San Clemente / South Orange County
Camino de Los Mares by I-5 has the deepest beauty mix we could verify: Brixmor's Ocean View Plaza lists Image Studios 360, Supercuts, Sport Clips, True Threading, a nail salon, a spray tan studio and a sauna studio, and Plaza By The Sea next door lists Hair Waves and Best Nails. Talega Village Center has Phenix Salon Suites and a nail spa, plus a 1,275 SF suite the owner markets for salon use. The Outlets at San Clemente brings beauty retail (Planet Beauty, with Sephora listed as coming in 2027) and StretchLab. Massage Envy's California location list does not include San Clemente.
Population
63,273
Median HHI
$140,062
Median age
45.6
Homeownership
66.5%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.
Primary retail corridors
Avenida Del Mar · El Camino Real · Avenida Pico · Avenida Vista Hermosa · Avenida Talega
Specific shopping centers in San Clemente that already carry credible co-tenancy for this use. Listed in approximate order of fit.
801 Avenida Talega
Anchors / key tenants: Ralphs
Size: 102,273 SF
Regency Centers-owned community center anchoring the Talega master-planned neighborhood. Ralphs (about 46,000 SF) is the only anchor. Fitness in place via Anytime Fitness and Club Pilates. Food is Peet's Coffee plus independents such as BallPark Pizza, Barnoa Wine Bar, Basanti, Fettuccine Marcello, and Kiann's.
1011 Avenida Pico
Anchors / key tenants: daily-needs and service-oriented mix
Upscale architectural pattern with strong ground-floor visibility. Reads as a polished neighborhood center for service retail and lifestyle.
Avenida Del Mar at El Camino Real
Anchors / key tenants: historic downtown dining and surf/lifestyle retail
The walkable historic core of San Clemente — the city's most popular shops, restaurants, and visitor traffic. Tilts toward chef-driven, surf, and boutique formats. Parking and signage restrictions are part of the city's identity.
Existing operators are the most honest comp for whether a use can support San Clemente rents. These are publicly visible beauty and wellness space businesses currently trading in the market.
Phenix Salon Suites
Talega Village Center, 801 Avenida Talega, Suite 2-102, San Clemente, CA 92673
Salon suites in 4,034 SF per Regency's tenant roster. The same center has Serenity Nail and Spa (2,004 SF) and a 1,275 SF space Regency lists as 'Available (Salon)' (1-105).
Image Studios 360
Ocean View Plaza, 638 Camino de Los Mares, Space 53, San Clemente, CA 92673
Salon studio concept in 4,472 SF per Brixmor's tenant list.
Supercuts
Ocean View Plaza, 638 Camino de Los Mares, Space 67, San Clemente, CA 92673
1,316 SF per Brixmor.
Sport Clips
Ocean View Plaza, 638 Camino de Los Mares, Space 57, San Clemente, CA 92673
1,198 SF per Brixmor.
True Threading
Ocean View Plaza, 638 Camino de Los Mares, Space 07, San Clemente, CA 92673
Brow threading in 900 SF per Brixmor. Other beauty and wellness tenants in the same center include Ocean View Nails (1,208 SF), Itan Sun Spray Spa (2,360 SF) and Perspire Sauna Studio (1,404 SF).
Planet Beauty and StretchLab (Outlets at San Clemente)
101 W Avenida Vista Hermosa, San Clemente, CA 92672
Both listed in the Outlets at San Clemente directory, which also shows Sephora as 'Coming 2027'.
01
Massage permits: Table 17.36.020 requires a Conditional Use Permit for Massage in NC 1.3, NC 2, NC 3 and CC 1 through CC 4, and does not allow it in NC 1.1 or NC 1.2. Table 17.40.030 does not allow standalone massage in any mixed-use zone, which rules out the MU 3.0 downtown core for a massage-first business. Accessory massage (incidental to a salon or spa) needs a Minor CUP in every commercial and mixed-use zone, and Police Services reviews every massage application under Section 17.28.185.C.4.
02
Massage buildout under 17.28.185.D and E: storefront windows must stay transparent during business hours, interior massage rooms cannot have locking doors, each establishment needs a staff washbasin with hot and cold water near the massage area, each shower needs an adjacent 25 sq ft ADA changing area, clients must use a front door facing the street (not one next to a service area or alley), and hours are limited to 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Check a rear-loaded or courtyard suite against these before the LOI.
03
Landlord exposure: 17.28.185.H makes the property owner and property manager sign a notarized statement accepting responsibility for the massage business's conduct, and a license revocation bars any massage establishment in the same suite for two years. If the spa was legally operating by October 20, 2015, a change of ownership, management or tenancy needs a new CUP or Minor CUP under 17.28.185.C.3, and selling at least half of a corporation's shares counts as a change. For a spa approved after that date, ask Planning whether its permit carries over before you buy.
04
Salons, barbers and nail: Barber, beauty, nail and tanning services are permitted by right in every NC, CC and MU zone, but Table 17.64.050 parks them at 1 space per 200 sq ft against 1 per 300 for retail. Second-generation salon space is on the market at Talega Village Center (1-105, 1,275 SF) and Ocean View Plaza (space 14, a former hair salon of 1,548 SF). Ask for the existing plumbing, venting and water heater specs.
05
Tattoo, piercing and permanent makeup: Tattoo Parlors and Body Piercing Studios are permitted in the NC and CC zones, but tattoo parlors need a Minor CUP in MU 2, MU 3.1, MU 3.2, MU 3.3 and MU 5 and face Central Business overlay location review in MU 1 and MU 3.0. Section 17.28.325 defines body art to include permanent cosmetics and requires Orange County Health Department registration before a business license. Get the City Planner's written classification for a microblading or permanent makeup studio. Section 17.28.325.E also keeps a tattoo or piercing studio at least 500 feet from any residential zone or residential use (homes in mixed-use zones do not count), 1,000 feet from another tattoo or piercing studio, 500 feet from schools, churches, parks and libraries, and 250 feet from stores selling alcohol to go, with hours of 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
06
State licensing: the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology requires an establishment license for any premises where a licensed activity is practiced (Business and Professions Code 7346), with a $50 application fee and a certification that the shop meets the Act and regulations before opening. San Clemente goes further than state law on massage: 17.28.185.E.3 requires every person performing massage to hold CAMTC certification and a certified person on site at all times, even though CAMTC describes its certification as voluntary.
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.