Costa Mesa / Central Orange County
East 17th Street is where the service-beauty tenants we confirmed sit: European Wax Center (283 E 17th, Suite B), StretchLab and 17th Street Beauty in DMP Properties' Mesa Center East, and Sport Clips, Sharkey's Cuts for Kids and the Saunatica sauna studio down the street at 17th Street CVS & Shops (171 to 179 E 17th). South Coast Plaza is the prestige beauty-retail setting, with two Sephora stores, Dior Beauty and MAC Cosmetics in its directory and Mitra's Complete Beauty Care in South Coast Plaza Village. Barber and beauty shops are permitted in every commercial zone except AP, and massage is permitted in all of them subject to the city's massage article, so check the parking math in Table 13-89 early.
Population
110,330
Median HHI
$111,505
Median age
36.7
Homeownership
39.6%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.
Primary retail corridors
Harbor Boulevard · Bristol Street · 17th Street · Newport Boulevard · Sunflower Avenue
Specific shopping centers in Costa Mesa that already carry credible co-tenancy for this use. Listed in approximate order of fit.
3333 Bristol Street
Anchors / key tenants: Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Nordstrom
Size: 2,700,000 SF
Global luxury shopping destination — 250+ boutiques, including Dior Beauty's largest West Coast flagship (May 2025). Adjacent to Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Recent leasing momentum with 21 new tenants signed. Restaurant mix includes Din Tai Fung. Brand and credit bar is highest in OC.
17th Street, eastside Costa Mesa
Anchors / key tenants: independent boutiques, dining, and specialty retail
Walkable eastside Costa Mesa shopping corridor. Tenants include Sidecar Doughnuts and Coffee, Garduno's Italian, Almond Surfboards, Erin Cole bridal, and No Rest for Bridget. Strong neighborhood-and-Newport crossover.
2930 Bristol Street
Anchors / key tenants: independent retail and art markets
Across Bristol from The CAMP. Sister project: indie retailers, weekend art markets, and a defiantly non-mall identity. Better for first-unit creative concepts than national chains.
Existing operators are the most honest comp for whether a use can support Costa Mesa rents. These are publicly visible beauty and wellness space businesses currently trading in the market.
European Wax Center Costa Mesa
283 E 17th Street, Suite B, Costa Mesa, CA 92627
Per European Wax Center's own locator (center 0138). DMP Properties lists it in Mesa Center East (277 to 291 E 17th Street), a Target-anchored center that also has StretchLab and 17th Street Beauty.
Sport Clips
17th Street CVS & Shops, 171 to 179 E 17th Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92627
Listed by the owner, DMP Properties, as a tenant of this roughly 77,000 SF center anchored by CVS Pharmacy, Baja Fish Tacos and Vons (NAP). Suite number not confirmed.
Sharkey's Cuts for Kids
17th Street CVS & Shops, 171 to 179 E 17th Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92627
Children's hair salon listed by DMP Properties in the same center.
Saunatica
17th Street CVS & Shops, 171 to 179 E 17th Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92627
DMP Properties calls it 'Costa Mesa's newest sauna experience'. A useful example of a wellness user in a grocery-adjacent strip.
StretchLab
Mesa Center East, 277 to 291 E 17th Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92627
Assisted-stretch studio listed by DMP Properties at Mesa Center East. Suite number not confirmed.
Sephora (two stores)
South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bristol Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92626 (Level 1 Bloomingdale's Wing and Level 2 Crate & Barrel Wing)
Both listed in the center's beauty directory, along with Dior Beauty, MAC Cosmetics, Kiehl's, Guerlain, Jo Malone London and Bath & Body Works.
Mitra's Complete Beauty Care
South Coast Plaza Village, South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
The one beauty-service tenant in South Coast Plaza's beauty directory; located in South Coast Plaza Village rather than the main mall.
01
Salon zoning: Table 13-30 row 54, 'Barber and beauty shops with accessory uses such as permanent make up, facials, and accessory massage', is permitted in CL, C1, C2, C1-S, TC and PDC but prohibited in AP. A salon cannot go into an AP-zoned office building even though medical and dental offices are permitted there.
02
Massage: rows 42 ('Acupressure; massage') and 94 ('Massage') are permitted in AP, CL, C1, C2, C1-S, TC and PDC, but footnote 2 makes them subject to Title 9, Chapter II, Article 22 (Massage Establishments and Practitioners). Confirm the establishment permit requirements under Article 22 with the city before signing. CAMTC certification is voluntary for therapists, but its original certificates must be displayed at each workplace, and CAMTC itself says it does not regulate massage establishments (cities and counties do).
03
Tattoo and body art: 'Tattoo parlors' (row 144) need a conditional use permit in C1, C2 and C1-S and are prohibited in AP, CL and TC. Permanent makeup as an accessory service falls under the row 54 salon use, so describe your service mix carefully in the business license and planning application.
04
Parking: Table 13-89 puts 'Medical and dental offices; acupressure; massage' at 6 spaces per 1,000 sq ft (minimum 6) and 'Health clubs; spas; figure salons' at 10 per 1,000, against 4 per 1,000 for retail. Beauty and barber shops have no row of their own, so under Section 13-90 the Planning Division assigns the most comparable rate. For a 1,500 sq ft suite that is the difference between 6 and 15 spaces.
05
Wellness studios: 'Physical fitness facilities' (row 124) need a conditional use permit in C1, C2, C1-S and TC. Ask Planning early whether a stretch, sauna or recovery concept will be treated as a fitness facility, a spa or a personal service, since that decides both the permit and the parking rate.
06
State build-out: the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology requires an establishment license (Form 1020, $50 application fee, $40 renewal), and the owner certifies the shop meets the Act and regulations before opening. 16 CCR 995 requires ventilation per CBC Section 1203, hot and cold running water, potable drinking water, hand washing facilities and public toilet rooms per the California Plumbing Code. If you buy an existing salon or move one, the prior license is closed and a new application filed, so budget time for that.
Zoning, licensing, and demographic figures on this page come from the public records below. Codes and licenses change, so confirm with the city and the licensing agency before you sign.