Beauty parlour

About the business

Haircuts, colour, facials, threading, waxing and bridal or party makeovers. This is the most asked-about women-run business in Bangladesh, and there are two quite different ways into it. One is to work out of a room at home, with no rent and no signboard, taking customers who come through people you know. The other is to rent a shop in the market, which means advance, deposit, fitout, staff and a trade licence. The capital needed is worlds apart, so that choice comes first. Prices vary by area. On the service platform Sheba.xyz in Dhaka on 16 September 2026, an at-home facial started at Tk 820, a casual party makeover ran Tk 2,350 to Tk 2,950, and a luxury makeover Tk 6,225. A neighbourhood parlour charges much less; a well-known salon charges far more for a bridal package. Training is not a legal requirement but there is no way around it: a Ministry of Women and Children Affairs project gives women six months of skills training with a Tk 150 daily allowance, with class eight as the minimum qualification. The thing to understand about this business is that the income does not arrive evenly. The big money comes on wedding season dates and in the days around Eid, and the chairs sit empty the rest of the time.

Unit economics

What you need to start

• A large mirror and chair, a wash basin, hair dryer and straightener, steamer, cosmetics trolley, towels and aprons, and a way to sterilise tools. Prices could not be verified in this research.Equipment
• Cosmetics, hair colour, bleach, wax and facial materials, all bought up front and all with expiry dates. When they expire the money is simply gone.Starting stock
• VAT registration: beauty parlour services are taxed. On 20 March 2022 the NBR chairman publicly rejected a proposal to cut parlour VAT, saying that VAT is paid by the consumer and only passed on by the business. The rate itself could not be verified in this research.Licence
• Trade licence from the city corporation or municipality: form Tk 10, licence book Tk 50, standard tax Tk 30, stamp Tk 150-300, licence fee Tk 100-60,000 by trade type. Issued in 3-5 working days.Licence
• Training: a Ministry of Women and Children Affairs project gives women six months of skills training with a Tk 150 daily allowance and class eight as the minimum qualification. Private salon academies also run courses, but their fees could not be verified here.Skill
• Cosmetics wholesalers and brand distributors. Counterfeit and expired product is common in the market, so the source matters.Supplier
• Two paths: a room at home, with no rent or advance but few walk-ins, or a shop in the market with advance, monthly rent and fitout. Even in the government project, equipment is provided but the operator arranges the space.Workspace

How the work is done

1. 1Learn the work first. It cannot be done without training, and word of a bad job takes less than a day to travel the neighbourhood.
2. 2Ask about government training. A Ministry of Women and Children Affairs project runs six-month courses with a Tk 150 daily allowance and class eight as the minimum qualification.
3. 3Decide between home and shop. At home there is no rent or advance but few new customers walk in; a shop brings walk-ins but the rent falls due every month.
4. 4If you take a shop, get the trade licence from the city corporation or municipality with beauty parlour named as the service.
5. 5Find a wholesale source for cosmetics and buy by the expiry date. Using out-of-date product damages skin and destroys your name.
6. 6Put a written price list on the wall. Haggling over price eats working time and irritates regular customers.
7. 7Keep a book of customer names and phone numbers. The income rests on repeat customers, and they are the ones to call first in the wedding season.
8. 8Set separate bridal packages and an advance booking rule. When two weddings fall on the same date and there is no rule, both jobs go badly.
9. 9Set aside part of the season's takings for the empty months. The big money comes on wedding dates and around Eid, and the chairs sit empty in between.
10. 10If you hire, settle how the money is shared as well as teaching the work. A trained hand opening a parlour next door is a very ordinary event in this trade.

Sources

• সিটি কর্পোরেশন থেকে ট্রেড লাইসেন্স প্রাপ্তির ধাপ সমূহ

  Collected: 16 Sept 2026

  Supports: Starting capital, Time to first revenue · বাংলাদেশ

What changed

No corrections have been published yet.

Questions and answers

No questions yet. Be the first to ask.