Medical Spa Business Forum > Medical Spa Consultants
@nyc spa
Be very careful. I would suggest that you contact Jeff personally and see what he says. I'm aware of a number of medical spas how have hired 'medical spa consultants' and have not only been disappointed, but thought it was completely wasted money. For the $30 - $100k you're talking about you can buy a LOT of stuff that might be a better investment on your part. This is going to depend on what kind of consultant you're looking for as well. Some don't know anything about medicine, others only build big shi-shi type day spas. Don't do anything until you make contact with a number of specific individuals on this site and pick their brains. Startup is an important time. Don't pull the trigger with any haste but with great deliberation. Use the Search Box. Make friends....
Dermgal
To open a Medical Spa:
You need to select services you want to offer and then the lasers and other equipment. You need an office and a website. You need staff and then staff training including the training of your medical providers.
I think this is a great topic and we all should blog our advice right here. We have been there and done that. We have made some very expensive mistakes, and to be frank, we are lucky to still be in business!
You can buy a DVD Series for front office set up for $350 -$500.
ASLMS has medical training opportunities listed on their website
There are many fine books which cost about $20.
I WOULD NOT hire a specific consultant. You are taking a big RISK (if they don't know what they are doing).
Hire a consultant on an hourly basis to go over the tapes you are watching and the books you are reading and the information you are getting on MedicalSpaMD. This will keep them honest and it will save you money. You need a coach to help you, not someone to tell you what to do.
We have assembled a nice group of lasers and light devices that actually work and work well
(we have $250,000 worth of lasers gathering dust in our warehouse - they did not work)
We have:
Lumenis UltraPulse TotalFx CO2 Fractional Laser
Fraxel 1550 Glass Erbium Non-Ablative Fractional Laser
Thermage
Sciton BBLs - IPL
Lumenis LightSheer 810 Diode for Hair
MedLiteC6 & Candela Alexandrite Tattoo Removal Lasers
Cutera Vantage 1064 Long Pulsed Laser for Veins and Hair
Make sure you get good Light Devices for Reputable Companies with Excellent Training, Support and Clinical Exchange with other Users!
Good luck, NYC Spa!
Hopefully others will add their two cents.
Remember "Advice is worth what you pay for it!"
JEE
NYCSPA: You can use the search engine at the top of the page to locate several articles I wrote last year which may be helpful in getting started. I was trying to write about several of what I believe are the KEYS TO SUCCESS in operating a successful esthetics practice. There are a ton of other articles posted on this blog if you search for them -- many on the subject of opening a med spa, etc. Good luck. It is a real challenge.
med spa guy
NYCSPA,
I understand your frustration. You are lucky to have sites like medicalspamd.com today. Something I didn't have when I first started the process 3 years ago. It took me close to a year to prepare and launch. Above EQ list provided by Jeff is a good place to start. After looking at virtually all the EQ in the market, I narrowed them down to 4 or 5. Then I did endless late night demos to reach a decision. I didn't make any major mistakes. But I would make some different choices given what is available out there today. Please feel free to contact me if you want to pick my brain a little. You can reach me at laserepxert@gmail.com f.y.i. My first Laser Clinic is 5 minutes from GWB on NJ side.
Jason
nyc spa,
Beware, the vast majority of medical spa consultants are less than worthless in my opinion. Physicians are, as a rule, intelligent, but they think that because they're intelligent that they'll be able to 'think their way through' a problem. That's not generally the rule. Physicians have a reputation for being poor at business and there's reason enough for that.
The real cost of poor medical spa consultants is that they waste your time and distract you with irrelevant things like proformas statements and excel worksheets that project your earnings. Useless. Of the dozens of clinics I've been involved in and the millions of dollars spent and made, I've yet to see one single plan that worked the way it was written.
My advice is this. Go slow. The market isn't going to be kind to those who make mistakes and you can easily spend a couple of hundred thousand dollars in a bloodbath education. Go slow. Go slow. Go slow. Spreadsheets are worse than useless as are business plans. I've written dozens and they're used to give a sense of security where there is none.
If you're looking for someone to do it for you, you've already lost. Cosmetic medicine is an entirely new area for most non-core docs and there's a learning curve. Don't get ahead of it any more than you would with a treatment. The greatest thing about Medical Spa MD is that you're able to find and network with physicians who are not your direct competition and are willing to help. Take advantage of it.
