Are Botox® Parties legal? This is a valid and common question. According to AmSpa’s article on this topic, the answer is, “Yes!” AmSpa writes in their blog that Botox Parties are not only legal (except in Nevada), but also “absolutely worth it”. So, that being said, how to start a Botox party business, then?!
Why Start a Botox Party Business?
When you are just starting your aesthetics practice, mobile Botox is a great cost-saving option. When you are new, a great way to start is with zero overhead costs. Let’s say you have researched your state laws, formed your LLC, opened pharmaceutical accounts, and taken your first botox course. You have read Rebecca Small’s book, found a local resource or mentor, malpractice is set-up and you have injected a few brave family members. You are ready for your first “real paying patient”. This is likely a friend of a friend or work friend, etc. You may not feel ready to shell out a lot of money monthly for a great space, you may still be looking for that space, and you are definitely trying to get new clients.
Or, maybe you have a small office? Maybe you sub-lease from your esthetician or your hairstylist or your medical director’s office when she’s not there? In most scenarios when you are just starting, it makes sense to offer mobile services. Most established medspas and injectors are not going to offer this service on a regular basis. Why would they? If a medspa can fill it’s booked every 20 minutes with Botox clients coming into the office, why would they waste time and money driving around? They wouldn’t! So, there is a market for Botox Parties, and it is a great niche for a newer injector trying to gain clients. One huge benefit of this set-up is that all you have to recruit is one client. Then that client does the work of recruiting their friends to attend the party.
How many people should be at a Botox Party?
A Botox Party business still needs to be worth your time. It is likely not realistic to drive all over town for concierge botox to individual client houses. Again, you get into too much unpaid travel time. I recommend a minimum of 4 clients for a Botox Party. And a maximum of 9 clients if it is only one injector. It still ends up taking about 20 minutes per client by the time you complete before pictures, charting, and medication preparation. These events typically start in the late afternoon, and you don’t want to be there injecting until all hours of the night. It is also recommended to not lay down for 4 hours receiving botox. That becomes very impractical if you are injecting your last client at 10 pm at night.
Should I offer a discount pricing for a Botox Party Business?
My answer to this is, “No”. Many providers do give discount pricing at a Botox Party. I do not. My reasoning is that you have travel time and expense. You have to set up a workable space in someone’s home or business. You must lug around a fair amount of supplies and product with you. A Botox Party offers a lot of convenience to your client. Seeing someone in your office is much easier than traveling to them. For those reasons, I do not discount my per unit price at Botox Parties.
I do incentivize my host with a discount however. You can do this by giving a per unit price discount to your host or by giving a host gift, or future benefit or treatment. I also let my host know that in order to receive this incentive, they must meet the minimum number of guests attending. This helps ensure you do not show up to a “party” of 2 people. You wouldn’t want to turn away 2 potential long-term clients, so even if I don’t have the expected turn out, I always graciously provide the treatments. However, I this is a very rare occurrence when your host knows they will be losing the host incentive.
Is drinking allowed?
This is an important issue to address when starting a Botox Party business. Certain things are very clear. Most importantly, a client cannot consume alcohol prior to signing a medical consent. And any complication that may arise or any complaint against you will endure more scrutiny if any alcohol was involved in a Botox Party. Alcohol and Botox Parties may be a grey area that is not worth diving into. One possible way to avoid this issue is to have clients hold off on any alcoholic beverages until AFTER their treatment is completed.
Consuming alcohol can increase bruising and bleeding during injections. I warn my clients about this risk when they choose to consume alcohol in the following 24 hours after their treatment. No matter what, just like in the office make sure you are doing everything by the book.
Do I need to take before photos and chart at a Botox Party?
YES! 100% Yes. It is time-consuming to do everything by the book, but it is imperative. Treat a Botox Party just like you would an office visit. That means meticulous charting and before-photos. Even though most of your clients will not come back in to have after-photos taken, before-photos will show your client’s baseline. This comes most in handy when you get a question from a client about some asymmetry of their face post-injections. You will very kindly point out on their before-photo that this asymmetry was already present. In a worst-case scenario, you may need to produce before-photos in a legal context.
