With four plastic surgeons and a medical spa, St. Louis Cosmetic Surgery has been around for more than 35 years.

Name: Dr. Herluf Gyde Lund, Jr.
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Website: stlcosmeticsurgery.com

As part of a large cosmetic practice in St. Louis that is one of the largest cosmetic breast surgery practices in the country, Dr. Lund has undoubtedly seen his share of patients and has stories to tell. In this inteview, Dr. Lund shares his clinics compensation structures for staff members, details different types of medical spa business models, and shares his thoughts on building a successful practice.

That's interesting: Dr. Lund chairs and serves on numerous committees for both the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and is a principle investigator in studies using the next generation, Cohesive Gel Implant. Every summer, Dr. Lund volunteers as the "camp doctor" for Camp Chippewa for Boys in Cass Lake, Minnesota.

What do you think physicians need to know about starting or running a medical spa?

Determine first if you really need a medical spa. If you just want to provide some products and skin care, then you may not need to add a great deal of staffing and services. You may be able to train your nursing staff to provide many of the treatments and the product manufacturers are usually very willing to help train you staff on how to market and sell their product lines. This does not require a big investment in inventory and office space and also lets you “try the water” first. Once you have made the decision to open a medical spa, then you need to decide what you want your medical spa to do. Once you have decided what you want to do, then you need to examine your patient practice mix and the surrounding competition to determine if the goals you have set are achievable given the environment you practice in. For example, there are essentially four types of medical spa models to choose from when setting up a medical spa...