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Last reviewed: July 2026 · prices in USD · national baseline for med spas
Med spas sell repeat aesthetics — tox every three months, filler, laser series, memberships — in a market that's exploded competitive: every strip mall has one in 2026, and injectors leave to open their own down the street. Clients find them on Instagram and TikTok, vet them on Google reviews, and increasingly ask AI engines what Botox should cost and who's reputable nearby. The economics reward retention over acquisition — a regular tox client is worth thousands a year — yet most spas chase new faces with discounts while their reactivation list gathers dust.
An aesthetics client discovers on Instagram or TikTok, verifies on Google reviews, price-checks through AI answers, and books wherever friction is lowest — four surfaces, one decision. Med spas over-invest in the discovery layer and under-invest in everything after, which is why gorgeous feeds coexist with empty Tuesday calendars. Running the surfaces together — social feeding search, reviews feeding AI citations, everything funneling to a booking path that works — converts the audience the spa already built. In a market this saturated, the operators who own the whole journey stop competing on discount.
| Tier | Typical range | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Starter (priority channels) | $500–$2,500/mo | Google + one AI engine + one more surface, focused |
| SMB full bundle | $2,500–$6,000/mo | Google, AI engines, maps, social, and marketplaces together |
| Mid-market | $5,000–$15,000/mo | Multi-location or competitive categories |
| Enterprise | $20,000–$50,000/mo | Brand-wide, every surface, dedicated strategy |
Med spas budget bigger than most local businesses — commonly 6-10% of revenue — because acquisition is competitive and the owner, often the lead injector or a physician, understands client lifetime value: a retained tox-and-filler regular is worth $2,000-$5,000 a year. Spend historically goes to Instagram content, influencer trades, and paid social. The comparison any new line item faces is what it costs versus one new regular a month — a bar most well-run programs clear, and the honest ones report in exactly those terms.
Demand peaks before summer and again before the holiday and event season, January brings the resolution wave, and smart spas plan a season ahead.
We get most clients from Instagram — why do we need anything else?
Instagram is a rented audience, and the landlord rewrites the lease whenever it wants. The algorithm shifts, your reach gets cut in half overnight — meanwhile, clients wondering if cheap Botox is safe are typing into Google and ChatGPT, not scrolling your feed. Build into search, reviews, and answer engines instead. Turn the following you built into bookings the algorithm can't take back. Keep Instagram. Just stop betting the business on it.
What does it cost to automate our booking and follow-up, and will clients hate it?
Managed programs run $2,500 to $6,000 a month. Lighter setups start around $500. Your clients don't resent the software — they resent waiting for DM replies and playing phone tag. Instant answers on pricing and downtime matter. Easy booking matters. A text saying you're due back matters. These read as attentive, not automated. Check your own numbers two months in: consult bookings and no-show rate.
How do we stand out when three new med spas opened within a mile?
Skip the discount race. That ends at zero. What sticks is proof and reach: a review base your competitors can't manufacture, cited answers to the safety and cost questions every client runs through, follow-up so consistent that regulars never drop off. A new spa can steal your menu and undercut your price. They can't steal three hundred reviews and two years of answer-engine authority.
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Methodology: ranges are synthesized from published 2026 market pricing across vendors, agencies, and platforms, reviewed and refreshed monthly (last refresh: July 2026). Metro figures apply a cost-of-doing-business index (built from 2026 local cost-of-living and labor data) that we scale per price tier: self-serve tools are priced nationally and barely move between cities, while managed and enterprise work — which is delivered by local labor — carries the full local premium. That is why the same city shifts a done-for-you retainer far more than a DIY subscription. Prices are in USD and describe typical market rates, not quotes; a real quote for your business takes minutes through a verified provider on the hashtag.org network.