Delhi has 237 licensed spa centres; over 1,500 estimated to be operating

More than 1,500 spa and wellness centres are estimated to be operating in the national capital, while only 237 currently hold valid licences from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, accounting for less than 16 per cent of the estimated total, officials said on Saturday.

The figures come amid repeated police raids on spa centres in the city. In the latest operations in central Delhi, police rescued 19 women and arrested 10 people. Earlier raids have also led to women being rescued from spa centres and investigations into alleged human trafficking.

Of the 237 centres across 10 zones with valid MCD licences, the South East zone has the highest number at 46, followed by the South zone with 44, Keshavpuram with 38, Karol Bagh with 33, and West with 32.

Additionally, Najafgarh has 19 licensed centres, Shahdara South 15, Rohini six, Civil Lines three, and City S P zone one. The civic body said the current licences are valid at least until March 31, 2027.

The number of valid licences, however, is only part of the picture. The corporation’s records contain 645 licence entries for spa and wellness centres between 2023 and 2026.

Of these, 517 have passed their recorded validity dates, while another 128 have no expiry date mentioned. The records do not distinguish between licences issued to new establishments and renewals. They therefore do not establish how many new centres had opened during this period, or how many of the entries with past expiry dates relate to businesses that are still operating.

Officials said that the cost of obtaining a licence also influences how operators approach the process. An MCD licence can be issued for one to six years, with the annual fee at Rs 57,250, they said.

“People run these establishments for a few months or years and then close down,” a civic official said, pointing to the difficulty of tracking businesses that may not remain operational for long. The official also said such establishments remain under police scrutiny.

The year-wise figures showed that the MCD recorded 130 licence entries in 2023 and 126 in 2024, before the number rose to 365 in 2025. Another 23 entries were recorded in 2026.

The South East zone has 141 entries in the year-wise data, including 95 whose recorded validity of licences has passed. West has 108 entries, of which 93 have passed their recorded validity dates, data showed.

The civic body also said it does not issue licences to spa centres operating in residential areas. “A private resolution was also passed that spa and wellness centres will not be permitted to operate on mixed-use roads. The proposal is aimed at regulating where these establishments can operate,” a civic official said.

Police have separately investigated allegations of illegal activities at some centres. In August, 21 women were rescued from two spa centres in Kalkaji and two managers were arrested.

In another case that month, police busted an alleged interstate human-trafficking network accused of luring women and girls through social media with promises of spa jobs. Ten victims were rescued across Delhi, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh.

There is no consolidated government data available on the number of spa and wellness centres currently operating in Delhi. The Delhi Commission for Women had estimated in 2019 that the capital had more than 5,000 spas, but no updated estimate was available.

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