Signs for massage parlours and spas in Toa Payoh Palm Spring. ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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This means \u2013 regardless of any misgivings over the trade mix \u2013 residents in these areas enjoy easy access to essential amenities and daily necessities.<\/p>\n
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But smaller retail businesses are feeling the squeeze from changing consumer habits, the rise of e-commerce and competition from larger chains.<\/p>\n
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Ms Cherie Mah, who has owned Omega Minimart in Toa Payoh Palm Spring for more than two years, said: \u201cIt\u2019s really hard to get business here, and maybe it\u2019s the location, because there\u2019s a FairPrice here.\u201d<\/p>\n
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To increase revenue, the 40-year-old has expanded the store\u2019s services. It now offers e-commerce parcel collection and SIM card registration and top-up services.<\/p>\n
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She pays more than $8,000 a month for rental and utilities \u2013 a figure she expects will increase in October when her shop\u2019s current lease expires.<\/p>\n
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Property analysts told ST that they generally do not track data on the types of HDB shops.<\/p>\n
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But some have seen an uptick in interest in renting such shops for beauty and wellness trades, and have noticed their prevalence across neighbourhood shop clusters. These include salons, shops offering wellness treatments, and TCM services.<\/p>\n
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Mr Johnny Chia, senior associate director at real estate agency OrangeTee, said there have been fewer inquiries from those looking to start traditional retail businesses like minimarts or hardware stores in HDB shops.<\/p>\n
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\u201cAt the same time, there has been relatively stronger interest in service-oriented uses, which are less easily displaced by online channels and rely on proximity to residential catchments,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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HDB shop rents are often attractive due to their affordability compared with units in malls, said Huttons Asia senior director of data analytics Lee Sze Teck.<\/p>\n
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Beauty and wellness offerings are often perceived as more affordable when located in the heartland, said Mr Donald Goh, the director of capital markets and investment sales at ERA Singapore.<\/p>\n
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He also noted that the businesses may have operating models that generate stronger upfront cash flows, such as selling packages or prepaid services, allowing them to better absorb rental costs than traditional retail shops.<\/p>\n
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But analysts said current data does not indicate that service-related businesses can afford higher rents than others.<\/p>\n
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Mr Norris Low, the director of corporate leasing at PropNex, said operators of fruit and vegetable stores, as well as F&B outlets, pay the highest rents among the portfolio of HDB shops the firm manages.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWith experienced landlords, the tenant\u2019s profile is important \u2013 whether their business is viable and whether they can pay the rent,\u201d he said, adding that it is therefore not guaranteed that tenants offering the highest rent will secure the space.<\/p>\n
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When it comes to viability, OrangeTee\u2019s Mr Chia said beauty and wellness businesses may have a competitive edge as their services are typically appointment-based.<\/p>\n
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This allows for more flexible staffing than other trades, as operators can align working hours with customer demand, he noted, instead of requiring staff to stay throughout the day to serve walk-in customers.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n Massage parlour employees in Tampines West taking a break outside the shop. ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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These characteristics may explain the growing presence of beauty and wellness shops, even when the rent they pay may not be higher than what other tenants pay, he said.<\/p>\n
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Huttons\u2019 Mr Lee said owners do not necessarily lease units to tenants who can pay the highest rent, as a change of use \u2013 for instance, from a provision shop to a massage establishment \u2013 requires HDB\u2019s approval.<\/p>\n
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The HDB spokeswoman said owners of privately owned shops in HDB estates are not required to seek approval for change of trade, unless this constitutes a change of use.<\/p>\n
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Under the Planning Act, a change of use refers to altering a property\u2019s purpose, such as converting a shop into a restaurant.<\/p>\n
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Examples of businesses classified as \u201cshops\u201d include those selling furniture, department stores and beauty salons.<\/p>\n
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That means a department store can reopen as a beauty salon without seeking approval from the authorities.<\/p>\n
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Massage establishments, however, are not considered to be shops. The HDB spokeswoman said the board sets a quota on the number of massage establishments in HDB estates and has tightened this quota since September 2024.<\/p>\n
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About a quarter of the 868 licensed massage establishments are in HDB estates.<\/p>\n
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The growing presence of beauty and wellness parlours has raised concerns over vice activities in the heartland.<\/p>\n
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Ms Elysa Chen, an MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, said a resident alleged that her husband contracted a sexually transmitted infection after visiting a massage parlour that positioned itself as a TCM shop, in the constituency.<\/p>\n
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According to the resident, the business had advertised on social media using \u201cexplicit and suggestive content\u201d, Ms Chen told ST.<\/p>\n
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Such content is not unique to the shop she received feedback on.<\/p>\n
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Checks by ST found another business in Toa Payoh that claimed to specialise in TCM wellness services, including \u201cmanhood\u201d and prostate massages.<\/p>\n
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ST also found massage parlour advertisements online, many of which prominently featured female masseurs from countries in the region. The advertisements often included close-up photos of the women and videos of them dancing.<\/p>\n
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Jurong resident Amy Tan, 23, said she once witnessed her male friend being offered \u201cspecial services\u201d by an employee of a massage parlour in Yuhua Place.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n Roughly half of the 130 businesses in Yuhua Place are beauty and wellness outlets. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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A hairdresser who has worked at a salon in the area for 12 years said the number of massage parlours there has increased significantly over the past six to seven years.<\/p>\n
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The 44-year-old woman, who wanted to be known only as Ms Ng, said she had observed massage parlour employees paying attention only to potential male customers when they walked past.<\/p>\n
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Ms Chen said several PAP MPs from various constituencies met the authorities in February to discuss solutions.<\/p>\n
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Jurong Central MP Xie Yao Quan said he welcomed the review.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe are determined to restore neighbourhood centres like Yuhua Place to spaces that residents feel safe to move through and look forward to visiting,\u201d he said in a Facebook post on Feb 3.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe will bring the fight to the bad apples. Unwholesome activities have no place in our neighbourhoods.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC MP Cai Yinzhou, who oversees the Toa Payoh Central ward, said he hopes any new regulations will not be too onerous for legitimate businesses.<\/p>\n
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He said he is especially concerned for TCM practitioners, many of whom have been operating in Toa Payoh for many years.<\/p>\n
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Mr John Soh, 70, is a long-time therapist who runs Relax and Comfort Reflexology Therapy in Toa Payoh Palm Spring, which is part of Toa Payoh Central. He said he has heard of massage shops in the estate having to close down owing to illicit activity.<\/p>\n
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When asked if new massage shops had any impact on his business, he said \u201cno\u201d. \u201cI\u2019m a therapist, so it\u2019s different. My customers are my customers, and their customers are theirs.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Beauty and wellness salons have also been known to use high-pressure sales tactics.<\/p>\n
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A Tampines West resident who wanted to be known only as Madam Tan, 68, said she once had her hair cut at a new salon that was having an opening promotion.<\/p>\n
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But at the end of the session, she was shocked to be charged $200 for the haircut and hair products she had unwittingly allowed the staff to use.<\/p>\n
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\u201cA lot of them are like that now. I\u2019ve resorted to cutting my own hair instead,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n A row of beauty and wellness shops in Tampines West. ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Another resident, who wanted to be known only as Mr Bob, said he was once pressured into spending about $200 on a hair product by a salon in the area.<\/p>\n
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\u201cA $3.80 haircut usually ends with constant pressuring to buy products and treatments. I steer clear of such salons now,\u201d the 34-year-old said.<\/p>\n
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In 2025, complaints to the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) against the beauty industry, which includes beauty salons, spas and massage parlours, rose sharply.<\/p>\n
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