5 Trends Reshaping Medspas Right Now

While the winds of change are always blowing to some degree or another in an industry as dynamic as medical aesthetics, they’re whipping especially hard right now. Consumer priorities are evolving, economic pressures are intensifying and technological advances are actively reshaping how medspas attract, serve and retain patients. 

With 2026 on the horizon, being aware of these trends now will set you up for long-term success in a rapidly changing landscape. Medspa owners and operators must not only be aware of these shifts but ready to adjust how they do business accordingly. With that in mind, here are five of the most significant trends transforming the medspa industry right now and what you should do to ensure your business stays in step. 

Whole-body wellness takes center stage 

We are in the midst of an industry-redefining paradigm shift. The days of patients chasing temporary, purely aesthetic treatments are not-so-slowly but surely giving way to a new era of whole-body wellness. Patients don’t just want quick fixes; they want effective treatment and a sustainable path to whole-body wellness. They don’t just want volume and lift; they want skin longevity, immune support and treatments that rejuvenate their body and skin from within. 

With this shift comes a change in the types of treatments in which they’re most actively interested. From regenerative treatments grounded in biologics, to treatments that stimulate from within, such as RF microneedling, to collagen-stimulating injectables like Sculptra, patients are increasingly gravitating toward services they believe will deliver authentic, lasting results.

As an industry, we have to meet patients where they are, and that not only means ensuring these increasingly popular services are available at your medspa, but also rethinking how we talk about and position our services. We need to emphasize restoration and prevention, and position our businesses—and the industry as a whole—as being centered on whole-body wellness.

Membership programs are becoming a top growth driver, boosting both client retention and recurring revenue.Courtesy of DC Studio at Adobe StockFrustration with insurance fuels cash pay models 

I think we can all agree we’re pretty much fed up with insurance and the “will they, won’t they” game so many medspa businesses and patients have to play. As traditional medical insurance continues to lag in covering most common medspa treatments, medspas are increasingly finding more freedom and flexibility (and fewer headaches) by embracing the transparency and simplicity of cash-pay models, often supported by alternative financing options such as Buy Now, Pay Later (or BNPL). 

Most patients don’t mind either; they don’t enjoy complex billing questions and confusion over coverage any more than you do. So don’t be afraid to lean more proactively into cash-pay models and get creative about alternative paths (including and especially the next item on our list of trends) to making high-ticket treatment items more accessible.

Skyrocketing demand for memberships

Given the growing desire from patients to stay consistent with their wellness and skincare regimens, memberships have emerged as a primary driver of growth and retention for medspas. Patients love the convenience, consistency and savings; medspas benefit from predictable cash flow and lasting client relationships.

In fact, memberships have already become a centerpiece for many of the industry’s top-performing medspas. According to Boulevard data, top-performing membership programs now generate 72% of business revenue for self-care businesses. Members have an 88% higher client retention rate than non-members, book three times as many appointments annually and spend 72% more retail. 

If you haven’t done so already, the time to build a high-performing membership program is right now. Every program will look a little different, of course. Some may be centered on exclusive pricing, others on special perks or access to new services. What matters isn’t what the program entails but that it provides real value to the member. Focus on creating strong alignment between your core services and the things that matter most to your patients. 

Growth of high-margin, low-staff-demand services

Another downstream effect of clients focusing more on holistic health and sustainability is an increasing interest in high-margin, low-staff-demand services. At the behest of their patients, many medspas are offering services such as contrast therapy, cold plunges, infrared saunas and other recovery treatments that don’t require the skilled hands of licensed medical professionals. 

This shift is win-win for patients and the industry. Patients see them as a perfect complement to their more complex regenerative treatments. Meanwhile, once any upfront OpEx expenditures are accounted for, the low-staff-demand nature of them creates a strong profit margin for businesses. Unlike other services, cold plunges and infrared saunas require no formal medical training to operate, nor do they require you to stock up on inventory. 

All of which means it’s time to evaluate your treatment mix and identify how and where to fit in these low-staff-demand services. Your patients want them, and your bottom line will appreciate them. 

Burgeoning interest in sexual health and men’s health treatments 

Demand for men’s wellness and sexual health treatments is opening up exciting new avenues for growth.Courtesy of realstock1 at Adobe StockIf you haven’t noticed, it’s no longer just women making the medspa part of their wellness routine. Men now represent a burgeoning area of growth. In recent years, men have become more open and proactive than ever about investing in self-care. They’re increasingly looking to medspas for treatments that boost their sexual health and vitality, as well as aesthetic treatments, such as PRP hair restoration, laser hair removal and body contouring.

It’s time to get more inclusive with your branding, more targeted with your marketing and more purposeful about adding services and creating packages designed specifically to help male patients meet their wellness goals. The reward for doing so? A more diverse clientele and a healthier, more resilient revenue base.

The Wellness Throughline 

Ultimately, the common throughline cutting across every trend right now is the evolution from quick-fix aesthetics to long-term, sustainable wellness. Success in this landscape requires aligning with these shifting patient motivations. By embracing whole-body wellness, simplifying financial access, building strong membership programs and expanding inclusively, medspas can position themselves to thrive in the next era of aesthetics.

About the Author

Skya Jones is MedSpa Education Manager and in-house aesthetics expert at Boulevard, where she works directly with the company’s staff and MedSpa customers to help design memorable client experiences. Jones has more than seven years of experience in the beauty industry with a specific focus on medical esthetics and more than five years of experience in MedSpa leadership and management. Before joining Boulevard, Jones was a department head for Bobbi Bullock Medical Esthetics and hand-picked as a National Trainer for the Allergan Medical Institute. As a certified nurse assistant, her career spans both clinical and business operations and includes stints as a manager at VitaNovu and a beauty advisor for Kohl’s.