WHAT IS A MEDICAL SPA?

 

The term medical spa has come to define a variety of enterprises ranging from an aesthetician offering Microdermabrasion; to plastic surgeons and dermatologists offering laser hair removal, fillers, Botox and chemical peels; to non-medical doctors offering a wide range of natural medicine and spa services; to chiropractors offering acupuncture and wellness services; to dentists offering skincare and massage treatments; as well as licensed physicians offering a variety of alternative and complementary medicine  - not to mention all the variations in between.

As a result, the general public has had to maneuver carefully through this maze of “so-called” medical spas in search of what a medical spa is or should be.

Click here for more information about medical aesthetics

---

A survey by SpaFinder and SpaTrade reported in January 2005 indicates that people in the northeastern U.S. were more aware of medical spas and liked the term better than people who were located in California. Interestingly, less than 5% of these spa-going consumers thought anti-aging hormone therapy, Botox, full body scanning, mammography, or sclerotherapy procedures were appropriate to have performed in a spa. None felt that liposuction should be. There was slightly less resistance to laser skin resurfacing and in-office tooth whitening being offered in a spa, while up to half felt microdermabrasion, laser hair removal, permanent makeup, and/or glycolic peels were acceptable in a spa facility. As noted by Nancy Griffin, “these responses suggest that hiring a physician to provide these services in a day spa may not be a good strategy: “Medical” implies higher levels of credibility, good results, and overall safety.”

---

ORGANIZATION OF A MEDICAL SPA

 

Based on these observations and our experience, Spa Business Associates firmly believes that a medical spa should be organized with two important principles in mind:

 

First, a medical spa should have a medical director on site who is licensed to practice a specialty that is related to the spa services being offered. Any other form of spa organization is misleading to the public and should be avoided.

Second, the medical director should be an owner of the business and not merely an  independent contractor or employee of the owner. In other words, the medical director should have a vested interest in the financial outcome of the business.