Lash, Brow and Threading Studio Premises in Ontario: Sinks, Kiosks, Room Rentals and the Lease

By Jatin Dua · Broker of Record, RE/MAX Quantum Realty · Updated 18 October 2026 · 9 min read — what O. Reg. 136/18 asks of a small lash, brow or threading space, mall kiosks, microblading, Toronto and Mississauga licensing, renting a room or chair inside a salon, and the lease.

Looking for lash and brow studio space in Toronto or the GTA? Tell me what you need and I will send you units that fit, with the zoning and the lease checked before you commit.

Are lash, brow and threading services covered by the regulation?

Yes. O. Reg. 136/18 applies to every personal service setting, and Public Health Ontario’s infection-risk summary names threading, waxing, makeup application and microblading among the personal services it covers. The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit’s operator guide lists eyelash extensions and eyebrow and lash tinting and lifts as examples of personal services. Lash and brow work is regulated even though it is low-risk compared with tattooing.

Public Health Ontario notes that threading can cause folliculitis and other skin conditions, and that technique, disposable thread and disinfecting reusable materials reduce that risk. York Region Public Health’s threading fact sheet is more direct: thread is single-use, it must not go in the operator’s mouth, and the scissors used to cut it are reprocessed between clients. Inspectors in the GTA look for exactly these practices, and the premises have to make them possible.

What a small studio must have

Section 8 of the regulation applies whether you have six beds or one chair:

• Surfaces. Floors, walls, ceilings, fixtures and furniture must be smooth, impermeable, easily cleanable and in good repair. In Toronto, Chapter 545 adds that every table or surface a client lies or sits on must have a smooth top of impervious material. A lash bed with a vinyl top passes. Fabric chairs in the waiting area do not.
• Hand-wash sink. At least one, used only for hand washing, within the premises of the setting, conveniently located to the work area, accessible at all times, with hot and cold water under pressure, soap in a dispenser and single-service towels or a hot air dryer.
• Reprocessing sink. If you reuse tweezers, threading scissors or brow tools, section 8(3) requires a second sink. It must immerse your largest reusable item, have counter space, not be in a room with a toilet, and be separated from the service area. Studios that use only single-use tools and buy pre-sterilized tweezers sometimes design around this. Get the inspector’s agreement in writing before you rely on it.
• Lighting and ventilation. Both must be sufficient for safe service. Lash work needs strong, even task lighting, and lash adhesive fumes in a closed room are something to raise with your HVAC contractor.
• Storage and waste. Adequate storage for supplies, and waste receptacles suited to the work. Add a sharps container if you microblade.

Microblading changes the rules

Public Health Ontario says the risk from microblading is expected to be similar to that of tattooing or micropigmentation. Under the regulation, it is an invasive procedure, because it enters intact skin. That triggers:

• an explanation of the procedure and its risks before every service (section 6);
• records of the procedure, the body part, client and provider contact details, dates, and the lot numbers and expiry dates of pre-packaged sterile equipment (section 14(1));
• sterile, single-use sharps from unopened packaging, and a CSA-compliant sharps container close to where the service is provided (section 10);
• secure storage of records at the setting for one year, then two more years kept readily available (section 14(2)).

In Toronto, tattoo, microblading and micropigmentation are a separate licensed service, and the City asks for a certificate of insurance showing $1,000,000 in commercial general liability for it. Chapter 545 sets a five-year retention period for Toronto records, with the first year kept at the premises. If microblading is part of the plan, design a closed treatment room, not an open bench by the window.

Licences and notice before you open

For the full inspection process across Toronto, Peel and York, see personal service setting inspections in Ontario.

Mall kiosks and carts

Threading and brow bars often start as a mall kiosk. The regulation does not ban kiosks, but two parts of section 8 are hard to meet on an open cart:

• The hand-wash sink must be within the premises of the setting and supplied with hot and cold water under pressure. A sink across the concourse in the staff washroom does not count. Ask the mall whether water and drain can be brought to the pad. Some kiosk locations have this, many do not.
• The setting cannot be a room or part of a room used for selling, handling, eating or storing food. A pad inside a food court is a risk you should raise with the inspector before you sign.

Mall licence agreements for kiosks are also usually short and terminable. Check the relocation clause, because a move to a pad without plumbing can turn a compliant setting into a non-compliant one.

