Acara Generates $40K at Smartlipo Event

Exciting news from our Pasadena, CA location.  On Tuesday, August 26th Dr. Robert Tostado, Medical Director at Biologica Medspa presented the benefits of Smartlipo including the reduction of fat cells and increase in skin tightening.

Acara planned, promoted and executed this event which generated almost $50K in Medspa sales.  Onsite was Sandi Unkrur, Acara’s Director of MedSpa Operations to facilitate the evening and perform consultations.  The month of August will be a record revenue month for this highly recognized Pasadena, CA Medical Spa.

Once again Acara has proven that with a thorough plan, effective advertising and promotion and solid execution a Medical Spa can succeed even in our challenging economy.

If you are interested in adding Smartlipo to your medical spa or practice consider attending, internationally acclaimed Smartlipo pioneer, Dr. Bruce Katz’s upcoming Smartlipo Multiplex Workshop in NYC, October 18-19.

FXA

Questex Acquires Nancy Griffin’s SpaTrade

NEWTON, Mass., Aug 20, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Questex Media Group, Inc., a global, diversified business-to-business media company and owner of American Spa and American Salon magazines, Medical Spa Report, and the International Beauty Shows, the International Esthetics, Cosmetics & Spa Conferences (IECSC) and the SPATEC appointment events today announced the acquisition of SpaTrade, which produces industry portals SpaTrade ( www.SpaTrade.com ) and SpaExec ( www.SpaExec.net ) and the SpaExec networking events. Nancy Griffin, Founder and President of SpaTrade, and her team will continue to operate the business. 

Join Me Today for Recession Proof Your Medical Spa

I hope everyone can join me today for my Webinar Recession Proof Your Medical Spa.  I will be speaking on the top 7 ways you can maximize your business during difficult economic times.  Acara has doubled and tripled revenues for same period sales over previous year at locations nationwide during the past 12 months.  Join me to learn how we apply sound business principles and practices to get the job done!

FXA

Dr. Lansing Ellsworth and his Medspa Team perish in Crash

Dr. Lansing Ellsworth, noted dermatologist and medical spa owner, along with many on his team, were killed in a plane crash Friday evening, August 22.

They oftentimes traveled to remote locations providing much needed skin care and cancer services.  I know everyone in the Medical Spa Community joins me in offering our deepest sympathy and prayers to all of their family members and friends.

The complete story.

FXA

Medical Aesthetics Conference & Expo 2008

This September don’t miss the Medical Aesthetics Conference, once again, being held at the Jacob Javitts Center in NYC.  This is one of the preeminent medical spa events that takes place each year.  It has a complete trade show with hundreds of vendors and extensive education including a program for medical professionals that offers CME credits.

You can visit Acara’s booth on the trade show’s floor or attend one of the two seminars that I will be presenting.  MGMT02: How to Build your Spa’s Public Image/Awareness During a Challenged Economy: and MGMT04: How to Stand Out in a Competitive World:

For a complimentary pass to the trade show floor, sign up here.

FXA

Acara Exhibits at SpaClique’s Virtual Tradeshow

Online professional networking is exploding!  First we had website resources then came the professional blogs (SpaBIzMD being one of the top medical spa resources…of course) and now we have a very exciting new venue in the Virtual Tradeshow.

SpaClique, a social and professional spa networking site is featuring a Spa Tradeshow online.  Not only can you exhibit but also provide product samples to the virtual attendees.  All very exciting and a very fast, new way to reach your audience.

So, please visit SpaClique and check out the Acara tradeshow exhibit also, take a moment to rate us, it would be greatly appreciated.  You might also consider joining the site, it’s a great way to network with other spa professionals.

FXA

Acara’s Webinar Lineup!

We just announced the next 2 months of Acara Medical Spa Educational Webinars to be presented by myself and Deb Roberts, Acara’s VP of Marketing.  This link directs you to the press release announcement.

Announcing Acara’s Upcoming Complimentary Medical Spa Webinar Series

If you click on the above Webinar & Events tab you will be able to read about each Webinar and register.

I’d like to thank so many that frequent these Webinars, it feels great to think that we are making a difference in our industry.

If there is a topic anyone wishes us to add to our Webinar series, please leave a comment on this blog or e-mail us.

FXA

The Pied Piper

I’m sitting here by the campfire overlooking a mountain pond enjoying life in the great outdoors of New Hampshire’s White Mountains.  It’s incredible to think that by 10 a.m. I will have come down off the mountain, stopped by the local coffee shop with free internet access and uploaded this post for the entire world to read.

This peaceful world seems so far from the craziness of our economy and the ever-changing landscape of the Medical Spa segment of the spa industry.  I recently read an article in the OCRegister written by Colin Stewart titled “Slumping economy hits Medspas”.  (click here to view the entire article: OCRegister Article )  The basic claim of the article was that the downturn in the economy is what caused the closing of most of the medical spa chains. 

I’m in total disagreement with this assumption.  Clearly the economy has tempered people’s spending on medical spa services but a contraction of MedSpa purchases is not what caused the National Chains to close their doors.  In reality, most of the locations didn’t shut down it was just the Franchise operations that closed. 

It really saddens me that the spa industry, into which I have poured my heart and soul for the past 25 years,  has somehow been tainted by so many non-industry professionals who saw the Medical Spa segment as an opportunity to make a “fast buck”. 

What really amazes me is how rapidly so many jumped into the Medical spa world launching franchise operations and chains without having the right foundation or the structure in place that is essential to building a national multi-site business.  It was as if the Pied Piper came along and so many intelligent entrepreneurs and doctors followed the Piper’s tune (most of them non-spa professionals) of promises for financial gain and success through their proven systems but the Piper failed to ever deliver on any of the promises. 

This is why so many closings have occured; they’re due to an instable business structure, lack of knowledge and understanding of the industry and a wreckless under capitalization into many of these Medical Spas. 

It’s too bad because Acara has proven many times over that with sound business practices and principles, even in a downturn economy, a Medical Spa can succeed.  I now look forward to spending the next year or so re-building the integrity of the Medical Spa segment of the spa industry and watching it become a cornerstone of spa in North America.

FXA