New Haven, CT Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)

New Haven Code of Ordinances § 17-172(28) defines salon to include any shop, store, day spa or other commercial establishment providing barber services under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 20-234, hairdresser or cosmetologist services under § 20-250, nail technician services under § 19a-231, or the services of a massage therapist, as defined in chapter 384a of the Connecticut General Statutes. That folds massage establishments into the same licensing scheme as barbershops and nail salons rather than giving massage its own separate chapter.

Section 17-173(a) makes it unlawful to operate or maintain a salon, including a massage therapy establishment, without a license from the director of health; licenses run for one year, renewing each May 1, and are not transferable between owners or locations. The annual license fee is $150 under § 17-173(b), and the licensee must additionally pay a $250 fee for each required inspection under § 17-173(c). Before a massage therapy establishment can open, relocate, or undergo extensive remodeling, § 17-174(a)-(c) requires the operator to submit layout and equipment plans for the health department's approval and to pass a pre-operational inspection confirming the finished space matches those approved plans.

Once operating, § 17-175(a)-(b) subjects the establishment to inspection at license application, at annual renewal, and any time a public complaint is filed, during normal business hours; the ordinance's sanitary standards require personal protective equipment such as disposable gloves, immediate disposal of single-use items that contact a customer's skin, hospital-grade cleaning of equipment and work surfaces, dedicated handwashing sinks, hot and cold water at required temperatures, and a bar on serving any client with a visibly contagious skin condition or open wound. Section 17-175(c) lets the health director order corrections on a set timeline for any sanitary violation found on inspection, and revoke or suspend the license if the operator fails to fix it.