10 Steps to Developing Your Medical Spa… Avoid the Pitfalls!

Index • Step One Secure a Solid Concept • Step Two Creating your Business Plan & Numbers • Step Three Hiring Your Development Team • Step Four Finding Your Location • Step Six Creating and Implementing your Business Infrastructure • Step Seven Integrate the Doctor with the Spa Services • Step Eight Medical Insurance • Step Nine Hiring and Staffing • Step Ten Generating Revenue Through Marketing and Retail Sales

Other Spa Site Articles by Alexis Ufland • The Medical Spa - The Next Generation of the Spa Industry

Contact Alexis Ufland Lexi Design - Spa Definition, Design, Development • Address:  9 Barrow Street Suite #3N, New York, NY 10014 • Phone/Fax: 646-336-5549 • Email: alexis@lexidesign.com  • Web Site • Lexi Design Online Presentation

Related Resources • Spa Business Articles and Surveys  • Spa Consultants • Public Relations, Marketing, & Communications Firms • Spa Recruitment Services • Spa Management Services • Spa Suppliers

Step Five:  Menu Creation and Product Selection
Pitfall:  The Doctor Not Supporting Your Product and Services

The Doctor’s support of all Spa services and products is crucial to the Medical Spa’s success.  The difficulty lies in creating a menu of service that does not compromise the Doctor’s integrity and yet is still a marketable product. Doctors often feel divided with regard to the benefits of certain Spa services. You have a couple options when creating your menu and choosing your product.

When selecting a skin care range for your spa, one choice may be purchasing an existing Spa skin care line. These products are designed specifically for use during Face and Body Treatments at a Spa or Medi-Spa. They come with step-by-step instructions on ‘how to’ perform the treatment, (which ensures that all staff are practicing the same standard service). They are sold in professional sizes, which means you buy larger economy sizes to be used in the rooms during the service. And, most of these lines have excellent marketing literature that helps your staff sell the product. Do your homework to find a range that has sound scientific background and is synergistic with your beliefs and concept.

If the Doctor is having trouble finding a Spa range of products, there are many pharmaceutical companies that are expanding their ranges to suit the Medical Spa. There are advantages and disadvantages with this approach.  Working with a pharmaceutical range gives you flexibility when designing your menu, it allows you to create a menu specific to your vision which helps bring office and Spa together. However, this approach involves more work. Pharmaceutical companies do not impart technique (on which many Spa Managers and Aestheticians rely).  You will have to design your own customized treatments, train the staff to perform these treatments, create your own private label/logo and sometimes purchase in larger quantities. If you are creatively inclined, choosing a pharmaceutical range allows you to develop a menu of service that is a perfect balance between clinical and luxury.

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