Choosing the right clinic space for your new aesthetic laser business can be a huge determining factor for your business’ success. Starting a business requires a lot of work and countless decisions. You have to research which laser to purchase, which staff members to hire, how to price your treatments, and more. With so many decisions at your fingertips, it’s easy to overlook things like building type and location which can hurt you in the long run. Here, we’ve outlined the best clinic options for opening your aesthetic laser business!
Key Ingredients for a Functional Clinic Space
First, it’s essential to understand the key ingredients you’ll need inside your clinic to set yourself up for success! We typically recommend that aesthetic laser clinics have a small waiting room, reception desk area, treatment room(s), and a small office. The number of treatment rooms you’ll need will depend on the number of lasers / different treatments you’ll offer, the size of your staff available to administer procedures, and the volume of patients you expect to see daily.
A word to the wise: If you’re set on having a clinic with multiple treatment rooms, focus on implementing a strong marketing strategy to ensure that those rooms are filled throughout the day. If not, you’re losing money by paying for space you’re not using. Remember, the goal is to have a steady flow of patients throughout the day, keeping your staff busy, appointment books full, and revenue flowing.
Bonus tip: Don’t let your waiting room go to waste! While you may be inclined to decorate this space and call it a day, don’t forget to use your waiting room to your advantage. Display information about current promotions, other hot treatments, before-and-after treatment results, and add a few shelves of “accessory items” like skincare or branded merchandise you can sell. You’ve already captured your patients’ business, so give them more reasons to focus on your brand and the incredible services and products you provide while inside your clinic (not scrolling through their phone).
Now that we know what we need INSIDE a clinic let’s take a look at the best options for the types of spaces your clinic should call home!
1. Sharing a Space with Another Business
Sharing an office/clinic space with another business is a great, affordable option for new aesthetic business owners! This option works well as long as they have a room where you can perform laser treatments (don’t forget laser safety: closed doors, covered windows, no reflective surfaces!).
Sharing a space can be incredibly beneficial when you’re just starting out and don’t have a large clientele base yet. It’s always a good idea to start small, build your brand awareness, and only pay for what you need to save costs and focus on increasing profits in the beginning. We’ve often seen this co-dependency work well between existing tattoo shops and laser tattoo removal businesses.
A note for tattoo shop owners: Adding laser tattoo removal services to your tattoo shop is a great way to grow your business! Fading older, unwanted ink before applying a cover-up tattoo preserves the quality of the artwork your clients look for in a cover-up tattoo. If your clients are determined to get a better cover-up, they’ll go wherever they need for a few laser removal sessions before coming back for their new tattoo. By fading their tattoos in-house, you avoid sending that extra money out the door. Many Astanza clients are tattoo shop owners that have found success by adding the Duality or TrinityTSR to their businesses. Hear from these tattoo shop owners about their success in adding laser tattoo removal to their shops.
2. Standalone Building
Another clinic option for aesthetic laser businesses is a traditional standalone building. This option is great for med spas, plastic surgery centers, or dermatology clinics that typically offer long menus of services and more staff members. Having more services and staff usually warrants a larger, standalone building where you can put the space to good use.
By choosing a standalone building for your aesthetic business, you’ll benefit from having a unique, highly identifiable location for your brand with accessible parking. You’ll also typically have the option to customize the space to your preference compared to sharing the space with another business.
Standalone buildings are suitable for bustling aesthetic businesses that already have strong demand and a steady flow of loyal patients. While this building type is more convenient for patients and practitioners, it’s usually more expensive to rent each month. Be wary that tenant improvement budgets (provided by landlords) are less common for standalone buildings.
3. Strip Mall / Retail Center
Strip malls and retail centers are a third, suitable clinic option for your aesthetic business location! Strip malls are usually conveniently located in high-traffic areas near city-centers, main roads, and highways. These businesses benefit from high visibility to a significant number of people passing by each day, improving brand recognition.
Better visibility can lend to better foot-traffic and walk-ins, but this may not always be beneficial depending on your clientele. Be aware that some patients may prefer a more discrete location to protect their privacy, depending on their procedure. Furthermore, most patients looking for aesthetic procedures spend lots of time researching various businesses before making a decision rather than spontaneously walking into a clinic for a treatment.
4. Office Building / Tower
An office building/tower may be the perfect solution for your aesthetic laser business. Business owners can save more money by renting a unit within a larger building and only leasing the space that you’ll need. You may also be able to negotiate a tenant improvement budget with your landlord to fit the space to your clinic’s needs.
Basing your clinic inside an office building gives your clients more privacy when looking for discretion during their treatment experience. Keep in mind that these locations are more difficult to access, and your patients will have to navigate through a large building to find your business.
Set Your Aesthetic Business Up for Success
Every decision you make for your aesthetic laser business can set you up for success! Building type, location, technology, marketing, financing, and training plays a part in your potential for earning more revenue and expanding your brand. If you’re interested in growing your aesthetic business with laser tattoo removal, subscribe to our weekly resource kit! The Ultimate Starter Kit for Growing Your Business with Laser Tattoo Removal gives you an inside look at the crucial areas to examine before purchasing a laser, including:
- Expanding your Business with Laser Tattoo Removal
- Tips for Researching Your State’s Laser Regulations
- Answering FAQs on Laser Tattoo Removal Training
- Understanding Your Revenue Potential and Nearby Competition
- Getting Pre-Approved for Financing / Discovering Your Financing Options
Click here or below to subscribe to the Ultimate Starter Kit for Growing Your Business with Laser Tattoo Removal!