Medspa MD
NYC Spa,
If you are still seeking help with the opening of your med-spa, please let me know. I have done quite a bit of medspa start-ups and all have been a great success. My rates are a lot less than what you have been quoted. You may reach me @ ksedler@hotmail.com
Good luck!
Karen
Karen
give me your email, i will give u a detailed start up plan.i started everything by myself.
No one was there for me, but I managed to start due to careful planning. I am more than willing to share with you, as long as you are not in my area.
Let me know, I will try to guide you all the way, provided, u get me a bottle of Johnny + a 6 packs of Boags Premium.
By the way, do you know the best beer is from the down under ? We also have the most amazing ladies here, and my job is to make them look stunning and flawless.
cheers! I wish you all the best mate!
c.lee
Be very careful. I am a Medical spa business consultant. I go into spas after they are opened and evaluate them, their services, their expenses, and try to see if they can be saved. I have been doing this for almost 5 years now and the one main consistent thread in all of this is that the physicians buy what they want to buy, instead of what is truly effective and what and who is doing the treatments and if they believe in the technology and can sell it ethically to the patient. If you are going to be doing the treatments than pick the device because you will be the one selling it, if not, than have the reps bring in the device and leave it for a few weeks, (which they will) and treat several patients on it along with three comparable devices and decide by proof which one is best.
I would be happy to help you and I do not charge what you have been quoted. I have very good references and proof behind my work. The key to having a successful spa is operating it efficiently and structured.
My email is jenniec@reflectionsbodysolutions.com
Jennie Chambon
I absolutely would NOT recommend hiring a Spa Consultant. The experience we had cost thousands of dollars and was completely worthless! We hired a Med Spa Consultant from New York who claimed to have years of experience in the field. She visited us 3 or 4 times and each visit came with excuses as to why she was late, why she was sick, why she hadn't completed work that she had promised, why she missed conference calls, why she lost her drivers license and had no id, why she had to go out of the country and wouldn't be available for conference calls, etc...
The business plan she provided us actually had another company name throughout the document. That told me she had a "blanket" business plan she used for everyone, in other words the "specialized service" she promised was a joke! Her ideas consisted of a seminar/open house every 3 months which required us to mail invitations requiring a RSVP, advertising in our local newspaper(s) for the seminar, creating our own flyers and passing them out throughout our community - again requesting reservations be made right then due to limited availability. One seminar cost over $4,000 and even though over 90 people were in attendance, the revenue produced didn't even cover our expenses. Not to mention, WE did all the work!
Also, she was very persisitent in getting us to purchase/upgrade products she recommended such as; upgrading our website using a specific developer, spa scheduling software, specific medical spa equipment, new brochures, and that's just to name a few. It was obvious she received some sort of kick back for getting us to buy these specific products.
The whole experience was beyond belief....So please, if you do go with a consultant that wants to charge you $5,000 for each 2-3 day visit RUN as fast as you can!
JLC
thanks everyone. i will take advantage of your kind offers and try and reach out to those of you who left me the info to be able to do that. unfortunately, when i click on some of your author names, there is no way to contact you- maybe i'm doing something wrong? it would be great to speak to some of your personally, like med spa guy and jeff. let me know whether you want me to list my info, so that you can get ahold of me, or tell me how i might be able to contact you.
nyc spa
NYC Spa: If you post an e-mail address I can send you some very helpful information.
med spa guy
Hi,
I am in a similar predicament as NYC spa, just dont know where to turn for advise, dont want to make any costly mistake. I will really appreciate if you could email me some info too @ daneildhiman@gmail.com
thanks!
Sue
hello everyone. we are looking into opening a medi spa. we are physicians, general practititoners, and have spoken to several consultants who would provide assistance to do the business planning, financial proformas, operating procedures, assist in hiring staff, marketing, equipment recommendations, space planning, info systems recommendations, web site development, etc. we are located in the greater ny metropolitan area. anyone use a consultant they would recommend, or is it even worthwhile to do so? anyone to stay away from? they aren't cheap ($30-100K), and i'm not so sure that using them guarantees success. the selection of the right equipment can be dizzying, but this web site has helped a lot.
please help!!! thanks