There is an old saying that tomorrow is not what it used to be – and that could not be truer than it is today. When the pandemic hit, there was tremendous uncertainty in many service industries, and the skin care industry was no exception. Not only did professionals not know when spas would reopen, but they did not know whether clients would be interested in spending money on spa treatments while being stuck at home or wearing masks in public. Talk about challenging times. 

These challenging times helped breed innovation. Professionals quickly learned to pivot towards virtual consultations, online education, and social media events. Interestingly, the exact opposite of what aesthetic practitioners feared would happen – happened. Due to this, as spas slowly reopened, clients became even more interested in spa treatments as a way to feel good about themselves while sheltering in place. 

During this time, what is commonly known in the health and beauty industry as the lipstick index, proved for the first time in 30-some years to be untrue. This phrase refers to the pattern in which people will still splurge on lipstick and other types of makeup during economically uncertain times. However, today people are less interested in makeup and more interested in skin and body care. They want treatments that make them look and feel good in the long run, without having to wear much makeup. Therefore, medical spa treatments are still in demand and the trend is predicted to climb.

Louis Silberman, CEO of National Laser Institute, pioneered the medical aesthetics training industry and is the largest educator in the country. Its medical spa operations see up to 3,000 clients per month. Silberman was a semi-finalist for the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2014 (prior award recipients include the founders of Google, Starbucks, and Amazon). Known for starting Health4her.com – a health and beauty retailer which became the sixth most visited pharmacy website with 500,000 visitors per month – out of his garage, Silberman has been written up in many publications, including Entrepreneur Magazine and Fortune Small Business.