Medical Spa Inhouse Marketing Lures 6,000 New Patients a Year

SANTA MONICA, CALIF. — Don't bother leafing through the pages of glossy, upscale San Diego magazines to find advertisements for Dr. Mitchel P. Goldman's successful, 6-year-old medical spa.

Magazine marketing recruits mostly "looky-loos," said Dr. Goldman at a cosmetic dermatology seminar sponsored by Skin Disease Education Foundation.

Most of the marketing for La Jolla (Calif.) Spa MD occurs only after a patient enters the column-framed, wood-and-glass doors and is greeted by one of 92 staff members for a dermatology, cosmetic surgery, or cosmetic dentistry procedure; wellness/longevity consultation; spa service, or a trip to the retail center.

Then, "it's all marketing," from the videos playing in the waiting room and the artfully displayed brochures to the up-close (and sometimes alarming) computer analysis of patients' faces and flaws, with a scorecard and list of recommended procedures.

The patient who arrives for a simple $150 massage—the least profitable service in the spa—might also be informed that a cancellation has left a Botox appointment available, for 10% off.

Spa aestheticians, massage therapists, and make-up specialists receive incentives when their clients sign up for cosmetic medical procedures.

Established patients, whose names go into the computer database, receive discount coupons, specials, and gift cards. Birthday and anniversary cards arrive each year, with $50-off coupons. The spa newsletter features special promotions.

Upward of 10,000 Web site visitors a month, often drawn to the site by word-of-mouth, learn about spa and medical services, schedule spa "packages"—(the 3-hour, four-treatment "anti-cellulite sampler" goes for $620), and purchase products once they establish an online account, thus entering the database to receive e-mail blast offers for discount services.

Although he is not big on print and broadcast advertising, Dr. Goldman said he is generous with his time for interviews with journalists. He also promotes the spa by making generous charitable donations. At any given time, the practice may be conducting 20 active clinical trials, any of which may draw a newcomer who will then return as a paying customer.

Dr. Goldman's unconventional, upscale marketing efforts seem to be paying off. In the past 3 years, the number of new patients rose from 5,600 to 5,700, to 6,000, respectively, he said.

SDEF and this newspaper are wholly owned subsidiaries of Elsevier.

Dr. Mitchel P. Goldman's upscale marketing efforts are paying off. ©Marty Mann

What's Hot and What's Not at An Upscale California MediSpa

Dr. Goldman, founder of the La Jolla Spa MD medical spa, recently shared his observations about which treatments are "in," which are "out," and which aren't worth the trouble.

Ubiquitous Botox procedures, always a draw, and requests for other facial fillers have been up 25% in recent months at his spa, as a down economy induces penny-pinching socialites to seek out temporary, relatively affordable alternatives to big-ticket cosmetic surgery procedures, according to Dr. Goldman.

As a whole, aesthetic surgery procedures declined 10% last year, while appointments for plastic surgery took a 50% dive, said Dr. Goldman. Adding that breast implants, facelifts, and blepharoplasty procedures have seen a decline "all over California."

He predicted the popularity of these procedures will rebound with "pent-up demand" once the economy improves.

Leg vein procedures, hair removal, photodynamic therapy for acne, and intense pulsed light treatments are all holding their own, and cosmetic dentistry has proved to be "very profitable," he said.

The spa's retail center, which features a variety of skin products, has shown 133% growth in 5 years, now generating $1.5 million/year in sales.

Dr. Goldman doesn't recommend catering to patients requesting laser tattoo removal.

"They're the worst patients in the world," who may have paid $100 while drunk to get a tattoo and are irritated at the notion of paying thousands for 5-50 treatments to have them removed, he said.

SANTA MONICA, CALIF. — Don't bother leafing through the pages of glossy, upscale San Diego magazines to find advertisements for Dr. Mitchel P. Goldman's successful, 6-year-old medical spa.

Magazine marketing recruits mostly "looky-loos," said Dr. Goldman at a cosmetic dermatology seminar sponsored by Skin Disease Education Foundation.

Most of the marketing for La Jolla (Calif.) Spa MD occurs only after a patient enters the column-framed, wood-and-glass doors and is greeted by one of 92 staff members for a dermatology, cosmetic surgery, or cosmetic dentistry procedure; wellness/longevity consultation; spa service, or a trip to the retail center.

Then, "it's all marketing," from the videos playing in the waiting room and the artfully displayed brochures to the up-close (and sometimes alarming) computer analysis of patients' faces and flaws, with a scorecard and list of recommended procedures.

The patient who arrives for a simple $150 massage—the least profitable service in the spa—might also be informed that a cancellation has left a Botox appointment available, for 10% off.

Spa aestheticians, massage therapists, and make-up specialists receive incentives when their clients sign up for cosmetic medical procedures.

Established patients, whose names go into the computer database, receive discount coupons, specials, and gift cards. Birthday and anniversary cards arrive each year, with $50-off coupons. The spa newsletter features special promotions.

Upward of 10,000 Web site visitors a month, often drawn to the site by word-of-mouth, learn about spa and medical services, schedule spa "packages"—(the 3-hour, four-treatment "anti-cellulite sampler" goes for $620), and purchase products once they establish an online account, thus entering the database to receive e-mail blast offers for discount services.

Although he is not big on print and broadcast advertising, Dr. Goldman said he is generous with his time for interviews with journalists. He also promotes the spa by making generous charitable donations. At any given time, the practice may be conducting 20 active clinical trials, any of which may draw a newcomer who will then return as a paying customer.

