Day Spa Vs. Medical Spa: Which One Is Right For You?
What are the differences between a day spa and a medical spa? Before you schedule a treatment or cosmetic procedure, take a look at what you need to know about each option.
What Is A Day Spa?
A day spa or salon-based spa is a beauty business that offers non-medical cosmetic treatments. These could include hair, skin, and makeup application services. The skin care treatments a day or traditional spa offers vary. But these may include basic facials, aromatherapy facials, mud wraps, facial/body waxing, and facial threading. Along with these treatments, day spas may provide hair cutting, hair styling, hair coloring, manicure, pedicure, and sunless tanning options.
While some spas offer exfoliating facials, these treatments typically target the top layer of skin and won't remove wrinkles, even-out discoloration, decrease the appearance of scars, or significantly change the texture of your skin.
What Is A Medical Spa?
As the name implies, this type of spa offers medical skin care services. Some medical spas are also known as medi-spas or simply as med spas. These spas may have traditional day spa treatments, such as waxing or mud wraps, on their menu. But they also offer services that require a medical doctor's supervision and specialized training.
Medical spa treatment options may include chemical peels, microdermabrasion, laser skin resurfacing, non-surgical facelifts, botulinum toxin type A injections, dermal filler injections, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) facials, microneedling, or laser hair removal. The specific services a medical spa offers depend on the provider and their areas of expertise.
Which Spa Is the Best Choice?
There is no best-choice spa for every person. You may have to visit both types of spas to find every service you need. If you want a manicure, pedicure, laser bikini zone hair removal, and a chemical peel, you may need to schedule appointments at a day spa/salon (for the manicure and pedicure) and a medi spa (for the laser service and chemical peel).
If you do need medical spa services, make sure the spa is staffed by medical doctors or has a medical doctor who supervises other licensed medical staff members (such as nurse practitioners). If the medi-spa only employs estheticians or cosmetologists, continue your search. While these beauty pros can wax, apply makeup, treat your skin with facial products, manicure/pedicure your nails, offer airbrush tanning, and provide similar services, they should never offer injectables (such as botox or dermal fillers), chemical peels, or other medical treatments.
Share