Indiana is about to start keeping a list of its med spas. Under a law signed on March 5, 2026, a business that meets Indiana's definition of a medical spa has to be registered with the state's Medical Licensing Board to do business in Indiana starting January 1, 2027.
On September 30, 2026, the board posted a notice on its Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (PLA) page that medical spa registrations "will go live on January 1, 2027," and that businesses will register by selecting "Apply for a New License" under Online Services on the PLA home page.
This guide is written for patients. It covers what the law counts as a med spa, what it requires, what isn't in place yet, and what you can check before you book. It isn't legal advice for spa owners.
The law in brief
The law is Senate Enrolled Act 282, which became Public Law 136 of 2026. It took effect July 1, 2026, and added a new chapter on medical spas to the Indiana Code (IC 25-22.5-12.5). The same act also contains drug-compounding provisions, which our guide to GLP-1 prescribing at med spas touches on. Everything below about med spas comes from the enrolled act's text.
What counts as a "medical spa"
The law's definition has three parts. A medical spa is a facility or practice that:
- 1.Offers or provides medical health care services;
- 2.Prepares, administers, or dispenses prescription drugs, or otherwise uses prescription drugs given intravenously, into a muscle, or under the skin; and
- 3.Holds itself out as focused on cosmetic or lifestyle treatments.
The law lists examples of those treatments: weight loss, wellness, longevity, and cosmetic or aesthetic treatments involving prescription drugs for weight loss, botulinum toxin injections and dermal fillers, hair loss, hormone therapies, or "parenteral nutrient therapies" (IV vitamin drips, for example). It also lists the nonsurgical use of a laser or other energy device for cosmetic purposes, such as rejuvenation, anti-aging, or hair removal.
Two kinds of businesses are excluded:
•A physician's office.
•A facility or practice that is otherwise licensed by the state.
The chapter doesn't define "physician's office." The American Med Spa Association, a trade group, reported on October 1, 2026 that the board's announcement left open several questions, including the scope of the physician-office exemption, and that the board had not yet issued substantive guidance on them.
That matters for patients. A clinic that offers Botox, fillers, or weight-loss shots may not appear on the state's med spa list because it's exempt, not because it's breaking the law. Missing from the list isn't proof of a problem, and being on it isn't proof of quality.
What a registered med spa has to do
Register, with details that will be public
The registration application must include:
•The spa's legal name and any name it does business under
•Its address and website
•The medical services it plans to provide
•Whether it compounds drugs, or plans to
•The name and license number of its "responsible practitioner," plus the name of that practitioner's collaborating physician or supervising practitioner, if any
The board may fine anyone who operates an unregistered medical spa up to $5,000 and require them to register.
The law also requires the board to "establish and maintain a public data base" containing that application information for each registered spa, with any personally identifying health information redacted. As of November 2026, the board's page announces the registration launch but doesn't yet link to a public medical spa database.
Name a responsible practitioner
Every registered spa must designate a responsible practitioner who has prescriptive authority and has education and training in the services, treatments, and medications the spa provides. Under the law, that person must be one of:
•A physician licensed in Indiana
•An advanced practice registered nurse who meets Indiana's prescriptive-authority requirements
•A physician assistant who has been delegated prescriptive authority
The responsible practitioner must be "physically present at the medical spa location for a sufficient amount of time" to make sure the spa complies with the law. The statute doesn't set a number of hours. The practitioner must also make sure that everyone working at the spa is licensed for the services they perform, that those services are within their scope of practice, and that they've had appropriate training.
Report serious adverse events within 15 days
A spa must notify the board within 15 days after a patient's "serious adverse event." The law defines that as a negative medical occurrence linked to a prescription medication or treatment that, in reasonable medical judgment, jeopardizes the person's health and results in medical or surgical intervention, death, a life-threatening event, or a hospital admission (or a longer stay). The report must include the patient's name, the treatment involved, the date, what happened, and the related medical records, to the extent available.
Treat patients only at the spa
A medical spa may not provide its health care services and cosmetic and lifestyle treatments at another location, except for education or training of people who intend to provide those services. Under the law, a registered spa's injectables or drips belong in the spa, not in a living room, hotel suite, or event space.
Follow Indiana's health care advertising rules
Spas must comply with Indiana's health care advertising law, IC 25-1-10.3, and the board may suspend a spa's registration for violating it. As enacted in 2022, that chapter requires an advertisement that names a practitioner to "prominently state the profession or license held by the practitioner," and bars deceptive or misleading information about a practitioner's profession, skills, training, expertise, degree, board certification, or license.
Accountability for licensed staff
The board may investigate claims that a responsible practitioner violated the chapter and forward substantiated claims to that practitioner's own licensing board. Any individual licensed under Indiana's professions title who violates the chapter is subject to discipline under the state's general standards of practice. The chapter doesn't call for routine inspections of spas.
What patients can check
Here's how to put the law to work, starting now and after registration opens.
Before January 1, 2027
•Ask who the responsible practitioner will be. Spas preparing to register need to name one. Ask for the name and license type, and whether that person is ever on site.
•Look up licenses yourself. Indiana's PLA has an online "Verify a license" search for physicians, nurses, physician assistants, and other licensed professionals. The PLA also has a discipline search.
•Ask who will treat you. The law puts responsibility on the responsible practitioner to make sure each staff member is licensed and working within their scope. Our guide to who can legally inject Botox explains the credentials to look for.
After January 1, 2027
•Ask whether the spa is registered. If it offers prescription treatments and markets itself around cosmetic or lifestyle care, it may need to be. If the spa says it's exempt, it's fair to ask why: is it a physician's office, or licensed by the state as another kind of facility?
•Check the board's public database once it's available. The law requires it to list the spa's names, address, website, services, compounding status, and responsible practitioner. Compare what you're told in the consultation with what's on file.
•Read the ads. If an ad names a practitioner, Indiana's advertising law requires it to prominently state that person's profession or license.
•Be wary of off-site treatment. If a registered med spa offers injections or IV therapy at a party, a hotel, or your home, that conflicts with the law's location rule.
•Ask about compounded drugs. Spas must disclose on their application whether they compound drugs. Our GLP-1 guide covers why that matters for weight-loss injections.
If something goes wrong
Get medical care first. Then keep your records, product information, and dates. A registered spa must report a serious adverse event to the board within 15 days, but you don't need to wait for that. Indiana's PLA explains that consumer complaints against licensed professionals go first to the Indiana Attorney General, who decides whether to bring charges before the relevant board. Our guide to what to do when you're unhappy with Botox results covers documentation and complaints more broadly.
How Indiana fits the national picture
Most states don't have rules written for med spas. According to the AMA's April 2026 summary of a 2025 study in Dermatologic Surgery, only Tennessee required med spas to register with the state, and the study's data ran through 2024. Our article on why 36 states don't regulate medspas covers that study. Indiana's registration law adds a public list and a named responsible practitioner, but it doesn't license spas as facilities or require inspections. Wherever you live, the checks that matter most are the same: who is supervising, who is treating you, and what's going into the syringe.
This article is educational and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a licensed medical professional for personalized recommendations.
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