How do I start my own beauty parlour or barbershop in Thailand, step by step

Here is the short version. Some steps overlap, so start the paperwork early.

1. 01Concept: decide who you serve and what you sell: cuts, colour, nails, a men's barbershop, or a mix.
2. 02Budget: price the equipment, fit-out, licence, rent and 3 to 6 months of reserve.
3. 03Location: check foot traffic, parking, and that the building has a building-use permit.
4. 04Licence and registration: apply to your local authority while the shop is being fitted out.
5. 05Team and tools: hire, write down the pay rule, set up booking, reminders and checkout.
6. 06Launch: open online booking before day one and invite your first clients.

Registering the business and tax

If you run the salon in your own name, a Revenue Department infographic says commercial registration (ทะเบียนพาณิชย์) must be done within 30 days of starting and costs 50 THB. That document names businesses selling goods, not services such as salons, so ask your district office whether it applies to you.

Registering a limited company with the DBD costs 5,000 THB, and an accounting firm's guide notes that a registered company does not also need commercial registration. Plan for two taxes: VAT registration once income passes 1.8 million THB, and signboard tax (ภาษีป้าย) if you put up a sign.

The licence every salon should check

Local by-laws list beauty and hairdressing as a health-hazardous business (กิจการที่เป็นอันตรายต่อสุขภาพ), under the Public Health Act B.E. 2535 (1992). A health office document gives the reason: hairdressing can spread contagious diseases. Businesses regulated under medical-profession law, such as clinics, are outside this list.

The same accounting guide says the licence applies if you do nails or ear cleaning, use sharp tools such as scissors, razors and clippers, or use chemicals for perms and straightening. That covers almost every salon and barbershop.

You apply to the local authority where the shop is, with:

• a copy of your ID card and house registration
• a copy of the lease or title deed
• a copy of the building-use permit
• the company certificate and a power of attorney, where relevant
• any other document your locality requires

Each locality sets its own list and fees, so call yours before you sign a lease. The key figures from the citizen's guide of Phon Ngam subdistrict (Udon Thani):

What you need depends on the size of the shop and on how much you buy new. Recent, reliable figures for a small women's beauty salon are hard to find, so use the numbers below as markers, check their date and get your own quotes.

Monthly costs

• Rent: asking rents on Bangkok listing sites run from about 200 to 600 THB per m² a month for shophouses (October 2026), and much more right next to a BTS station
• Staff: depends on the pay model, see the next section
• Utilities and supplies: electricity for air conditioning and dryers, water and products; ask the landlord for the last tenant's bills
• Licence: a yearly fee set by your locality
• Software: SeeU starts from 990 THB a month, excluding 7% VAT, after a 30-day free trial

SalonX, a salon software vendor, advises keeping 3 to 6 months of rent and stylist pay in reserve before you open. It is advice rather than a measured cost, and it gives you time to build a client base.

One SeeU subscription covers the team calendar, online booking, client files, loyalty points and automatic reminders, plus a point of sale with VAT invoices (Premium).

The start-up costs we could source, with the reliability of each source:

Your stylists are what clients come back for. Hire for skill and for how they treat people, then put the pay rule in writing before the first day.

The usual pay models in salons:

• A fixed monthly salary
• A base salary plus a percentage of each service
• A fixed amount per service, for example per haircut
• Chair rental: the stylist pays you rent and keeps their clients' payments

We found no reliable source for stylist salaries, commission rates or chair rental in Bangkok. Ask owners in your area, and check this year's minimum wage and social security contributions before you sign contracts.

Count commissions without a spreadsheet

In SeeU, each team member has their own account and schedule. You set a commission per service, as a percentage or a fixed amount, it is counted on every sale, and one export at the end of the month goes to payroll.

Here is how both types add up over one day:

A barbershop sells short services, often to clients who walk in without booking, at a lower price per visit. It uses fewer chemicals and less space than a full salon, but its chairs turn over all day.

• Short services: cuts, shaves, beard trims
• Walk-ins and bookings on the same day
• Regular clients, who suit a monthly plan

Clippers and razors count as sharp tools, so the health-hazardous business licence applies just as it does to a salon. For skills, SalonX points to a free online men's hairdresser course of about 150 minutes from TPQI, the national vocational qualification institute.

Walk-ins and monthly plans

Keep walk-ins and online bookings in one calendar, so you see at a glance which chair is free. In SeeU, bookings from the marketplace, Instagram and the front desk land in the same calendar, and reminders go out 24h and 2h before. You can sell a monthly plan, for example one cut a week, and SeeU keeps the count at checkout (Premium).

Barbershop figures published by SalonX in September 2026:

Massage shops and nail salons follow the same six steps, each with its own equipment, pricing and details. We cover them in two dedicated guides: opening a massage shop or spa, and opening a nail salon.

Whatever you open, SeeU is set up for hair salons, barbershops, nail salons, lashes and brows, waxing, and massage and spa.