Keep clients coming back · Every business
Getting More Reviews for a Med Spa
A med spa client chooses an injector the way she would choose a surgeon, by reading other patients, so the review system has to ask every client at the point her result is visible, follow the rules on incentives and photos, and answer every review without sharing anything about her treatment.
At a glance
- A med spa review system sends one request to every client once her result has settled, such as about two weeks after a neurotoxin visit, with no discount attached and no screening, and replies to every review without confirming any treatment.
- In the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery's 2025 survey of more than 3,500 consumers, 94% said rate-and-review websites affect their choice of provider, and 74% follow the social media of the provider they see or are considering.
- In BrightLocal's 2026 survey of 1,002 U.S. adults, 31% said they use only businesses rated 4.5 stars or higher, up from 17% a year earlier, a high bar for a business whose results vary from face to face.
- For an illustrative med spa with 245 patient visits a month, the industry average, asking every client adds about 212 reviews a year.
Part 1 | Reviews carry the trust that credentials alone cannot
Choosing a med spa means choosing who will inject your face, and clients now read widely before they book. The ASDS survey found that 94% of consumers say rate-and-review websites affect their decision, that board certification, physician referral and level of licensure ranked highest among the factors that influence them, and that nearly half say a provider's social media presence affects whether they schedule. Reviews are where those questions get answered in other patients' words: who did the treatment, whether the result looked natural and whether the clinic followed up.
The owner's instinct is often We'll ask after the visit, while she's happy in the chair. For an injectable, that moment comes before the result. The prescribing information for BOTOX Cosmetic states that the effect begins one to two days after injection and increases in intensity during the first week, so a review written at checkout describes a few small marks and a promise, while one written two weeks later describes the result.
Part 2 | The rules on incentives and photos are stricter than most owners assume
Med spas are used to promotions, and review promotions are where they get into trouble. Google's review policy forbids offering incentives such as discounts or free services for reviews and forbids selectively soliciting positive ones, so "$25 toward your next syringe for a review" breaks the policy even if the review is honest. The Federal Trade Commission's consumer review rule, in effect since October 21, 2024, bans conditioning an incentive on a positive review, and the FTC's endorsement guidance adds that when a testimonial describes results the advertiser cannot show are typical, the ad must make clear what results people can generally expect.
Photos raise a second set of rules. Many med spas operate under medical oversight and keep health information, and for practices covered by HIPAA, the Department of Health and Human Services lists full-face photographs among the identifiers of protected health information and requires written authorization before protected health information is used for marketing. Reposting a client's review alongside her before-and-after photo, or answering a review with "your filler looks great," moves a private record into a public advertisement, so the safe default is a signed photo release before any image is used and replies that mention no treatment.
Part 3 | The request, the reply and the math
The request, sent by text when the result has settled
"Hi [first name], it's been about two weeks since your visit at [business name], which is usually when the result is at its best. If you're happy with it, a short review helps others find a provider they can trust: [review link]. If anything looks uneven, reply here and we'll set up a quick check."
For treatments other than neurotoxin, set the send day with your medical director to the point when the result is usually visible.
The reply to praise
"Thank you for taking the time to write this. Our team works hard to give every client natural, careful results, and we appreciate you sharing your experience."
The reply to criticism
"We take every concern seriously. To protect client privacy we don't discuss anyone's care online, so please call our [practice manager or clinical director] at [phone] so we can talk it through."
| Patient visits per month (AmSpa 2024 report, industry average) | 245 |
|---|---|
| Share with a mobile number and texting consent (Assumption) | 90% |
| Requests sent per month (Calculated (245 × 90%)) | about 221 |
| Share who write a review (Assumption) | 8% |
| New reviews per month (Calculated (220.5 × 8%)) | about 18 |
| New reviews per year (Calculated (17.64 × 12)) | about 212 |
| Reviews in any three-month window (Calculated (17.64 × 3)) | about 53 |
Illustrative example; replace every assumption with your own numbers.
Replies matter beyond the reviewer. A study of hotels on TripAdvisor, reported in Harvard Business Review, found that properties that began responding to reviews went on to receive 12% more reviews and saw ratings rise by an average of 0.12 stars, and in BrightLocal's survey 89% of consumers said they expect owners to respond while 50% are put off by templated replies, so a reply should sound like the clinic even when it says nothing about the client's care.
How you compare
- Rating: 31% of consumers use only businesses rated 4.5 stars or higher; check where you sit.
- Recency: 74% of consumers look for reviews from the last three months, so count yours from the last 90 days.
- Count: 47% would not use a business with fewer than 20 reviews.
- Replies: read your last 20 replies and flag any that name a treatment, a provider's work on a specific client or a photo.
Questions to ask this week
When does our request go out? If it goes at checkout, move toxin requests to about day 14.
Is any incentive tied to reviews? Remove it from the request, the front desk script and the website.
Do we have a signed release for every photo we post? If not, take down any image without one.
Do our replies confirm treatment? Edit any reply that names a service or a result.
General information, not legal or medical advice; talk to a licensed professional about your situation.
The next step is to move the review request to the day the result usually shows and send it to every client, starting with this week's neurotoxin patients.
About this research: This article draws on the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery's 2025 consumer survey of more than 3,500 people, BrightLocal's 2026 survey of 1,002 U.S. adults (run by a local search software company), the American Med Spa Association's 2024 industry report, the BOTOX Cosmetic prescribing information, a TripAdvisor study reported in Harvard Business Review, Google's review policy, the FTC's consumer review rule and endorsement guidance, and HHS guidance on de-identification and marketing. The worked example is illustrative.
Sources
- American Society for Dermatologic Surgery. Dermatologists Top the List as Key Influencers in Patients' Cosmetic Procedure Decisions. July 2025. 2025 ASDS Consumer Survey; more than 3,500 consumers.
- BrightLocal. Local Consumer Review Survey 2026. 2026. Panel of 1,002 U.S. adults.
- American Med Spa Association. 2024 Medical Spa State of the Industry Executive Report Recap. 2024.
- Allergan (AbbVie). BOTOX Cosmetic Full Prescribing Information. Revised October 2024.
- Proserpio, D. and Zervas, G. Study: Replying to Customer Reviews Results in Better Ratings. Harvard Business Review, February 2018.
- Google. Prohibited and restricted content: Maps user-generated content policy. Google Maps Help.
- Federal Trade Commission. Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule: Questions and Answers. 2024.
- Federal Trade Commission. FTC's Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking.
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Guidance Regarding Methods for De-identification of Protected Health Information and Marketing.
Related reading: How Clients Choose a Med Spa: Credentials, Photos and Prices · Before-and-After Photos and Portfolios That Win Bookings, and the Rules to Follow · How to Respond to a Bad Review, With Templates · The Experience Library: Med Spa Edition · The Front Door Checklist for Med Spas
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