THERESIA KELLY • Director of Spa
Operations • Aqua Medical Spa at Gulf
Coast Dermatology • Panama City, Florida
Medical Spa Definition
The ISPA definition of a medical spa is strict: “A facility that has
a full-time licensed health-care professional on-site, which is
further defined as a health professional who has earned a
degree of Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) as defined by the AMA.
All applications are reviewed individually and international
standards are taken into account when applicants from outside
the U.S. apply for membership.”
That definition means that getting a medical spa up and
running is not as straightforward as setting up a traditional spa,
partially a result of having to find and hire a qualified staff. Upto-date equipment is also significantly more expensive than
traditional basic spa necessities.
Calculating the Risks
Dr. Diane Wong—owner and general practitioner at Glow Medi
Spa in Ontario, Canada—says opening a medical spa requires
significant ongoing investment: “Each laser costs more than a
sports car. It is not just the equipment and staffing, you also have
to consider liability insurance, which is a huge part of our costs.
Anyone doing this sort of work without adequate medical training, supervision and insurance is taking a great risk.”
Many (but not all) medical spas are directly associated with
dermatological practices, so as a result, usually have a mix of
clients. Many clients are not dermatological patients and are
paying out of their own pocket for cosmetic procedures.
However, others may have been referred directly by a dermatologist to address a medical need.
“It is very important to appreciate different clients and
realize the difference between what is considered medical and
what is considered cosmetic,” says Theresia Kelly, director of
spa operations at Aqua Medical Spa at Gulf Coast Dermatology
in Panama City, Florida.
Less is More
Like the traditional spa industry, the medical spa world has its
fair share of treatments that move in and out of fashion. “The
current trend is for less invasive procedures and more topical
treatments,” says Kelly. “Rather than having liposuction, customers want non-intrusive procedures that require no
downtime, like cold sculpting. Botox is always popular but even
there we see new injection products coming on to the market
almost on a monthly basis.”
Bond Poire, spa director of Mandala Med-Spa & Yoga Shala
in Sarasota, Florida, sees similar developments. “It’s probably
the first question people ask: Is there any downtime?” she says.
“People want to be in and out. Microdermabrasion is also in
decline. It used to be the big skin treatment, but dermaplaning,
which is done with a surgical-grade razor, has taken over. It is
providing much better, long-term results.”
July 2015
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