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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>81123</law_id><section_number>54.1-700</section_number><catch_line>Definitions</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>63.2-621</reference><reference>8.01-42.6</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="54.1">Professions and Occupations</unit><unit label="subtitle" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="II">Professions and Occupations Regulated by the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation and Boards Within the Department</unit><unit label="chapter" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="7">Barbers and Cosmetologists</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:
		&#x201C;Barber&#x201D; means any person who shaves, shapes or trims the beard; cuts, singes, or dyes the hair or applies lotions thereto; applies, treats or massages the face, neck or scalp with oils, creams, lotions, cosmetics, antiseptics, powders, clays or other preparations in connection with shaving, cutting or trimming the hair or beard, and practices <span class="dictionary">barbering</span> for compensation and when such services are not performed for the treatment of disease.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Barbering</span>&#x201D; means any one or any combination of the following acts, when done on the human body for compensation and not for the treatment of disease, shaving, shaping and trimming the beard; cutting, singeing, or dyeing the hair or applying lotions thereto; applications, treatment or massages of the face, neck or scalp with oils, creams, lotions, cosmetics, antiseptics, powders, clays, or other preparations in connection with shaving, cutting or trimming the hair or a beard. The term &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">barbering</span>&#x201D; shall not apply to the acts described hereinabove when performed by any person in his home if such service is not offered to the public.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Barber instructor</span>&#x201D; means any person who has been certified by the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> as having completed an approved curriculum and who meets the competency standards of the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> as an instructor of <span class="dictionary">barbering</span>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Barbershop</span>&#x201D; means any establishment or place of business within which the practice of <span class="dictionary">barbering</span> is engaged in or carried on by one or more <span class="dictionary">barbers</span>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Board</span>&#x201D; means the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> for <span class="dictionary">Barbers</span> and Cosmetology.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Body-piercer</span>&#x201D; means any person who for remuneration penetrates the skin of a person to make a hole, mark, or scar, generally permanent in nature.
		&#x201C;Body-piercing&#x201D; means the act of penetrating the skin of a person to make a hole, mark, or scar, generally permanent in nature.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Body-piercing salon</span>&#x201D; means any place in which a fee is charged for the act of penetrating the skin of a person to make a hole, mark, or scar, generally permanent in nature.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Body-piercing school</span>&#x201D; means a place or establishment licensed by the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> to accept and train students in body-piercing.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Cosmetologist</span>&#x201D; means any person who administers hair removal treatments; administers basic facial treatments to enhance or improve the <span class="dictionary">appearance</span> and care of the skin using lotions, oils, cleansers, or other preparations by manual practices only; manicures or pedicures the nails of any person; arranges, dresses, curls, waves, cuts, shapes, singes, waxes, tweezes, trims, bleaches, colors, relaxes, straightens, or performs similar work, upon human hair, or a wig or hairpiece, by any means, including hands or mechanical or electrical apparatus or appliances unless such acts as adjusting, combing, or brushing prestyled wigs or hairpieces do not alter the prestyled nature of the wig or hairpiece, and practices cosmetology for compensation. The term &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">cosmetologist</span>&#x201D; does not include hair braiding upon human hair or a wig or hairpiece.
		&#x201C;Cosmetology&#x201D; includes the following practices: administering hair removal treatments; administering basic cleansing facial treatments to enhance or improve the <span class="dictionary">appearance</span> and care of the skin, which only includes a cleanse, tone, and application of a mask or moisturizer; manicuring or pedicuring the nails of any person; arranging, dressing, curling, waving, cutting, shaping, singeing, waxing, tweezing, trimming, bleaching, coloring, relaxing, straightening, or similar work, upon human hair, or a wig or hairpiece, by any means, including hands or mechanical or electrical apparatus or appliances, but shall not include hair braiding upon human hair, or a wig or hairpiece, or such acts as adjusting, combing, or brushing prestyled wigs or hairpieces when such acts do not alter the prestyled nature of the wig or hairpiece.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Cosmetology instructor</span>&#x201D; means a person who has been certified by the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> as having completed an approved curriculum and who meets the competency standards of the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> as an instructor of cosmetology.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Cosmetology salon</span>&#x201D; means any commercial establishment, residence, vehicle or other establishment, place or event wherein cosmetology is offered or practiced on a regular basis for compensation and may include the training of apprentices under regulations of the <span class="dictionary">Board</span>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Ear-piercer</span>&#x201D; means any person who for remuneration penetrates the ear of a person to make a hole, mark, or scar, generally permanent in nature.
		&#x201C;Ear-piercing&#x201D; means the act of penetrating the ear of a person to make a hole, mark, or scar, generally permanent in nature.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Ear-piercing salon</span>&#x201D; means any place in which a fee is charged for the act of penetrating the ear by the aid of needles or any other instrument designed to touch or puncture the skin.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Ear-piercing school</span>&#x201D; means a place or establishment licensed by the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> to accept and train students in ear-piercing.
		&#x201C;Esthetician&#x201D; means a person who engages in the practice of esthetics for compensation.
