Browse treatments · Updated 2026-07-09
Browse med spa treatments
Every procedure we cover — 20 treatments across six categories — with a plain-English line on what it actually does, the honest catch, and typical US pricing. Pick a treatment to see costs by city and the verified providers who offer it.
No paid rankings · Pricing from industry medians
Before you book
How to choose a treatment
The biggest mistake is shopping for a procedure instead of solving a problem.Walk into a consult naming what bothers you and let a qualified provider pick the tool. Here is the No BS shortlist we’d run through first.
- 1
Name the problem, not the procedure. Say “my forehead creases when I raise my brows” or “I lost cheek volume” — not “I want Botox.” The right provider picks the tool. If they only sell one thing, that’s the tool you’ll get whether it fits or not.
- 2
Match downtime to your calendar. A HydraFacial is a lunch break; fractional CO2 is a week at home with a red, peeling face. Plenty of treatments deliver 80% of the result with 10% of the downtime — ask for those first.
- 3
Treat “sessions needed” as the real price. Microneedling, laser hair removal, IPL, and PRP are series, not single visits. The per-session sticker is half the story — multiply it out before you compare against a one-and-done option.
- 4
Verify the injector, not just the spa. Who actually holds the syringe or runs the laser — MD, NP, PA, RN — matters more than the lobby. State scope-of-practice rules vary; ask who performs your treatment and who supervises.
- 5
Be suspicious of “#1” and “best.” Most “top med spa” badges are paid placements. We never sell rankings. If a directory or ad won’t tell you how it ranks, assume money decided the order.
Category 01
Injectables
The most-requested category by a mile. Neuromodulators relax muscles; fillers add volume. The skill is in restraint, not in syringes.
Botox
injectablesThe default first injectable. Relaxes the muscles that crease your forehead and crow’s feet — it does nothing for volume or static lines at rest.
Dermal Fillers
injectablesAdds volume back where age took it. Reversible if it’s hyaluronic acid, which is the one thing every first-timer should ask for.
Lip Fillers
injectablesVolume and shape for lips. Start with half a syringe — anyone pushing a full one on a first visit is upselling, not advising.
Cheek Fillers
injectablesLifts the midface so the lower face follows. Often the smarter fix when people think they want a facelift.
Category 02
Skin & Resurfacing
Everything aimed at texture, tone, and tightening — from a no-downtime glow to lasers that peel you for a week. Match the downtime to the result you actually want.
HydraFacial
skinA cleanse-exfoliate-hydrate machine facial with zero downtime. Real glow, but it’s maintenance, not a permanent change.
Facials
skinThe entry point. Good upkeep, occasionally oversold — a $300 “medical” facial isn’t doing what a laser does.
Microneedling
skinControlled micro-injury that triggers your own collagen. Best value for acne scars and texture — you’ll need 3 to 6 rounds.
Chemical Peels
skinAcids that resurface sun damage, melasma, and tone. Light peels are lunch-break easy; deep TCA peels mean a week indoors.
IPL Photofacial
laserPulsed light that erases brown spots and redness. Great for sun damage and rosacea; it is not hair removal and not for very dark skin.
Laser Resurfacing
laserThe heavy hitter for deep wrinkles, scars, and sun damage. Fractional CO2 gives dramatic results — and 5 to 10 days of peeling.
Morpheus8
skinMicroneedling plus radio-frequency for tightening and scars in one pass. Real results, real needles — budget for 3 sessions.
Skin Tightening
skinRF or ultrasound for early jowls and post-weight-loss laxity. Subtle and temporary; plan on a tune-up every year or two.
Ultherapy
skinUltrasound lift with no cutting. Works on mild-to-moderate laxity only — it will not replace a surgical facelift, despite the ads.
Category 03
Body Contouring
Targeted fat reduction and skin tightening for pockets that diet and exercise won’t touch. Read the honest line on every card: contouring is sculpting, not weight loss.
Body Contouring
bodyNon-surgical fat reduction and tightening. It sculpts stubborn pockets — it is not a weight-loss tool, full stop.
CoolSculpting
bodyFreezes off isolated fat pockets, permanently. Only worth it if you’re near goal weight; results take 2 to 3 months to show.
Category 04
Hair & Laser
Laser-based removal of what you don’t want — unwanted hair and old ink. Both run in multi-session series spaced weeks apart; there are no one-and-done miracles here.
Laser Hair Removal
laserPermanent hair reduction over 6 to 8 sessions. The honest part: it’s reduction, not zero, and touch-ups happen.
Tattoo Removal
laserPico or Q-switched lasers fade ink over many spaced-out sessions. Black clears fastest; color and old tattoos fight back.
Category 05
Wellness & IV
Drips, infusions, and platelet-based regeneration. Useful adjuncts — just keep your expectations calibrated to the actual evidence, not the IV-bar marketing.
IV Therapy
wellnessVitamin and hydration drips for energy and recovery. Pleasant and hydrating — the dramatic wellness claims outrun the evidence.
PRP Therapy
wellnessYour own concentrated platelets for thinning hair and skin rejuvenation. Modest, natural results that need a series to hold.
Category 06
Weight Loss
Medically supervised GLP-1 programs are the biggest shift in the med-spa industry in a decade. They work — the open questions are cost, sourcing, and how long you stay on them.
Common questions
Choosing a treatment, answered
How do I choose the right med spa treatment?
Start with the problem, not the procedure name. Describe what bothers you — creasing when you raise your brows, lost cheek volume, acne scars — and let a qualified provider match the tool. Match the downtime to your schedule, count the full series of sessions when comparing prices, and verify who actually performs the treatment.
What is the difference between injectables and body contouring?
Injectables (Botox, dermal fillers) work on the face: neuromodulators relax muscles to soften lines, fillers add volume. Body contouring (CoolSculpting and similar) reduces isolated fat pockets and tightens skin on the body. Contouring is sculpting for people near their goal weight — it is not a weight-loss treatment.
Are the prices on these treatment pages national averages?
Yes. Each treatment card shows a typical US price range drawn from industry medians (ASPS and AMSA data) cross-referenced with public provider disclosures. Local pricing on city pages applies a metro cost-of-living multiplier. Final pricing from any individual provider may differ.
Does No BS Med Spa Reviews accept payment to rank treatments or providers?
No. We never sell organic rankings. Treatments are organized by what patients actually shop for, and providers are ranked by a transparent formula — rating times the natural log of review count — never by who paid. Any paid placement is labeled and kept outside the ranked list.
The No BS difference
We organize by problem, not by who paid
These treatments are grouped the way patients actually shop — and the one-liners on every card include the honest catch, not just the upside. When you drill into a provider list, the order comes from a transparent formula (rating × ln(reviews + 1)), never from advertising spend. See how we rank and our full methodology.
See also: Price index · Best med spas by city · Find your treatment quiz