Licensing planning guide

Illinois med spa
licensing guide.

Professional ownership and separate salon registration.

Prepared by Prospyr · Sources checked September 15, 2026

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What to know in Illinois

Start with these state-specific findings, then use the checklist below to review the rest of your practice. The linked authorities explain the conditions and exceptions behind each point.

01

Professional entities have ownership restrictions

The joint memo describes physician-owned practices and APRN-owned practices for some services, with different permitted professional entity forms. It also identifies IDFPR professional-entity registration in addition to Secretary of State filings.

Source: IDFPR and IDPH: Medical Spa Services memorandum, October 30, 2025
02

A salon registration cannot operate a medical spa

The memo separates medical services from cosmetology and esthetics. It also distinguishes ablative and non-ablative laser supervision, with a specific non-ablative examination pathway effective in 2025; avoid a single supervision rule for every device.

Source: IDFPR and IDPH: Medical Spa Services memorandum, October 30, 2025

Your next steps

  1. Review the planned owners, officers, entity form and services against the memo’s ownership section.
  2. Document which entity provides each medical or esthetics service and obtain the relevant professional-entity or salon registrations.

Questions to resolve before opening

  • Does this service fit the authority of the physician or APRN-owned entity being formed?
  • Which current laser examination and supervision pathway applies to this specific device and performer?

Bring your actual ownership chart, service menu, devices and staff credentials to the relevant board or healthcare counsel. The same answer may not apply to a different procedure or business model.

A practical licensing checklist

These planning steps complement the Illinois highlights. They are a workflow for investigation, not a claim that every listed permit applies to every practice.

01

Ownership & clinical control

Identify the owners of the clinical entity, who employs clinicians, who controls medical decisions and how management fees are paid. Ask healthcare counsel to confirm the entity and any professional-ownership or fee-splitting limits before signing agreements.

02

People & procedures

List the person who evaluates, prescribes, performs and supervises each treatment. Verify the actual professional license, restrictions, procedure training and required agreements. A course certificate alone does not establish a legal scope of practice.

03

Premises, devices & products

Check clinic or establishment licensing, local zoning and occupancy, device registration, drug purchasing and storage, and any laboratory or body-art services. Adding a procedure or location can change the applicable requirements.

04

Patient care & opening file

Document consent, assessment, treatment orders, emergency escalation, infection prevention and record access. Assign an owner to every unresolved question and keep the authority supporting the final decision.

Official sources & scope

A source-based planning guide for practice owners, not legal advice or a license approval. The state highlights cover the issues identified below; the workbook helps you resolve additional ownership, scope and facility questions with the relevant boards and qualified counsel. Requirements depend on your services, staff and business structure.

No attorney review is claimed. Report an update.

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