§1What this business is

A stand-alone spa in about 1,200 sq ft of rented space with four treatment rooms, two shower rooms, a lounge and a reception with a product display. It offers body and massage therapies drawn from Ayurveda (such as abhyanga and herbal baths), Swedish, Thai and Balinese massage, hot stone and aroma therapy, plus steam and sauna. Treatments last at least 60 minutes. The spa makes no medical claims. Customers are mostly well-off local residents, especially women; memberships and company tie-ups add steady business.

Capacity: 4 spa stations; at most 28.8 customers a day; the profile plans 12 customers a day in year 2 at an average ₹1,500.

§2Is it right for you?

Who it is for

Someone who understands spa therapies, has a flair for design and can market to well-off local residents.

Who it is not for

Someone wanting to make medical or cure claims, or unable to keep strict hygiene and conduct standards.

Advantages

  • Growing interest in wellness and relaxation
  • Small rented space, no heavy machinery
  • Memberships and company tie-ups give repeat business
  • Product sales add income

Drawbacks

  • Success depends on skilled, well-behaved therapists
  • Therapists who leave take customers with them
  • The trade sometimes has a poor image, which brings police checks
  • Location must suit well-off customers — rent is high

Skills you need

  • Judging therapist skill and training them
  • Interior design and ambience
  • Customer service
  • Local marketing and memberships

Why difficulty 3/5: Low equipment cost, but therapist quality, location and a clean reputation decide success.

§3Market

Who buys

  • Well-off local residents, mostly women
  • Employees sponsored by IT, finance, aviation and hospitality companies
  • Kitty-party groups, senior-citizen groups and club members

How it sells

  • Walk-in customers
  • Memberships at a discount
  • Company tie-ups

Good to know

  • The profile cites about 3,000 spas in India with annual business of about ₹4,000 crore.
  • It sees scope in roughly the top 100 cities.

§4Raw material & machinery

ItemQtyCost
Furniture, furnishing and artwork1 lot₹15.00 lakh
Spa tables, tubs and equipment (including steam and sauna)1 lot₹6.00 lakh
Office equipment, drinking water and beverage machine, shower fixtures, music system and fragrances1 lot₹1.00 lakh

From: SIDBI Stand-Up Mitra project profile — Day Spa (2018) — private guide — confirm locally

  • Spa consumables — massage oils, scrubs, packs, towelsabout 15% of spa income in the profile
  • Spa products for retail saleproduct sales assumed at 5% of treatment income, net of cost

From: SIDBI Stand-Up Mitra project profile — Day Spa (2018) — private guide — confirm locally

§5Licences & registration

  1. Shops & Establishment registration
  2. GST registration
  3. Udyam registration
  4. Fire safety clearance
  5. Inform the local police if required (the profile advises this)
  6. Some cities need a separate spa or massage-centre licence from the municipal body or police

We can do this registration for you

§6Schemes & subsidies

At ₹29.00 L the project is above the PMEGP service limit; Stand-Up India fits SC/ST or women founders; the ₹15 L term loan is within MUDRA; CGTMSE covers a loan without collateral.

§7Money

How the investment is worked out: Rent deposit (three months) ₹3.00 L + furniture, furnishing and artwork ₹15.00 L + tables, tubs and spa equipment ₹6.00 L + office equipment, showers, music and fragrances ₹1.00 L + preliminary/pre-operative ₹2.50 L + working-capital margin ₹1.50 L = ₹29.00 L. Term loan ₹15.00 L, the rest equity.

Working capital: Only ₹1.50 L — mainly salaries and spa consumables; no working-capital loan.

Prices from 2018 — machinery and running costs will be higher now.

How to prepare a loan file

§8Export potential

Export council / board: Not applicable

  • A local service; there is no goods export.

§9Risks — where people fail

  • Therapist turnover
  • Hygiene complaints or water and steam system failures
  • Legal or police trouble from the trade's image
  • Too few customers in a poor location

§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan

A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.

  1. Days 1–30: Visit a working day spa unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
  2. Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (Shops & Establishment registration, GST registration), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
  3. Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.

§11Who to connect with

Not verified yet

Associations, clusters and training institutes — the directory is being built. Connect

§12Watch

There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.

Want to start Day Spa?

DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.

Get a DPR / loan file made

Sources

  1. SIDBI Stand-Up Mitra project profile — Day Spa (2018)

Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.