a tenth in five years and has a large medical community. That combination means demand from a growing, working-age population and a referral environment that already understands treatment-based care. This guide takes you through London’s clients and competition, the platforms to start with, a realistic budget, and then the City licence, the Middlesex-London Health Unit’s opening steps and Ontario’s laser and workplace rules.

Is London, Ontario a good place to start an aesthetic business?

London added residents quickly between censuses, reaching 422,324 in 2021, a 10% rise from 2016, with a median age of 38.8. To open, you need a City Personal Services Business licence, a Notice of Intent to the Middlesex-London Health Unit at least 14 days ahead, and Health Canada-licensed devices for laser work.

Each figure and rule here links to the office that publishes it. Where an official number does not exist, the guide explains how to find the answer yourself.

Who are London’s potential clients?

The figures come from the 2021 Census Profile for the City of London and Statistics Canada’s population and dwelling counts. The census counted people on May 11, 2021; income figures describe 2020.

How to read this for planning (guidance, not a forecast):

• Growth brings new clients. A 10% rise in five years means a steady stream of residents who have not yet chosen a provider. Visibility and online booking matter more here than in a static market.
• A young core. Nearly 23% of residents are 20 to 34, the group that often starts with hair removal or removes a tattoo it no longer wants. Price a course of treatments clearly; this audience compares online.
• A mid-life base too. About a quarter are 35 to 54, where pigment, redness and texture services usually build loyal, repeat clients.
• Mixed skin types. With close to three in ten residents identifying as a visible minority, plan wavelengths and protocols that work across the full range of skin tones, and train for that range before launch.
• Make the price of a course easy to say yes to. With a median household income of $76,500, packages, memberships and patient financing options can make a full course of treatment easier to commit to.

How many personal-care businesses are already in London?

From Statistics Canada’s Canadian Business Counts, June 2026 (table 33-10-1176-01, locations with employees, City of London):

NAICS 8121, personal care services, groups hair care, esthetic services and other personal care services such as depilatory salons and day spas. It does not count laser clinics as such; no Statistics Canada series does. The counts are statistical locations of businesses with employees, so solo operators are missing and a chain’s branches each count separately. Statistics Canada also cautions against treating these releases as a time series.

One pattern stands out: the City has more than four times as many physician-office locations (1,072) as personal-care locations (246). For a physician- or nurse-led medical spa, that points to a deep pool of professional colleagues and possible referral relationships. For an esthetics-led studio, it is a reminder that some clients will compare your service with medically run clinics, so documentation and training should be visible.

To map real competitors, search maps and booking sites for “laser hair removal”, “tattoo removal”, “med spa” and “laser clinic” around each location you are considering. Record each provider’s services, devices, published prices and reviews. Repeat for two or three trade areas before choosing one.

Which lasers should a London clinic buy?

Federal law sets the first filter. Section 26 of the Medical Devices Regulations prohibits importing or selling a Class II, III or IV medical device unless its manufacturer holds a licence for it, and Health Canada’s laser hair removal safety guidelines tell laser hair removal facilities to buy only actively licensed devices. Check each shortlisted system in MDALL by name and licence number, using our MDL verification walkthrough. Then compare suppliers on training, warranty length and coverage, service response and financing terms.

For a London practice weighing a growing young market against an established mid-life client base, Pro 1 Laser offers these platforms manufacturer-direct, each with clinical training included and an 18-month warranty:

One sequence to consider: start with a hair removal platform and add a picosecond system once demand for pigment and tattoo work is proven. Payments vary by configuration and term; see financing.

What should you budget to open in London?

There is no official figure for what a London aesthetic business costs to start, so price your own plan. These are the costs this guide can confirm:

• City licence — the 2026 Personal Services Business fee is $217. Every licence expires on March 31 and fees are not prorated, so an opening date just before March means paying again within weeks.
• Permits and fit-out — any building or change-of-use permit, potable hot and cold running water, waste receptacles and a sharps container where sharps are used, plus a laser room with signage and wavelength-matched eyewear.
• Training — the health unit’s Personal Service Settings e-learning course is free; clinical device training comes with each Pro 1 Laser platform.
• Equipment — lease-to-own on approved credit, from $499/month (DPL Elite) to $999/month (Pro 1 Pico); see the table above.
• Insurance — quote the cover your insurer requires for laser services before you sign anything.
• Rent, staff and marketing — set by the trade area you choose.

Set those costs against the revenue each platform can produce. The ROI calculators let you enter treatment volume, prices and lease payments: DioLase Titanium, Pro 1 Pico, DPL Elite and Alexa CO₂. See the financing page for current programs.

What business licence does London require?

London licenses this kind of business as a Personal Services Business under Schedule 13 of Business Licensing By-law L.-131-16. The schedule defines personal services as any service where substances, instruments, tools or other equipment are applied to the body “for purposes of aesthetic, cosmetic or therapeutic treatment” where there is a risk of blood exposure or a public health risk, and its list of examples includes hair removal, tattooing and micropigmentation. Section 2.1 says the schedule does not apply to a member of a regulated health profession who provides medical or therapeutic treatment.

