When starting a career as a microblading artist, after completing your training course and gaining a certificate, the next step will be obtaining a license to work legally and preparing your salon for the health inspection.
The health inspection will inspect your place and check if it meets all the requirements in order to issue an establishment license. However, these requirements are different and vary from state to state and even from county to county.
So the question is: how to equip my PMU salon? What do I need to do to meet the health inspection requirements? Can I work from home or do I need to rent a room? Let’s start from the basics.
Can I Do Permanent Makeup From Home?
Not everywhere. In some states, it’s not legal to set up a PMU room at your home. Those states that allow that, such as Texas or Nebraska, have certain rules that you need to follow. It’s up to each state’s department of health and licensing.
The space would have to be inspected and regulated by your local health department. For example, it has to have a separate entrance as well as a separate bathroom and it is usually required to have a sink with hot and cold water in the room.
You can also come across different requirements, such as handicapped access and the requirement of no direct access from the house to the salon on the inside.
In order to make sure whether you can set up a salon at your home, contact your local Health Department and ask about the regulations.
Image source: Pexels
What Licenses Do I Need?
In order to work legally, most states require you to have:
Certification
Completing a course and gaining a certificate is the first step towards a PMU career. Unfortunately, since PMU is still not regulated in most USA states as well as worldwide, a certificate is not mandatory everywhere. However, it’s always better to have a certificate of completion. Clients don’t trust uncertified artists as much.
Learn about all the steps towards obtaining a microblading certification here: Microblading Certification.
A Tattoo License/Body Art License
In most US states you will need this license to practice microblading legally. If you are renting a room, you will need a tattoo license if you work under someone who doesn’t have a tattoo license.
PMU and Microblading license regulations vary by state and even county, so it’s best to contact your local Health Department and get all the information you need.
You can find the list of states and the license requirement here: Microblading Licensing and Regulations by State.
Licenses are not transferable from other states.
As well as…
- A Bloodborne Pathogens certificate
- Insurance
- Establishment license
How Do I Get an Establishment License?
In order to get the establishment license, you will need to have your salon inspected by the Health Department. Every state and even county has different rules regarding what you need to have in your salon when the inspection comes. The best thing to do is to contact them before they pay you a visit and ask for the list of things that are mandatory in a PMU salon.
This way, you will have time to prepare everything and avoid penalties. In some states, you can ask for a preliminary inspection when they would come over, check out your salon and tell you what changes to make.
What Do I Need to Have in My Salon?
For starters, you will need some things every PMU salon has: a chair or bed for a client and a chair for yourself, all the PMU equipment for the treatment you do, pigments, good lighting, etc.
You should bear in mind that there are some rules when choosing the tools and equipment:
- In most states, all the microblading tools need to be disposable. If you have a reusable holder, you have to have an autoclave and use disposable blades.
- Regularly check the expiry date on all the pigments, needles, and all supplies that can expire. Everything needs to be stored properly and labeled.
Image source: Instagram @huemon_beauty
Most Common Health Inspection Requirements
As said above, rules and regulations vary by state and county, but here are some common requirements (always check them with your local Health Department):
- You will need to work in a separate room. No other services must be provided in the same room.
- Your room will need to have a sink, with hot and cold water. Soap and paper towels must be mounted on walls.
- A trash can with a step to open the lid (needs to be hands-free), usually needs to be placed under or near the sink.
- Sharps container with a disposal agreement is a must for disposable equipment. It is required by federal regulations to hire the services of a company that specializes in transporting and properly disposing of hazardous waste.
- No fabrics – which means no carpets, rugs, and curtains. All the surfaces need to be wipeable. Floors do have to be non-porous – wood is fine as long as it’s sealed.
- Disinfectant chemicals to wipe the surfaces, clearly labeled.
- All the licenses should be displayed, the best option is to have them framed on a wall.
- Aftercare instructions that you give to your clients need to be ready to be shown to the inspection.
- Consent forms will be checked as well. They usually ask for physical intake forms to show.
In some areas, health inspection may ask for more things to be displayed, such as an EXIT sign or a fire extinguisher. In other places, they are not so strict – you may not even need to have a sink in the same room!
Conclusion
Health Department requirements are different in different areas of jurisdiction- sometimes they are not very strict, but sometimes they are very detailed. So, again, it is best to contact them directly and ask for the list of requirements or a preliminary inspection to be ready for the official visit.
Cover image source: Pexels
