Beauty and Wellness Space in Lake Forest

What to diligence before LOI

1. 01

   Personal care zoning: the Land Use Matrix in Section 9.72.090 permits Personal Care Service in the C and UA categories, requires a site development permit in PA and prohibits it in I. Section 9.04.030 defines personal care service as barber shops, beauty salons, nail salons and similar uses plus licensed acupuncturists, and expressly excludes massage establishments.

2. 02

   Massage and wellness zoning: a Massage Establishment needs a use permit in C and UA and is prohibited in I and PA (footnote 15 points to Chapter 5.07). The code's definition of massage reaches acupressure, body wraps, holistic health, hydrotherapy, saunas, sports massage and stress management centers, so a sauna, float or recovery studio should get Planning's classification in writing before signing.

3. 03

   Pending rule changes: the City's Personal Care Businesses & Massage Establishments page describes a proposed ordinance with spacing requirements for new massage businesses from sensitive land uses and existing massage establishments, updated massage operating standards (compliance tentatively fall 2026), and a new annual license under a draft Chapter 5.06 for any barber, beauty, nail or similar personal care business with a private room (existing businesses would apply by July 1, 2027). The draft also requires transparent storefront windows, except for a licensee in a suite of a multi-tenant premises it does not control, which matters for salon suite operators.

4. 04

   Tattoo and body art: the matrix treats Tattoo Studio as its own use, permitted in C and I and prohibited in PA and UA. Massage is the other way around: allowed in UA with a use permit but prohibited in I.

5. 05

   Parking: Section 9.168.070 parks personal care services, massage establishments and tattoo studios at 1 space per 250 sq ft and health studios and spas at 1 per 200 sq ft. In a center of at least 8,000 sq ft with four or more different tenants, the shopping center ratio of 1 per 200 sq ft applies to typical shopping center uses that would otherwise need more.

6. 06

   State licensing and build-out: the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology licenses every establishment where barbering, cosmetology or natural hair styling is practiced (Business and Professions Code 7346). Its application (Form F-BBC-05) carries a $50 fee and a signed certification that the shop meets the Barbering and Cosmetology Act and regulations before opening. Massage therapists can hold voluntary statewide CAMTC certification, but CAMTC says the establishment itself is regulated by the city. The 2025 California Building Code lists barber and beauty shops as Group B (Section 304.1) while retail stores are Group M, so converting a store to a salon is a change of occupancy.