What is a Medi Day Spa?

A medical spa, or medi spa, is a combination of a medical clinic and day spa. It operates under the supervision of medical doctor. A medi spa can treat conditions on your face and body such as brown spots, redness and broken capillaries that cannot be treated at all or as effectively by a traditional esthetician.

The range and types of treatments available at a medi spa can vary greatly. Medi spas offer a unique combination of traditional spa services, along with medical aesthetic treatments, supervised by a medical doctor. Some medi day spas have a holistic wellness focus and include acupuncture, diet and nutrition counseling, chiropractic and naturopathic doctor consultations.

Some medi day spas tend to have a more clinical atmosphere than traditional day spas. Others have a more traditional, relaxing, serene ambiance, offering services such as massage, wraps, scrubs, facials and other body treatments. However, you can also get medi spa treatments such as laser hair removal, Botox, photofacials, IPL (intense pulsed light) treatments, and skin tightening or rejuvenation.

When choosing a medi day spa ask the following:

• Who owns and operates the medi day spa? Most, if not all, are owned by medical doctors.  This enables the spa to perform cosmetic and rejuvenation procedures they otherwise would not be able to perform.


• Is the medical doctor actually on the premises supervising procedures and doing treatments? While regulations will vary from state to state, generally a medical doctor has to oversee the procedures performed at the medi day spa. Unfortunately, this does not mean that the doctor is always (or ever) on the premises. Sometimes doctors allow their names to be used by medi day spas but have very little, if any real involvement.


• Who will be performing the procedure? Again, licensing requirements vary by state. However, you want to know that the persons performing the procedure are properly licensed and/or trained.


• How much experience does the staff have doing the procedure? This is especially important with laser procedures. Many states have no licensing or certification requirements whatsoever. You can be badly burned if someone does not do the procedure correctly. Ask for before and after pictures of their work.


• Are they using state-of-the-art equipment? Not only is medi spa equipment expensive, it is constantly changing with the technology as new and better approaches to treatments are found. Do some research to find out what type of equipment is best and what type of equipment they use for the treatment you want. You always want the most up-to-date, least painful technology.