Dr. Goldman's unconventional, upscale marketing efforts seem to be paying off. In the past 3 years, the number of new patients rose from 5,600 to 5,700, to 6,000, respectively, he said.

SDEF and this newspaper are wholly owned subsidiaries of Elsevier.

Dr. Mitchel P. Goldman's upscale marketing efforts are paying off. ©Marty Mann

What's Hot and What's Not at An Upscale California MediSpa

Dr. Goldman, founder of the La Jolla Spa MD medical spa, recently shared his observations about which treatments are "in," which are "out," and which aren't worth the trouble.

Ubiquitous Botox procedures, always a draw, and requests for other facial fillers have been up 25% in recent months at his spa, as a down economy induces penny-pinching socialites to seek out temporary, relatively affordable alternatives to big-ticket cosmetic surgery procedures, according to Dr. Goldman.

As a whole, aesthetic surgery procedures declined 10% last year, while appointments for plastic surgery took a 50% dive, said Dr. Goldman. Adding that breast implants, facelifts, and blepharoplasty procedures have seen a decline "all over California."

He predicted the popularity of these procedures will rebound with "pent-up demand" once the economy improves.

Leg vein procedures, hair removal, photodynamic therapy for acne, and intense pulsed light treatments are all holding their own, and cosmetic dentistry has proved to be "very profitable," he said.

The spa's retail center, which features a variety of skin products, has shown 133% growth in 5 years, now generating $1.5 million/year in sales.

Dr. Goldman doesn't recommend catering to patients requesting laser tattoo removal.

"They're the worst patients in the world," who may have paid $100 while drunk to get a tattoo and are irritated at the notion of paying thousands for 5-50 treatments to have them removed, he said.

SANTA MONICA, CALIF. — Don't bother leafing through the pages of glossy, upscale San Diego magazines to find advertisements for Dr. Mitchel P. Goldman's successful, 6-year-old medical spa.

Magazine marketing recruits mostly "looky-loos," said Dr. Goldman at a cosmetic dermatology seminar sponsored by Skin Disease Education Foundation.

Most of the marketing for La Jolla (Calif.) Spa MD occurs only after a patient enters the column-framed, wood-and-glass doors and is greeted by one of 92 staff members for a dermatology, cosmetic surgery, or cosmetic dentistry procedure; wellness/longevity consultation; spa service, or a trip to the retail center.

Then, "it's all marketing," from the videos playing in the waiting room and the artfully displayed brochures to the up-close (and sometimes alarming) computer analysis of patients' faces and flaws, with a scorecard and list of recommended procedures.

The patient who arrives for a simple $150 massage—the least profitable service in the spa—might also be informed that a cancellation has left a Botox appointment available, for 10% off.

Spa aestheticians, massage therapists, and make-up specialists receive incentives when their clients sign up for cosmetic medical procedures.

Established patients, whose names go into the computer database, receive discount coupons, specials, and gift cards. Birthday and anniversary cards arrive each year, with $50-off coupons. The spa newsletter features special promotions.

Upward of 10,000 Web site visitors a month, often drawn to the site by word-of-mouth, learn about spa and medical services, schedule spa "packages"—(the 3-hour, four-treatment "anti-cellulite sampler" goes for $620), and purchase products once they establish an online account, thus entering the database to receive e-mail blast offers for discount services.

Although he is not big on print and broadcast advertising, Dr. Goldman said he is generous with his time for interviews with journalists. He also promotes the spa by making generous charitable donations. At any given time, the practice may be conducting 20 active clinical trials, any of which may draw a newcomer who will then return as a paying customer.

Dr. Goldman's unconventional, upscale marketing efforts seem to be paying off. In the past 3 years, the number of new patients rose from 5,600 to 5,700, to 6,000, respectively, he said.

SDEF and this newspaper are wholly owned subsidiaries of Elsevier.

Dr. Mitchel P. Goldman's upscale marketing efforts are paying off. ©Marty Mann

What's Hot and What's Not at An Upscale California MediSpa

Dr. Goldman, founder of the La Jolla Spa MD medical spa, recently shared his observations about which treatments are "in," which are "out," and which aren't worth the trouble.

Ubiquitous Botox procedures, always a draw, and requests for other facial fillers have been up 25% in recent months at his spa, as a down economy induces penny-pinching socialites to seek out temporary, relatively affordable alternatives to big-ticket cosmetic surgery procedures, according to Dr. Goldman.

As a whole, aesthetic surgery procedures declined 10% last year, while appointments for plastic surgery took a 50% dive, said Dr. Goldman. Adding that breast implants, facelifts, and blepharoplasty procedures have seen a decline "all over California."

He predicted the popularity of these procedures will rebound with "pent-up demand" once the economy improves.

Leg vein procedures, hair removal, photodynamic therapy for acne, and intense pulsed light treatments are all holding their own, and cosmetic dentistry has proved to be "very profitable," he said.

The spa's retail center, which features a variety of skin products, has shown 133% growth in 5 years, now generating $1.5 million/year in sales.

Dr. Goldman doesn't recommend catering to patients requesting laser tattoo removal.

"They're the worst patients in the world," who may have paid $100 while drunk to get a tattoo and are irritated at the notion of paying thousands for 5-50 treatments to have them removed, he said.