Aesthetic clinic vs beauty salon what needs a medical licence in Dubai

The rule in one paragraph

The DHA Standards for Non-Surgical Cosmetic Procedures (version 2.1, effective February 2025) list each procedure and who may perform it. Beauty and massage therapists may perform a limited number of listed procedures in a salon or other non-clinical setting without medical supervision, except laser hair removal, IPL and microneedling. Everything else on the medical side needs a DHA-licensed facility and a licensed professional with the right privileges. Check the current version before you build the menu.

Who may do what (DHA standard, summarised)

What an aesthetic clinic needs

• A DHA facility licence that covers the services
• At least one full-time or part-time DHA-licensed consultant or specialist dermatologist or plastic surgeon to supervise non-surgical cosmetic procedures
• GP injectors: at least two years of clinical experience before cosmetic training, a recognised in-person training certificate and one year of mentorship under a dermatologist or plastic surgeon
• Nurses and therapists work to a written treatment plan from the treating physician and hold privileges from the clinic's privileging committee
• Procedures under general sedation or anaesthesia only in hospitals or day surgery centres

Risks for owners

• Injectables or medical lasers in a salon are unlicensed medical practice, with fines and closure risk
• A visiting injector does not make a salon a clinic; a facility hosting a visiting physician carries liability for their errors
• Clinic advertising needs prior DHA approval; salon rules come from Dubai Municipality and DET
• Titles matter: a beauty therapist inside a clinic needs a DHA licence under that title

How we help

We hire for both sides of the line: dermatologists, aesthetic doctors, injectors, nurses and laser technicians for clinics, and masters and therapists for salons, each checked for the licence the job needs. If you are moving from salon to clinic, we plan the licensed team and set up CRM. Recruitment fee: one month's salary of the placed employee, 50% when they start and 50% after probation, with a free replacement within 2 months. Consulting and CRM projects are priced after a free review.