Medical oversight
Any clinic offering injectables, lasers, or prescription therapy must operate under a named licensed physician (MD or DO). Ask who the medical director is, whether they are on-site, and how often charts are reviewed.
Vendor-neutral buyer's guide
How to choose a med spa
Updated September 2026 · No practice paid for this
Choosing a med spa comes down to five verifiable things: who is licensed to treat you and how much volume they have on your specific procedure, whether a named physician oversees the practice, which FDA-cleared device or brand-name product is used, whether pricing is quoted per unit in writing, and whether a real consultation happens before treatment. None of those depend on a star rating, and all five can be checked before you pay.
The six criteria that actually matter
Who actually performs the treatment
Ask for the provider's license type (MD, DO, NP, PA, RN) and how many times they have performed this exact treatment — not aesthetics in general. License numbers are public and verifiable through your state board.
Consultation before treatment
A legitimate provider takes medical history, screens contraindications, photographs the treatment area, and explains alternatives before anything is performed. Same-day treatment is fine; skipping the assessment is not.
Device and product authenticity
Ask which FDA-cleared device or brand-name product is used, and ask to see the vial, syringe, or handpiece. Counterfeit and grey-market aesthetic products are a documented problem in every major U.S. metro.
Itemized, unit-level pricing
Price should be quoted per unit, per syringe, per session, or per treatment area — never as an opaque package. Pricing far below the local market usually signals dilution, inexperience, or unlicensed staff.
Adverse-event protocol
Ask what happens if something goes wrong: reversal agents on-site, written complication protocols, after-hours contact, and who follows up. A confident, specific answer is a strong quality signal.
Eight questions to ask before you book
Ask all eight at every practice you shortlist. How a provider handles the awkward ones tells you more than the answers themselves.
| Ask this | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Who is your medical director, and are they on-site? | A named licensed physician should oversee any practice offering injectables, energy devices, or prescription therapy. Vagueness here is the single strongest warning sign. |
| What license does the person treating me hold, and how many times have they done this exact procedure? | MD, DO, NP, PA, RN, esthetician — each has a different scope. Volume on your specific procedure predicts results far better than years in aesthetics generally. |
| Which FDA-cleared device or brand-name product will you use, and can I see it? | Category words hide big differences, and counterfeit or grey-market aesthetic products are a documented problem. Seeing the vial or handpiece is reasonable to ask. |
| What is the price per unit, per syringe, or per session, in writing? | Unit-level pricing is auditable; opaque packages are not. It also lets you compare practices honestly. |
| What happens at my first visit before any treatment? | Medical history, contraindication screening, photographs, and alternatives should come first. Same-day treatment is fine; skipping the assessment is not. |
| What is your protocol if I have a complication, and who do I call after hours? | Reversal agents on-site, written protocols, and a named contact. A specific answer is a strong quality signal; improvisation is not. |
| What would you recommend if I could only spend half this budget? | It tests whether the provider is treating your goal or selling their inventory. The best answers often involve fewer treatments and better skincare. |
| When would you tell me not to do this, or refer me elsewhere? | A provider who names the limits of what they offer — and refers to dermatology or plastic surgery when appropriate — is showing judgement. |
Walk away if you see these
- No named physician medical director
- Treatment offered without a consultation or medical history
- Provider will not state their license type or show the product
- Prices dramatically below the local market rate
- High-pressure package selling on the first visit
- Treatment performed in a salon, home, or hotel setting
- No written informed consent
- Before-and-after photos that are stock, edited, or inconsistently lit
How to read med spa reviews
A star average is the least informative number on a review page. Read for specifics instead: reviews that name the provider, the treatment, and the outcome are worth ten that say "amazing experience". Recency matters more than volume — staff turnover means a five-year-old review may describe people who no longer work there.
Read the negative reviews first, and judge the response rather than the complaint. A practice that answers a bad outcome with specifics and a path to resolution is demonstrating exactly the behaviour you want if something goes wrong for you. Defensive or legalistic replies are their own answer.
Be sceptical of clusters: a run of short five-star reviews posted within days of each other, all in similar phrasing, is a pattern rather than a coincidence. Likewise treat before-and-after photos with different lighting, angles, or make-up as marketing, not evidence.
Finally, notice what a review site itself will not tell you. This one publishes no star rating for the practice it covers, because it has no independently verified figure — and it says so on every page rather than inventing one.
Frequently asked questions
Apply this locally
Each community guide runs the same criteria against Skin Med Spa — including where its answer is "not published".
Then get treatment-specific
Every procedure has its own candidacy profile, session count, downtime, and set of questions. 29 independent guides cover them one by one.