Also, make sure to get appropriate consents for treatment, telemedicine (if you utilize it), social media consents, COVID Risk consents. I use Aesthetic Record for my charting and all these things as well and Pre-Injection Questionnaires can be filled out online by the client PRIOR to coming to the Botox Party. This allows me to note any red-flags or medical conditions that may be contraindications to treatment before arriving. This also is a great way to estimate how much and what type of neurotoxin you need to have ready.
How do I educate my clients?
I am going to share my insider secret which sets me above and apart from other Botox Parties. I spend the first 30 minutes of a Botox Party going through a formal PowerPoint presentation educating my party about botox and filler basics, anti-aging skincare, the services my practice offers, before-and-after photos, and answering questions. This time investment pays dividends. By the end of the presentation my clients realize that I’m an expert in this subject and my enthusiasm for aesthetics and my clients is obvious. I’ve created the first chain in trust. I’ve also let them know about other services they can come to see me in-office for. I’ve introduced new procedure and EDUCATED them about the benefits. Once clients understand a procedure it allows them to be excited for it, not scared.
Once a group of clients is established and have seen my presentation, in following parties I will do a raffle, educate on my skincare products or new services. You can use a raffle as a great way to incentivize clients to fill out a business review or sign up for a rewards program. Just tell them these things must be completed in order to enter the raffle. I often raffle off skincare items which is a great transition into promoting product sales.
What is the timeline of a Botox Party?
Arrive 30 minutes early to the party. This gives you time to set-up your workspace and socialize a bit with the host. I also need this time to hook into my client’s TV to display my presentation. Setting up the technology of this is often the most difficult thing I do the entire time! I personally do not start Botox Parties later than 5 pm.
I have learned to catch clients as they are arriving and go over their questionnaires, consents, and before-photos first thing. This way while people are filtering in and catching up, you are still being productive. This speeds up the actual injecting portion of the evening as well. Once it is time to start or everyone has arrived, I launch into an introduction of myself and my educational presentation.
Once that is done, I take clients one at a time into a private or semi-private area to complete their consultation, good-faith exam and do injections. You want to have a private area or room for HIPAA as well as to cut out distractions and interference from other guests. I have the client let the next person know they can come back as I turn over supplies and clean surfaces. I will note here that I always inject wearing an N95 mask and have my client leave their mask on if the procedure allows.
Should I offer Filler Treatments at a Botox Party?
It’s so tempting to offer these treatments, however, the answer is “NO.” Here’s my rationale, in the event of a vascular occlusion you need to be in a controlled environment. You need to have your vascular occlusion protocol, supplies and Hylenex at your fingertips. You need adequate light to assess for capillary refill. You also don’t need 8 client-onlookers adding to the stress of the situation. The complications of botox are essentially self-limiting and not threatening to life or limb. A mistreated or missed VO can be dire. However rare, there are reports of blindness and even death related to filler complications. Emergencies can arise and you need to be prepared. That level of preparedness is not available to you in someone’s home. Not to mention legally this would not look good if you are unlucky enough to need to defend yourself.
Should I stay and hang out after?
There’s no reason not to! If your clients as you to stay and you want to. People want to feel like their injector is their friend. They are trusting you with their face. If my schedule allows, I’ll stay for a few extra minutes to socialize and enjoy myself. We are doing something this is FUN! And most of my clients are the type of people you want to hang out with. I will say, I still keep it professional and I don’t wear out my welcome.
What next?
Ready to throw a Botox party? Let us help you make it easy breezy. Our Botox Party Powerpoint has a pre-made presentation that gets you set up for success.
Best of luck with your Botox Party Business and I hope this has given you some great ideas on how to get started or improve your business.
