Laguna Beach / Coastal Orange County
The wellness businesses we could confirm are all on South Coast Highway: Aquaterra Spa at Surf & Sand (1555), and farther south on the 30800 block, Hand & Stone (30836) and Spa Montage (30801). Visit Laguna Beach's HIP District page also points visitors to the district's spas and massage businesses, and of the four commercial zones we read, South Laguna Village Commercial is the one that names day spas and nail salons as permitted uses. Hair and beauty salons (the code's personal service shops) are permitted by right in all four, while massage needs a Planning Commission CUP in the C-1 district, so a salon has more location choices than a massage-led concept.
Population
22,710
Median HHI
$143,843
Median age
53.9
Homeownership
66.1%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.
Primary retail corridors
Pacific Coast Highway · Forest Avenue · Broadway Street · Laguna Canyon Road · Glenneyre Street
Specific shopping centers in Laguna Beach that already carry credible co-tenancy for this use. Listed in approximate order of fit.
South Coast Highway between Thalia Street and Diamond Street
Anchors / key tenants: art galleries, independent dining, coffee, boutiques
Just-under-one-mile strip with 26 art galleries, 17 restaurants, and several independent coffee shops with outdoor seating. The artisan-and-gallery node of Laguna retail. Tenants include Stephanos jewelry.
South Pacific Coast Highway, South Laguna
Anchors / key tenants: small-format coastal retail and dining
Spread-out small-format coastal retail running south toward Dana Point border. Lower foot traffic, higher PCH drive-by visibility.
Forest Avenue at North Coast Highway
Anchors / key tenants: walkable historic downtown art, dining, and boutique retail
The cultural and visitor core. Art galleries, chef-driven restaurants, surf/lifestyle, and specialty boutiques cluster on Forest, Ocean, and the lower blocks of North Coast Highway. Strong year-round visitor traffic and an affluent local resident base.
Existing operators are the most honest comp for whether a use can support Laguna Beach rents. These are publicly visible beauty and wellness space businesses currently trading in the market.
Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa, Laguna Beach
30836 South Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, CA 92651
The only national massage and facial franchise we confirmed in the city, from the brand's own location page.
Spa Montage Laguna Beach
30801 South Coast Highway, Laguna Beach
Resort spa at Montage Laguna Beach; the hotel's page describes a 20,000 sq ft spa with steam rooms, saunas, a fitness center, a movement studio and a lap pool.
Aquaterra Spa at Surf & Sand Resort
1555 S Coast Hwy, Laguna Beach
Resort spa with eight treatment rooms plus an ocean-view couples room, and yoga classes, per the resort's own page.
01
Salon uses are permitted by right in all four commercial zones: barbershops and beauty parlors in C-1 (Sec. 25.20.004(A)(2), inside an enclosed building), personal service shops in C-N (Sec. 25.19.002(U)) and in the Local Business-Professional zone (Sec. 25.18.002(A)), and barber shops, beauty salons, day spas and nail salons in South Laguna Village Commercial (Sec. 25.25.002(D)). In C-N and South Laguna Village, the Planning Commission weighs the existing balance of resident-serving uses when it reviews any CUP, so an add-on use such as a health club needs to show it serves locals.
02
Massage establishments are listed only in the C-1 district, where they need a CUP (Sec. 25.20.006(K)), and the Planning Commission reviews every CUP (Sec. 25.05.030(E)). The other commercial zones do not name massage, so ask Planning in writing how a massage-led or med spa concept would be classified at your address before signing.
03
Parking: Sec. 25.52.012(G) requires the greater of 1 space per 1.5 chairs or 1 per 250 sq ft for a hair salon or barbershop, and 1 per 250 sq ft for nail salons, tanning, massage and similar personal services. A ten-chair salon in 1,200 sq ft works out to about 7 spaces by chairs versus about 5 by area, so the chair count controls. If the new use needs more parking than the last one, the gap must be built or covered with in-lieu certificates, capped at three per site without a parking study and at 50 percent of the requirement, with a coastal development permit (Secs. 25.52.004(E) and 25.52.006(E)). South Laguna Village allows a reduction of one space for a salon that mainly serves local residents (Sec. 25.25.008(G)(3)).
04
State licensing: every hair, nail or skin care establishment needs its own Board of Barbering and Cosmetology establishment license ($50 application, $40 renewal). A new owner of an existing salon, or an owner moving to a new suite, must have an Establishment Closure form filed for the old license, so the license does not transfer with the lease.
05
Massage staff: CAMTC certification is voluntary under state law, CAMTC does not regulate massage establishments (cities and counties do), and each certified therapist must display the original certificate at every place they work.
06
Storefront and signs: C-1 buildings and improvements are subject to design review (Sec. 25.20.008(B)), and the Planning Commission hears design review for non-residential development and for every project in the Downtown Specific Plan area (Sec. 25.05.040(F)(1)(b)). Allow for that hearing in the schedule if the build-out changes the facade or signs.
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.