Bill Name: House Study Bill 591 (HSB 591)    

Primary Sponsor: House Health And Human Services Committee

Status: 02/10/2026 Subcommittee recommends amendment and passage.

AmSpa’s Take: There has been a growing national trend to regulate and license medical spas and aesthetic practices. Please note similar legislation has been introduced in Indiana and Florida.

Analysis: Currently, in Iowa, medical spas are regulated similar to other medical practices but with special supervision requirements. The Iowa Board of Medicine has also adopted comprehensive rules governing training and supervision in medical spas. If passed, HSB 591would create licensing and practice requirements for medical spas and their use of prescription medications.

Under HSB 591 a medical spa is defined to mean a business that provides “wellness services.” In this case a “wellness service” is a medical service that doesn’t require the person to be licensed under the medicine or pharmacy laws and includes Botox injections, laser hair removal, skin pigmentation treatment, microneedling, IV nutrition therapy, and injections of vitamins, minerals and nutrients. If passed, HSB 591 would require that all medical spas would need to register in order to operate. The information for registered medical spas would be included in a public database. The registration requires that the medical spa submit their name, business address, and license number as well as any address where they intend to provide wellness services or prescription medication. They must also designate a “responsible person” who is a licensed physician or pharmacist. This person would need to ensure that the medical spa complies with the medication storage and supervision requirements of this bill. The medical spa must designate a responsible person for each of its locations and a responsible person may only oversee one location.

Licensed medical spas are considered a “dispenser” under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and must comply with those requirements. Drugs must be stored in an appropriate manner with supervision and access control at all times. Medical spas and the responsible person must enact procedures to detect and deter theft and diversion of drugs. Licensed medical spas are required to report all adverse incidents to the board of medicine within 5 business days. The board is empowered to enter and inspect medical spas and investigate violations. 

HSB 591 would also make it a violation of the Iowa Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act to make misrepresentations about prescription medication or wellness services. These include representations as to the:

• Quality, grade, or particular standard;
• Sponsorship, approval, characteristics, ingredients, uses, or benefits; or
• Approval from the FDA when it does not.

Of note, very similar bills have been introduced in Indiana and Florida. This appears to be a national effort to regulate medical spas by creating registration requirements. If you would like additional information, to read the language of this bill or to contact the sponsors or committee, you can find the information you need through this link: HSB 591.