Med spa marketing: a privacy-safe plan for reviews, local SEO and ads

What makes med spa marketing different

Many med spa treatments are medical procedures. That changes three things a salon doesn't worry about: what you can claim in ads and on your pages, what you can say in a public review reply, and how you use client photos. Get those wrong and the cost is a rejected ad, a complaint or a privacy breach, not just a weak campaign.

Our State of local reviews 2026 study covered dentists and trades, not med spas, so we don't quote med spa figures here. The closest group, dental practices, replied to a median 82% of their newest reviews against 94% for trades; a short reply that confirms nothing about the client is always possible.

Step 1: Google profile and categories

1. Primary category: “Medical spa” if that's what you are. Whitespark's 2026 survey rates the primary category as the strongest map factor, so pick the most specific one that's true.
2. Additional categories, only if true: skin care clinic, laser hair removal service, facial spa. Names differ by country, so type a few words and pick from Google's own list. Up to nine in total.
3. Services: each treatment by its plain name, with a neutral one-line description. No “painless”, “permanent” or “guaranteed”.
4. Booking link straight to consultations, accurate hours and holiday hours.
5. Description: who leads the clinic and their qualifications, what you offer, where you are. No keyword lists.

Step 2: Treatment pages that inform, not promise

UK clinics: rules on advertising prescription-only medicines, such as botulinum toxin, are strict, so check the ASA's guidance for aesthetic clinics before you name an injectable in ads, posts or page titles. US med spas: what you can offer and say depends on your state's rules on medical oversight; check them with your medical director.

Step 3: Ask every client for a review (link, text and QR code)

• Send your direct review link by text or email the same day as the visit, without naming the treatment.
• Ask every client the same way. Google bans asking only happy clients, offering anything in return and asking for specific content. In the US the FTC's rule, and in the UK the DMCC Act, ban fake and incentivised reviews.
• No “10% off your next treatment for a review”, no review contests, and no asking staff to hit a quota.
• A small QR sign at reception is fine; pressing clients to review before they leave isn't.
• Google first. If your clients also read RealSelf, you can point some requests there.

Step 4: Reply without confirming a treatment

A public reply that confirms someone was treated, or names the treatment, discloses health information. In 2022 the US Department of Health and Human Services settled with a dental practice over details it put in review replies, and in the UK, health data is special category data under UK GDPR. Thank the reviewer, invite them to contact the clinic, and say nothing about their visit.

More examples are in patient reviews for chiropractors, physios and med spas, and the reply generator has a confidential mode that keeps drafts general.

Step 5: Photos and before-and-afters

• Your Google profile: the clinic outside and in, treatment rooms, equipment and the team. These build trust without consent issues.
• Before-and-after photos: only with written consent that covers where you'll use them, stored with the client record. Same lighting and angle, no filters or retouching, no faces unless consented.
• Label them as individual results that vary, and don't use them in ads without checking the ad platform's policy first.

Step 6: Ads that pass review

• Google Ads and Meta both have healthcare policies. Some treatments and terms are restricted or need certification, so read Google's healthcare and medicines policy and Meta's advertising standards before you launch.
• Advertise the consultation and the clinic, not a result. Send people to the treatment page, not just your homepage.
• Target a radius around the clinic. Don't build audiences from health conditions or write copy that implies you know something about the viewer's body.
• Measure booked consultations and show-ups, not clicks.

Our local ads service runs Google and Meta ads on your own ad accounts.

Your 90-day plan, and what to ask an agency

If you hire a med spa marketing agency, ask how they handle consent for photos, how they keep review replies private, and whether their ads have been rejected under healthcare policies before. Walk away from anyone who promises a number of bookings or a map position.

Flexi Local's done-for-you plans for med spas cover your profile, review requests, privacy-safe reply drafts you approve, treatment pages and, on Growth + Ads, Google and Meta ads. The Reviews software plan sends your link after each visit and drafts confidential replies, with a 14-day free trial: card needed, cancel before day 14 and you pay nothing. See plans and prices or get a free audit.