The day spas vs med spas conversation has been going on for years. It’s time to explain the difference once and for all.
The field of esthetics is constantly growing, and one of the main developments in the field is the rise of medical esthetics. However, many people don’t realize that there are major differences between average day spas vs med spas. Medical estheticians and other medical professionals like nurses and doctors are able to work at a med spa and provide services that the ordinary esthetician is unable to perform at a general spa.
If you’re considering a career in medical esthetics, you’ll absolutely want to know what makes it a unique industry.
Day Spas vs Med Spas
Most spas employ licensed estheticians in order to provide treatments such as facials, peels, waxings, and more. But for more intensive treatments that go beneath the surface of the skin, you’ll likely need to go to a medical spa. A med spa must employ a medical director to supervise and perform these medical-grade esthetics treatments. These treatments require a deeper understanding of anatomy and the body. Med spas offer treatments including injectables (like Botox and fillers), laser treatments, and more. That said, med spas do hire estheticians as well, though specialized training is often included.
Medical Knowledge Required
If you want to work at med spas instead of a general day spa, you’ll need a deeper understanding of certain medical treatments. While normal esthetic treatments do happen at med spas, there are often additional treatments that require in-depth knowledge and training. For example, microneedling and microdermabrasion treatments are popular at many med spas. However, these treatments are often not included in the typical 600-hour esthetician licensing course.
That said, there are many treatments at a medical spa that licensed estheticians cannot perform without also being a nurse or doctor.
Who Can Become a Medical Esthetician
As mentioned above, licensed estheticians can be hired by med spas just as they can be hired at day spas. However, an esthetician cannot open a med spa without also having a medical director in their business.
On the other hand, medical professionals like nurses and doctors can perform treatments at med spas, but they will likely need deeper understanding of skin conditions and esthetics treatments. Thankfully, programs like ours here at SIME can bridge that gap.