How many beauty businesses are there in New York City?

New York State lists 9,147 licensed appearance enhancement businesses in the five boroughs: 2,844 in Manhattan, 2,513 in Queens, 2,263 in Brooklyn, 956 in the Bronx and 571 on Staten Island.

What does teeth whitening cost in New York City?

On booking sites, salon whitening in New York is listed from $100 for 40 minutes to $150 for an hour.

Can a salon offer teeth whitening in New York?

New York has not said yes. The state calls bleaching irreversible and does not let dental assistants do it. Ask the Office of the Professions in writing, or work with a supervising dentist.

What is in the certification?

Twelve online lessons and twenty written questions, marked by a person. The pass mark is 85%, and the certificate never expires. It is $249.00.

How much does a whitening chair earn in a year?

At $149 a session less the $27.95 kit, four clients a week keeps $25,178 a year. One a day, five days a week, keeps $31,473.

‹ The certification Certification in New York City

Teeth whitening certification in New York City.

Five boroughs, thousands of chairs, and a service most of them do not offer yet. Here is the money, and here is where New York's rules stand.

$149A session sells for

15Clients to pay off the light

$249The certification

Read the course, free

A client under the Brite Lite 6200 during a whitening session

Gel made in the USA
Certification included
Lifetime warranty on the light
Your client applies the gel, you guide

What a year looks like

You keep $121.05 an hour. Here is the year.

$12,589 Two clients a week

104 sessions. One on a Saturday morning and one on a slow Tuesday.

$25,178 Four clients a week

208 sessions. Less than one a day on the days you are already open.

$31,473 One a day, five days

260 sessions. One hour of a chair you already pay rent on.

$149 a session less the $27.95 kit is $121.05. Multiply by the sessions. Freight and the light are not in these figures, and the light is paid off inside the first fifteen clients.

And on the way out

You buy the After Care Foam for $12.95 and your client pays $24.95. The After Care Pen costs you $18.95 and your client pays $39.95. Hand her both at the till and that is another $33.00 from the same hour, and she comes back sooner because the result lasts.

Watch

The business in thirty seconds

Your city

9,147 licensed beauty businesses in five boroughs

New York State lists every licensed appearance enhancement business. We counted the ones in the five boroughs by ZIP code: 2,844 in Manhattan, 2,513 in Queens, 2,263 in Brooklyn, 956 in the Bronx and 571 on Staten Island.

The busiest single ZIP code is Flushing, 11354, with 305 licensed beauty businesses. In Manhattan, 10001 around Chelsea and Penn Station has 200, and 10022 in Midtown East has 182.

Statewide, New York has 117,439 active cosmetology licences and 28,393 esthetics licences. In the New York metro, 27,660 hairdressers and 4,600 skincare specialists work for a business, with skincare paying $52,670 a year on average.

What clients pay here: Laura's Beauty Touch in Rego Park lists $100 for 40 minutes. Beauty World NYC in Manhattan lists $140 for 30 minutes. Wellness Med Art in Forest Hills lists $150 for an hour. A full hour at $149 is right in that range.

NY appearance enhancement businesses, data.ny.gov · NY Department of State, licence statistics · BLS wage survey, New York metro, May 2025

A client laughing after an in-chair whitening session

The rule in New York

New York has not said yes

New York's dental law does not name teeth whitening.

The state does call bleaching "an irreversible procedure that alters the enamel surface of teeth." For that reason a registered dental assistant may not do it. A dental hygienist may, with a dentist there.

No New York source says a salon may run whitening, even when the client puts the gel on herself. That leans against salons. We will not tell you otherwise.

Before you start, ask the State Education Department's Office of the Professions in writing, or run whitening with a dentist who supervises it.

Education Law, Article 133 · NYSED, bleaching by dental auxiliaries

What it takes

What it takes to start in New York

The Brite Lite 6200 LED whitening light on its wheeled base

Brite Lite 6200, $1,795.00. 36 W blue LED, lifetime warranty, two certification seats in the box.

The Advanced Whitening Kit carton, 16% hydrogen peroxide

Advanced Kit, $27.95 a client. Three fifteen minute rounds, six to sixteen shades in one visit.

The Express Whitening Kit carton, 36% carbamide peroxide

Express Kit, $22.95 a client. Thirty minutes, bite down, done.

After Care Foam $12.95 and After Care Pen $18.95, for the till. Packs of six.

One order, from us, on your account. Place it and we email your exact freight. Nothing is charged until you say yes.

In their own smiles

Results your clients will show off.

Laura’s laser studio went quiet every summer, until she added whitening and summer became whitening season.

“It’s honestly one of my favourite services to provide. It’s instant results, and all my clients are always so happy. Partnering with you opened up a door so I could expand, and I am just very grateful.”

Laura, Honey Smooth Laser Studio

Before

After
Before

After

Real clients, one session each, photographed as they happened. Six to sixteen shades is the range the Advanced Kit is rated for.

The whole Advanced treatment, start to finish. No sound needed, every step is captioned on screen.

The training

A certificate your team holds for life

Twelve lessons, read online at your own pace. Then twenty written questions, answered in your own words and marked by a person. The pass mark is 85%, and attempts are free.

The certificate never expires. Two seats come free with every Brite Lite 6200, and on its own it is $249.00. The lessons are free to read before you buy anything.

20Written questions

85%Pass mark

NeverExpires

The Brite Lounge certificate of professional teeth whitening

What stops people

What usually stops people

"I have never done it.": Twelve lessons and a filmed treatment. Read them on the subway home.
"My room is tiny.": Most New York rooms are. The light stands on a wheeled base and needs one chair and one outlet.
"Who puts the gel on?": Your client does, herself. You guide, time the rounds and run the light.
"What if a client is sensitive?": One session in your chair, with you watching. Lesson nine covers sensitivity and what to do mid round.
"Am I allowed in New York?": New York has not said yes. Read the rule above, and get an answer in writing before your first client.

Two ways in

Two ways in, pick either

Read the course tonight for nothing. Or open your account, and your prices are there as soon as you sign in.

Read the course, free Open your account

Straight answers

Questions, answered in a line.

How many beauty businesses are there in New York City?: New York State lists 9,147 licensed appearance enhancement businesses in the five boroughs: 2,844 in Manhattan, 2,513 in Queens, 2,263 in Brooklyn, 956 in the Bronx and 571 on Staten Island.
What does teeth whitening cost in New York City?: On booking sites, salon whitening in New York is listed from $100 for 40 minutes to $150 for an hour.
Can a salon offer teeth whitening in New York?: New York has not said yes. The state calls bleaching irreversible and does not let dental assistants do it. Ask the Office of the Professions in writing, or work with a supervising dentist.
What is in the certification?: Twelve online lessons and twenty written questions, marked by a person. The pass mark is 85%, and the certificate never expires. It is $249.00.
How much does a whitening chair earn in a year?: At $149 a session less the $27.95 kit, four clients a week keeps $25,178 a year. One a day, five days a week, keeps $31,473.