Hi Emanuel,

Thank you for your message, and no problem. 

The first important point is that China normally does not treat this as something you can do casually while visiting. If you are charging clients in Sanya for massage, wellness, guasha, cupping or similar services, this may be treated as work and as a commercial activity. That means the key questions are not only “can I rent a small studio?”, but also:

1. What legal business structure would be used?
2. What visa / work authorisation would you personally need?
3. What licences or registrations would the studio need?
4. Would the services be classified as wellness / relaxation, beauty, massage, or medical / TCM treatment?
5. Would your friends also be legally allowed to provide services there?
6. How would tax, invoices and payments be handled?

In practical terms, if you simply come to Sanya for three months at a time and provide paid treatments from a rented room without a proper business setup and work status, that could create immigration, tax and licensing problems.

There may be a few possible routes, but they need to be checked carefully:

One route could be to cooperate with an existing licensed spa, wellness centre, hotel or clinic in Sanya. That may be simpler than opening your own place, but the partner would still need to check whether they can legally host you and whether your visa/work status allows you to provide services.

Another route could be to set up a proper business entity in Hainan, but that is a bigger step. It may involve company registration, a registered business address, tax registration, a bank account, possible venue approvals, and then checking whether the company can support your work permit/residence permit.

A third point is the wording of the service. “Massage / wellness / relaxation” and “Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment” may be treated differently. If you describe the service as medical treatment or TCM treatment, the requirements may be stricter than for general wellness or relaxation services.

For your friends, the same issue applies. If they are providing paid services in the studio, they would also need to be legally allowed to work in China. It would not be safe to assume that they can simply help when you are in Sanya.

My suggestion is that before you rent any premises or start advertising, you should prepare a short description of exactly what you want to do, including:

• whether clients would pay you directly;
• whether the service is medical, therapeutic, beauty, relaxation or wellness;
• whether you want your own studio or cooperation with an existing business;
• whether you want to stay only three months at a time or live in China longer term;
• whether your friends are Chinese nationals, foreign residents, or visitors;
• whether you already have recognised qualifications or licences.

Once those details are clear, the next step would be to check the business registration, licensing, visa and tax position with someone who handles this locally in Hainan.

You can send me more details by email, and I can give you an initial view and, if needed, pass the case to a specialist who can look at the business setup and compliance side more carefully.

I hope this helps,

Patrick