Renting a room or chair inside an existing salon

Many lash and brow artists start inside someone else’s salon or spa. It is cheaper and faster, but it is a legal arrangement, not just a handshake. Sort out these points first:

1. Sublease or licence. A sublease gives you possession of a defined room and usually needs the head landlord’s consent. A licence agreement gives you the right to use a chair or room on stated terms. Under section 23 of the Commercial Tenancies Act, a lease clause requiring consent to sublet is read as “not to be unreasonably withheld”, unless the lease expressly says otherwise. Ask to see the host’s head-lease clause.
2. Permitted use. The host’s lease use clause has to cover your service. A hair salon lease that permits only “hair salon and related retail” may not cover lash extensions.
3. Who is the operator. The regulation defines the operator as the person with responsibility for and control over the setting. If you run your own business from the room, ask the health unit and, in Toronto, ML&S whether you need your own notice and licence, or whether the host lists your services.
4. Shared sinks. The hand sink must be accessible at all times. Write your access to the hand sink and reprocessing sink, and their hours, into the agreement.
5. Inspection exposure. If the host’s setting gets a conditional pass or a closure, your clients see that too. Ask for the host’s last inspection results before you move in.
6. Records and storage. You need a secure place for client and invasive-procedure records, which section 14 requires to be stored at the setting.
7. Exit. Notice periods on both sides, what happens if the host sells or is evicted, and who owns improvements you pay for.

Zoning: confirm the use before you sign

In Toronto, Zoning By-law 569-2013 defines a personal service shop as premises used to provide personal grooming services, which is where most lash, brow and threading studios fit. Whether that use is permitted depends on the zone and any exceptions on the site. A wellness centre is a different defined use, so do not let a landlord’s listing call your studio one. The City’s licence page also says zoning approval is not needed if you take over a business whose licence is valid or expired less than three years ago. In Mississauga, the licence application includes a Zoning Certificate of Occupancy, so zoning is checked as part of licensing.

If the space was a dry cleaner, office or store, ask the city whether your fit-out is treated as a change of use. My change of use guide explains when that happens.

The lease clauses that matter for a lash or brow studio

• Permitted use naming lash extensions, lifts, brow shaping, tinting, threading and waxing, plus microblading if you will ever offer it.
• Water and drain. The landlord confirms that hot and cold water and a drain reach the unit or kiosk pad, or pays to bring them in.
• Conditions on zoning, the city licence and the health unit’s review of your layout.
• Exclusive on brow and lash services in the plaza or mall wing. Malls often have several threading operators within a short walk.
• Relocation clause limits. Any relocation must be to a space with water and drain, at the landlord’s cost.
• Short initial term with renewal options. Small studios grow. A three- to five-year term with options protects you without locking you in.
• Assignment and subletting. You should be able to sublet a room to another artist, or assign to a buyer, with consent not unreasonably withheld.
• HVAC in an interior or windowless unit, including who services it and what happens if it fails.

Deal-killers to check on a viewing

• No water inside the unit or on the kiosk pad, and no landlord commitment to bring it in.
• Only one sink, located inside the washroom. It cannot be your reprocessing sink, and a hand sink in the washroom may not be convenient to the work area.
• Carpet, fabric seating or porous millwork you would have to replace.
• A food use sharing the room, or a food court pad.
• For room rentals: no head-landlord consent, or a host whose lease use clause does not cover your services.
• Zoning that does not permit a personal service shop at that address.

Compare the plumbing load with a nail salon, which needs more, and a hair salon, which is exempt from the reprocessing sink. If you are moving into microblading, my tattoo studio premises guide covers the invasive-procedure side in more depth.

Where I fit

I help lash, brow and threading artists across the GTA find small units, kiosks and rooms inside salons that can pass inspection. I check that water reaches the space, confirm zoning, and read the head lease and consent before you commit to a room rental or sign your own lease.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Ontario e-Laws — O. Reg. 136/18, Personal Service Settings (Health Protection and Promotion Act) — premises, sinks, invasive procedures, records, notice
• Public Health Ontario — At a glance: personal services and infection risks — threading, microblading and other services and their infection risks
• Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit — Guide for operating personal service settings — eyelash extensions, tinting and lifts listed as personal services
• York Region Public Health — Waxing, Sugaring and Threading fact sheet — single-use thread, scissors reprocessing
• City of Toronto — Personal Services Settings licence — Toronto licensed services, fees, insurance, zoning takeover rule
• City of Toronto — Municipal Code Chapter 545, Licensing (Article XLIV, Personal Services Settings) — Toronto definition of aesthetics, impervious tables, records retention
• City of Mississauga — Personal services business licence — Mississauga licence scope and requirements
• City of Toronto — Zoning By-law 569-2013, Chapter 800 Definitions — personal service shop and wellness centre definitions
• Ontario e-Laws — Commercial Tenancies Act, s. 23 — consent to sublet not unreasonably withheld

Related reading

• Nail salon premises in Ontario
• Hair salon and barbershop premises
• Tattoo studio premises in Ontario
• Personal service setting inspections
• The commercial lease use clause
• The use clause in a commercial lease