Medi-Spa 101: Treatment Tips for a Profitable Medical Spa Business

Managing a medical spa is much like running any other type of business. Treatments offered (products and services) and important protocols must be balanced with profitability. The goal of the medical spa is to service clients the finest possible medical and traditional spa services; to pamper, improve appearance, help fight signs of aging and make clients feel great about themselves. However, just like the large corporation, whether a grocery store or a doctors office, a business must make a profit in order to exist, to thrive, to improve, to pay employees and to continue as a viable gentility serving the pubic.The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery reports that the number of nonsurgical cosmetic procedures in the United States has increased by 45 percent in the period from 2003 to 2005, with more than nine billion procedures performed in 2005. Top medical spa procedures were in order Botox injection, laser hair removal, chemical peels, microdermabrasion and hyaluronic acid treatments.

What makes medical spa treatments profitable?

The fact that people want them, are willing to pay for them and that you can perform them using equipment you have purchased at a rate that will allow you to quickly pay the cost of the equipment. Different manufacturers of course specialize in different types of equipment, and there has been a tendency in recent years to make multi purpose pieces of equipment, which can perform several tasks. For instance, hair removal, acne treatments and photo rejuvenation of the skin can all be performed by one machine. To determine your profitability goals you need to decide which procedures to perform, which to emphasize and what equipment you will need. You will need, in other words, a solid business plan. And you will need to focus on the most requested procedures following the age old rules of supply and demand. Remember that deviating from well known and often requested procedures will require more time on your part for client education. You will need to spend more time selling the client on the benefits of the procedure and creating a perceived need on their part. Concentrating on the procedures they know about and they want will save time and lead to increased profitability.

Also remember to place an emphasis on those medical spa procedures and pampering spa treatments that can be completed in short time frames, whenever possible. This does NOT mean rushing! This means using updated and current equipment that adds automatic operational efficiencies by doing the job quicker, better and safer! Outdated and older equipment, in many cases, takes longer to complete each medi-spa session – meaning in the long run it is costing you money (because time is money!). Many of today's medical spas market hair removal, microdermabrasion and skin rejuvenation services. They are very popular, highly profitable and are quick services to perform (think lunchtime microdermabration marketing you have seen!).