Medical Spa Vs. Day Spa: What is the Difference?

It’s becoming increasingly more challenging for us to find the time for self-care in our busy lives. To maintain the glow of our skin and the shape of our body, everyone wants to invest in various spa treatments. These can be categorized as medical spa and day spa procedures.

Some of these require the expertise of a medical professional, while others can be performed by medical aestheticians. But what is the difference between these two – and which type of spa is right for you? Today we are going to explore the differences between the two and learn which one you should choose.

Keep reading!

What is A Medical Spa?

A medical spa is an exciting combination of medical procedures and aesthetic treatments. These are implemented for cosmetic impact. You can only get medical spa treatments under the supervision of medical aestheticians. They can make superficial or internal changes to your body.

Who is Allowed to Perform Medical Spa Treatments

Medical spa treatments need expertise and understanding of the human anatomy, nerves, skin, hair, hormone production, and more. These treatments can make physiological changes. From pre-treatment preparation to post-treatment care, they require medical experts and licensed physician assistants.

Services Included Under Medical Spa

Medical spa treatments are services offered at med spas and include minimally invasive and non-invasive services, including heat and light therapy options. These are intense medical treatments that require medical expertise. These treatment options include the following –

Neurotoxin injections and dermal fillers,
Body contouring and reshaping,
Laser hair removal,
Acne scar removal,
Skin resurfacing,
Microneedling,
Chemical peels,
Photorejuvenation, etc.

What is Day Spa?

Day spa treatments include cosmetic treatments for immediate but temporary impact on your face, skin, nails, air, and body. It also helps you achieve relaxation. These are luxurious beauty treatments using premium products and procedures. Day spa cosmetic procedures include the following –

Who is Allowed to Perform Day Spa Treatments

Day spa treatment options include an array of services for skin, hair, and nails and general comfort. While they are not medical-grade procedures that need doctors or medical pros, a good day spa will always have a team of licensed massage therapists and aestheticians experienced in specialized skin treatments.

Services Included Under Medical Spa

Day spa treatments include a variety of services that are usually offered at luxury spas and personal care centers. They may also be provided at a hair salon, nail salon, skin care center, massage parlour, etc., offering premium services as follows:

Different types of massage
Facial treatment,
Lash extensions,
Waxing and threading for hair removal,
Makeup and hairstyling,
Hair rejuvenation spa,
Nail extension,
Pedicure and manicure, etc.

Difference Between a Medical Spa and Day Spa

Clearly, both medical spa and day spa are establishments centered around a range of personal care treatments. Then what’s the difference between the two? You see, at a day spa, you will get therapeutic massages and cosmetic services performed by an aesthetician and masseuse.

On the other hand, in a medical spa, you will get treatment options that are a mix of cosmetology and medical treatments. Thus, med spa services can be performed under the supervision of a physician. It should also preferably be performed by a medical expert who has specialized in the field of cosmetology.

Medical spa treatments often go deep into the skin, alter hormones, involve minimally invasive injections and fillers, use laser light and heat, and more. These treatments may be targeted towards specific problems resulting from the way your body is built or specific medical issues.

Thus, a medical spa goes deeper into a problem and offers results that are more prolonged. It makes certain changes to your body without invasive surgeries. On the other hand, day spa treatments have a more superficial take on the symptoms of the problems you might be facing.

Suppose you have fine lines and dark patches. A day spa may offer fruit facials and natural peels for quick glow and smoothness. But a med spa will recommend medical facials with chemical peels to reveal underlying skin layers, along with collagen induction therapy to plump up and tighten the skin.

Thus, traditional day spa services focus on personal care treatments to improve beauty and comfort. From pedicure/manicure to aromatherapy – everything falls under this category. Some of them offer different massage therapies like hot stone massage. Others offer hairdos and makeup.

These treatments and services do not need the supervision of healthcare professionals. The services do not need to be performed by a qualified physician or medically trained professional, either. However, most day spas have a team of licensed cosmetologists, aestheticians, and massage therapists.

So there is a clear difference between the two in products and tools used and the expertise of the professionals who perform or supervise the services. The results also vary in terms of terms of how long they last. As a result, you can expect medical treatments to be more expensive than day spa services.

How Medical Spa Treatments and Day Spa Treatments are Similar

The primary similarity between the treatments offered at a medical spa and a day spa is that they include premium products and advanced technologies to provide cosmetic services and physical therapies with an aesthetic goal in mind. They both offer a vast diversity of treatments.

Both constantly try to incorporate the latest advancements in their respective fields and need experts to perform the services using high-quality products and specialized tools. A lot of people often get confused between a day spa and a medspa because of these similarities.

That’s because they both have the common goal of providing beauty and relaxation treatments. While one takes a more superficial approach for quick and fast-fading results, the other is an advanced and science-backed approach for long-lasting impacts.

Which Spa Is Right For You?

The type of spa you choose depends on your goals. Do you want a long-term impact or a quick fix? It also depends on the kind of concerns you wish to address, the time you’re ready to invest, and your budget. Day spa services are ideal for basic aesthetic issues like dull skin, poorly shaped eyebrows, etc.

On the other hand, if you want to smoothen your laugh lines from the inside and remove unwanted hair for good, medical spa treatments are needed. For best results, it may be a good idea to choose a combination of med spa and day spa treatments.