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Why the Most Profitable Salons and Med Spas Are Saying “No” to Marketplace Platforms

The most profitable salons, spas and med spas are stepping away from marketplace platforms because marketplaces are built to drive client movement, not client loyalty. The platform owns the client relationship and the data, and it nudges your clients towards competitors and discounts. Top businesses use salon-owned systems like Phorest instead. Phorest deliberately has no … Continued

What a “Simple” Payment Really Costs a Salon or Med Spa

On average, salon teams spend 45 hours a month dealing with payment-related admin after the client has already left. This doesn’t mean 45 hours taking payments; it’s 45 hours untangling them. That time goes on closing out the register when it takes longer than planned, on deposits that need chasing or explaining, and on tips … Continued

Med Spa Startup Guide: What It Really Takes to Launch a Clinic

To launch a med spa, you’ll need to confirm your state’s ownership and medical oversight rules, secure the right licenses and insurance, budget for equipment and startup costs, and set up software that handles booking, HIPAA-compliant records, charting, payments, and inventory. Startup costs average $19,267 before equipment, which can add $80,000 or more, according to … Continued

Why Do Med Spa Ads Attract the Wrong Patients? What We Heard at AES 2026.

Med spa ads attract the wrong patients when the advertising platform only learns from bookings made inside the ad itself. Most people who see an ad leave to read reviews, ask a friend, or call the front desk before they commit, and none of those bookings are counted. The algorithm learns from what it can … Continued

Salon Payments, Loyalty, and Reviews: How to Build Real Client Trust in 2026

The salons winning client trust in 2026 focus on three moments: how a client pays, how they’re invited back, and how they talk about the business online. Phorest’s platform (PhorestPay, TreatCard, Memberships, and Online Reputation) is built around all three, with Online Reputation designed to comply with current Google and FTC review policies. Why does … Continued

How Can Med Spas Reduce No-Shows and Build Predictable Recurring Revenue?

No-shows are one of the most common, and most fixable, sources of lost revenue at a med spa. The most effective fixes combine automated, compliance-aware appointment confirmations, clear deposit and cancellation policies, and membership or package programs that turn one-off visits into scheduled, recurring revenue. Software that connects booking, payments, and patient communication in one … Continued

How Phorest Automates the Med Spa Front Desk, Booking, and Marketing

Phorest handles the front desk, booking, and marketing through a connected set of automations. Waitlist matching fills last-minute cancellations. Deposits and card-on-file secure bookings. Patients can check themselves in instead of waiting at the desk. Front Desk AI answers routine messages around the clock, and Cheat Sheet AI preps providers with a patient’s history before … Continued

What’s the Best Med Spa Software for Growth? A 2026 Buyer’s Guide

There’s no single “best” med spa software for every business. The right platform depends on your compliance needs, your growth stage, and whether you’re optimizing for clinical documentation or business growth. But for med spas and multi-location groups that want bookings, marketing, retention, and reporting working from one connected system, an all-in-one growth platform, like … Continued

Med Spa Scheduling Software: How to Handle Multi-Location, Multi-Provider Bookings Without the Chaos

The best med spa scheduling software does more than book appointments. It manages providers, rooms, and equipment as connected resources; automates waitlists and processing time; and keeps every location in sync in real time. If your platform can’t handle multi-provider visits, series bookings, and room conflicts automatically, you’re the one doing the scheduling, not the … Continued