Do you regret going to a medical spa?

When it gets right down to the nitty gritty, the results of the treatment will be almost entirely dependent on the person (and the equipment) that is treating you. Regulations regarding med spas can be drastically different from state to state. In Canada, ANYONE can buy a laser and use it with no training at all. There is no easy short cut to finding a good place to have your work done. You will have to do your home work. That means making a site visit, talking to the person who will be treating you, ask questions, look at THEIR before and after pictures (not the pics provided by the companies that sell lasers fillers and Botox), check referrals, etc. Michael Sinclair, MD

my feeling is that it depends on the procedure. Like I'd never ever get a phenol chemical peel at a medispa. But a TCA peel? Sure. Botox, it's fine. The key thing to be aware of is that there is no doctor onhand when you're getting a treatment. So if you take the plunge and get some really deep laser treatment, look out. My favorite medical spa is really just an extension of the spa I used to go to. I got my facials there and routine touchups. The bigger stuff is when I head to my derm.

medical spas = not worth it! my experience was terrible and terrifying at a chicago chain medical spa. they burned me doing a very routine laser skin hair procedure and then denied it was an accident. when i started making an stink it finally got them to talk about giving me a discount. a discounted burn! great. just what i wanted. i tell all of my friends that medical spas are not worth the risk and you won t save much money in the grand scheme once they're done upselling you to products and new treatment packages. get a good doctor and make sure they do the work on you.

in seattle i've enjoyed the professionalism of the staff at calidora. well trained but as others have said, not likely to see a doctor on premise.