		&#x201C;Esthetics&#x201D; includes the following practices of administering cosmetic treatments to enhance or improve the <span class="dictionary">appearance</span> of the skin: cleansing, toning, performing effleurage or other related movements, stimulating, exfoliating, or performing any other similar procedure on the skin of the human body or scalp by means of cosmetic preparations, treatments, or any nonlaser device, whether by electrical, mechanical, or manual means, for care of the skin; applying make-up or eyelashes to any person, tinting or perming eyelashes and eyebrows, and lightening hair on the body except the scalp; and removing unwanted hair from the body of any person by the use of any nonlaser device, by tweezing, or by use of chemical or mechanical means. However, &#x201C;esthetics&#x201D; is not a healing art and shall not include any practice, activity, or treatment that constitutes the practice of medicine, osteopathic medicine, or chiropractic. The terms &#x201C;healing arts,&#x201D;"practice of medicine,&#x201D;"practice of osteopathic medicine,&#x201D; and &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">practice of chiropractic</span>&#x201D; shall mean the same as those terms are defined in &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Definitions" href="/54.1-2900/">54.1-2900</a>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Esthetics instructor</span>&#x201D; means a licensed esthetician who has been certified by the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> as having completed an approved curriculum and who meets the competency standards of the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> as an instructor of esthetics.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Esthetics spa</span>&#x201D; means any commercial establishment, residence, vehicle, or other establishment, place, or event wherein esthetics is offered or practiced on a regular basis for compensation under regulations of the <span class="dictionary">Board</span>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Master barber</span>&#x201D; means a licensed barber who, in addition to the practice of <span class="dictionary">barbering</span>, performs waving, shaping, bleaching, relaxing, or straightening upon human hair; performs similar work on a wig or hairpiece; or performs waxing limited to the scalp.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Master esthetician</span>&#x201D; means a licensed esthetician who, in addition to the practice of esthetics, offers to the public for compensation, without the use of laser technology, lymphatic drainage, chemical exfoliation, or microdermabrasion, and who has met such additional requirements as determined by the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> to practice lymphatic drainage, chemical exfoliation with products other than <span class="dictionary">Schedules</span> II through VI controlled substances as defined in the Drug Control Act (&#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Citation" href="/54.1-3400/">54.1-3400</a> et seq.), and microdermabrasion of the epidermis.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Nail care</span>&#x201D; means manicuring or pedicuring natural nails or performing artificial nail services.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Nail salon</span>&#x201D; means any commercial establishment, residence, vehicle or other establishment, place or event wherein <span class="dictionary">nail care</span> is offered or practiced on a regular basis for compensation and may include the training of apprentices under regulations of the <span class="dictionary">Board</span>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Nail school</span>&#x201D; means a place or establishment licensed by the <span class="dictionary">board</span> to accept and train students in <span class="dictionary">nail care</span>.
		&#x201C;Nail technician&#x201D; means any person who for compensation manicures or pedicures natural nails, or who performs artificial nail services for compensation, or any combination thereof.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Nail technician instructor</span>&#x201D; means a licensed nail technician who has been certified by the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> as having completed an approved curriculum and who meets the competency standards of the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> as an instructor of <span class="dictionary">nail care</span>.
		&#x201C;Physical (wax) depilatory&#x201D; means the wax depilatory product or substance used to remove superfluous hair.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">School of cosmetology</span>&#x201D; means a place or establishment licensed by the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> to accept and train students and which offers a cosmetology curriculum approved by the <span class="dictionary">Board</span>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">School of esthetics</span>&#x201D; means a place or establishment licensed by the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> to accept and train students and which offers an esthetics curriculum approved by the <span class="dictionary">Board</span>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Tattoo parlor</span>&#x201D; means any place in which <span class="dictionary">tattooing</span> is offered or practiced.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Tattoo school</span>&#x201D; means a place or establishment licensed by the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> to accept and train students in <span class="dictionary">tattooing</span>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Tattooer</span>&#x201D; means any person who for remuneration practices <span class="dictionary">tattooing</span>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Tattooing</span>&#x201D; means the placing of designs, letters, scrolls, figures, symbols or any other marks upon or under the skin of any person with ink or any other substance, resulting in the permanent coloration of the skin, including permanent make-up or permanent jewelry, by the aid of needles or any other instrument designed to touch or puncture the skin.
		&#x201C;Wax technician&#x201D; means any person licensed by the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> who removes hair from the hair follicle using a physical (wax) depilatory or by tweezing.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Wax technician instructor</span>&#x201D; means a licensed wax technician who has been certified by the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> as having completed an approved curriculum and who meets the competency standards of the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> as an instructor of waxing.
		&#x201C;Waxing&#x201D; means the temporary removal of superfluous hair from the hair follicle on any area of the human body through the use of a physical (wax) depilatory or by tweezing.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Waxing salon</span>&#x201D; means any commercial establishment, residence, vehicle or other establishment, place or event wherein waxing is offered or practiced on a regular basis for compensation and may include the training of apprentices under regulations of the <span class="dictionary">Board</span>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Waxing school</span>&#x201D; means a place or establishment licensed by the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> to accept and train students in waxing.</p></section></text><history>1962, c. 639, &#xA7; 1, &#xA7; 54-83.2; 1966, c. 610; 1973, c. 86; 1974, c. 534; 1988, c. 765; 2000, c. 726; 2002, cc. 797, 869; 2003, c. 600; 2005, c. 829; 2012, cc. 803, 835; 2017, c. 390; 2018, cc. 219, 231, 237, 404; 2025, cc. 102, 308, 322.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