From the City’s business licences page (checked October 12, 2026):

• The 2026 fee for a Personal Services Business is $217.
• Before signing a lease or buying property, contact a zoning business coordinator at the City’s Business Hub to confirm your use is permitted under Zoning By-law Z.-1.
• The City recommends checking with Building (for a building or change-of-use permit) and Fire Prevention before you apply.
• An application is valid for 90 days, so apply no earlier than 90 days before opening.
• After zoning approval, the City contacts you to book the required inspections.
• Every licence expires on March 31 of the year after issue, and fees are not prorated.

The March 31 expiry is worth planning around: a business that opens in February pays a full year’s fee for a licence that expires a few weeks later.

Our licensing and local health directory for Canada’s 100 largest municipalities lists London’s licence office and health unit alongside other cities, which helps if you plan a second location.

What does the Middlesex-London Health Unit require?

The Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) applies Ontario’s personal service settings regulation, O. Reg. 136/18, in London. Its personal service operators page says that before opening, relocating or renovating, you must complete its online Notice of Intent to Operate or Alter a Personal Service Setting at least 14 days before the planned date, and call the health unit to review requirements and arrange an inspection before opening. Inspectors then visit at least once a year, checking hygiene, cleaning and disinfection of tools, sterilization and facility maintenance.

The health unit’s opening checklist adds practical detail that is easy to miss:

• Confirm zoning, by-law, licence and inspection requirements with the City first, and make sure a lease states who maintains the structure.
• Provide a constant supply of potable hot and cold running water under pressure. A home-based setting cannot be in a room used as part of a dwelling, and screens or curtains do not count as a partition.
• Complete the free online Personal Service Settings e-learning course run by the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (modules 1 to 4 required) and send the certificate to your inspector.
• Equip the setting with waste receptacles, including a sharps container that meets CSA standards where sharps are used.

Under the regulation itself, notice is also due before you add a service (s.3(3)) or renovate in a way that halts services (s.3(4)), client contact details must be recorded before any service (s.5), and process records are kept on site for a year and retained for two more (s.14(2)). One exception matters for medical spas: s.2(2)(d) excludes settings where services are primarily delivered by a regulated health professional practising that profession. Ask MLHU early how your staffing will be classified.

Who may perform laser treatments in Ontario?

Ontario restricts a set of “controlled acts” to regulated professionals, including applying a prescribed form of energy (Regulated Health Professions Act, s.27(2), item 7). The regulation that names those energies, O. Reg. 107/96, covers electricity for listed procedures, magnetic resonance imaging, and diagnostic ultrasound or lithotripsy. Lasers are absent, so cosmetic laser treatment is not a controlled act.

For a London owner, that means:

• Trained estheticians and laser technicians can deliver hair removal, tattoo removal and skin treatments in a licensed, inspected setting. Ontario has no provincial laser operator licence, so your own training records and insurer’s requirements carry that weight.
• Injectables and other medical procedures belong to regulated professions; check scope and supervision with the relevant college before adding them.
• For physician-run premises, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario’s Out-of-Hospital Premises program names laser skin resurfacing among minor cosmetic procedures it does not cover.

What laser-safety duties apply to a London employer?

Ontario has no laser-specific workplace regulation, a point the province states plainly on its laser safety in the workplace page. The general duty in the Occupational Health and Safety Act, s.25(2)(h), to take every reasonable precaution for workers still applies. The same provincial page says a supervisor you appoint for Class 3B or 4 lasers must be competent, and it points employers to CSA Z386 and the ANSI Z136 series for guidance.

CSA Z386:20 sets out engineering, administrative and protective-equipment controls for health-care laser use, includes cosmetic and aesthetic facilities in its scope, and describes a laser safety officer role; CSA now lists Z7001:24 as its successor. Health Canada’s laser hair removal safety guidelines cover trained operators, a controlled treatment area, eyewear matched to the wavelength and record keeping. Our laser safety requirements guide turns those into a room and records setup.

What does a London treatment space need?

The table draws only on the sources above. Inspectors may ask for more.

London opening checklist

Suggested timing, except where a rule sets a minimum.

1. Five to six months ahead: choose your model and menu; map competitors in two or three trade areas.
2. Before any lease: confirm permitted use with the Business Hub; ask MLHU how your staffing model will be treated.
3. Four months ahead: register or incorporate; shortlist devices and check each in MDALL; arrange financing.
4. During fit-out: confirm building and fire requirements; build the laser room, signage and storage; complete the PSS e-learning course.
5. Six to eight weeks ahead: take delivery, train the team, and finish consent forms, aftercare sheets and safety procedures.
6. No more than 90 days before opening: file the City licence application.
7. At least 14 days before opening (legal minimum): submit MLHU’s Notice of Intent and book the pre-opening inspection.
8. Every year: renew the licence before March 31 and give 14 days’ notice before adding services.

Build for London’s growth

London’s growth gives a new aesthetic business room to win clients who have not settled on a provider. Confirm your zoning early, file the health unit notice on time, verify every device licence yourself, and laser services can carry the business from its first year.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Requirements change; confirm them with the City of London and the Middlesex-London Health Unit before you sign a lease. Sources were checked on October 11–12, 2026.