If you walk into a medical spa, you’ll undoubtedly smell lavender, see white lab coats, and hear people talking quietly about stress rashes and injectables. This is not your grandma’s spa, that’s for sure. Medical spas are where self-care and science meet. You may find needles and numbing cream next to herbal teas on the shelves. You can hear anything from Botox jokes to quiet admissions about wanting jawlines like movie stars in the waiting area for ten minutes. Looking for the Best medical spa near me? Your glow-up starts right around the corner!

First, let’s talk about facials. Facials on a regular basis? You might leave with rosy cheeks. Facials at a med spa? Now we’re talking about chemical peels that can make your skin look five years younger, lasers that can fry a marshmallow, and machines that sound like spaceships. One of my clients said that her chemical peel tingled so much that she thought it might be a lie detector. Another person said that the face massage was so calming that she almost told the esthetician all of her childhood secrets.

Injectables need their own talk. Not just stories about Botox that make your face look frozen, but also crazy stories of people trying to get fillers before school pickup. Spoiler: There is always one little bruise. Some people get inventive and label it “modern art.” Some people use it as a way to start a conversation during yoga.

Another popular thing to do is skin needling. Microneedles so little they could make a hedgehog blush were pushed into faces as they were making pizza dough. People read the brochures, cringe at the phrase “collagen induction therapy,” and then remember that anything that has the term “therapy” in it must be good for you. Is that right?

Then there are the things on the menu that you probably won’t find at any day spa. What are platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatments? It seems that science fiction made its way onto the esthetics menu. A technician will spin your blood around in a tube and then gently pat it onto your skin. No vampires needed, even if everyone suddenly becomes very interested in hemoglobin.

Let’s take a step back. There are a thousand reasons why people go to medical spas. Some people desire answers that don’t involve pills or scars from surgery. Some people need a boost of confidence before large events. And then there are people who only wish to get rid of the sun spots that are still there from the careless days of summer.

Everything is trust. A client once said that picking her injector was like picking a tattoo artist: skill comes first, then pricing. It doesn’t hurt to have good bedside demeanor. You’re in good hands if your nurse practitioner can quote “Mean Girls” while getting ready to give you a shot.

Even meetings have a different cadence. There are no pink robes, but there are a lot of iPad consultations and close-up pictures taken in daytime bulbs. Every before-and-after picture, every inquiry regarding downtime, is seen through the perspective of reality and popular social media apps.

A decent medical spa is like a mix of a science lab, a therapy office, and a coffee shop. You might come for the laser and remain for the conversation about how to live your best life. You’ll never think of “self-care” the same way again.