Medical Spas vs. Day Spas - Important Differences

Spas can be a great place to relax and unwind and to look and feel your best, but do you know the difference between a medical spa and a day spa? The main difference between a typical day spa and a medical day spa are the expertise of the staff and the availability and types of treatments offered.

A Medical Day Spa usually has one or more doctors involved in the business and they consult on or provide services and treatments. While day spas should offer licensed aestheticians, massage therapists, and nail technicians, medical day spas typically employ healthcare providers - such as doctors and nurses – who can perform laser hair removal and skin resurfacing procedures, as well as the injection of dermal fillers (such as Juvederm) and muscle-relaxing products like Botox Cosmetic and Dysport. At medical day spas, even the massage therapists and nail specialists may have acquired additional certifications and training, including certification in medical massage or training with a podiatrist to treat specific nail conditions.

The medical aesthetic services provided in a medical day spa offer long-term or permanent solutions to rosacea and acne, hair removal, broken capillaries, loose skin, unwanted pigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles and utilize prescription products. These treatments require consent forms and discussions regarding risks and benefits and a medical history should be taken. Day spas offer beautifying services that can be therapeutic, but this is typically a result of relaxation and pampering rather than medical procedures. None of the treatments in a traditional day spa will offer long-term results or involve complex medical equipment.

Since more intensive procedures such as laser and chemical treatments are part of the services in a medical spa, the equipment is more complex and should require intensive training and additional certifications.

Another area where you may see a medical spa versus day spa difference is with amenities. While most day spas offer a luxurious, pampering environment, medical spas may look more like a doctor’s office. These days, even medical day spas are going the extra mile to provide a welcoming, comfortable environment for patients, but the difference is medical-purpose rather than solely to pamper.

Another clear difference: medical day spas should consider you a patient since you are there to be treated for a skin condition or medical concern. Day spas refer to the people they see as guests or clients. The ideal medical day spa will make sure you feel like a welcome guest, but should have a seriousness of purpose in providing you with professional, results-oriented services.

While day spas can be relaxing and can boost your confidence with facials to brighten the skin and clear the pores, medical day spas focus on corrective, results-oriented treatments and should provide professional care to men and women seeking goal-oriented services.

Read About Medical Aesthetic Procedures at Medical Day Spa of Chapel Hill.