By Alex R. Thiersch, JD, CEO of the American Med Spa Association (AmSpa)

Starting Friday, September 22, AmSpa will host its La Jolla Medical Spa Boot Camp at the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines, and we’re extremely excited for the opportunity to help medical aesthetic professionals develop their practices. There’s still time to register for the event—just sign up here. Here’s a quick overview of the program:

Friday, September 22

The Boot Camp kicks off with a welcome reception, sponsored by Allergan Aesthetics.

6 – 7:30 p.m.: Boot Camp and AIA Kickoff Reception—Meet other medical aesthetic professionals attending the Boot Camp, as well as the Academy for Injection Anatomy Advanced Cadaver Course. This event features a full open bar and passed hors d'oeuvres.

Saturday, September 23

The Boot Camp begins at 8 a.m. with a continental breakfast. My opening keynote follows at 8:30 a.m. From there, we will move into the main program:

• 9 – 10 a.m.: The Plan, presented by Bryan Durocher (Durocher Enterprises)—What are the most effective ways to develop a business plan for your medical spa? Medical spa consultant Bryan Durocher discusses the ins and outs of the planning process and helps determine how long it realistically takes to open a practice.
• 10 – 11 a.m.: The Financials, presented by Christin Trujillo (Maven Financial Partners)—Do you know your medical spa’s strengths and weaknesses? This presentation will discuss how to maximize, predict and follow up on financial metrics to reach your medical spa’s financial goals.
• 1:45 – 3:45 p.m.: The Law, presented by Sam Pondrom, JD (ByrdAdatto), and Alex R. Thiersch, JD (AmSpa)—In this presentation, Sam Pondrom, JD, and Alex R. Thiersch, JD, will discuss the long-standing and emerging legal issues that every medical spa owner needs to know about. As you can imagine, there is a lot to cover here, since new concerns seem to be arising daily.
• 4:15 – 5 p.m.: Consultations That Convert, presented by Terri Ross (APX Platform)—As the old saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Learn how to put your best foot forward with effective patient consultations—and how to turn them into consistent business.

Saturday continues its programming with drinks and appetizers from 5 – 6:30 p.m. Following drinks is the Boot Camp and AIA reception and Dr. Surek book signing opportunity from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m., allowing Boot Camp attendees to meet other medical aesthetic professionals who are attending the Academy for Injection Anatomy Advanced Cadaver Course. Saturday concludes with an educational keynote and session* from 7:30 – 9 p.m., sponsored by Galderma.

Sunday, September 24

The Boot Camp begins at 8 a.m. with a continental breakfast.

• 8:30 – 9 a.m.: How Emotional Intelligence Will Make or Break Your Business, presented by Cathy Christensen (AmSpa)
• 9 – 9:30 a.m.: KPIs: How Knowing Them Will Maximize Your Revenue, presented by Terri Ross (APX Platform)—Ross will teach you about the top 12 most important service categories and common mistakes to avoid. This session will help you determine how to increase your hourly value and learn to measure your KPIs to increase overall profitability.
• 10 – 11 a.m.: The Marketing Plan and Social Media, presented by Ryan McElwain (DoctorLogic)—Learn the right marketing techniques for your medical spa, along with budgeting frameworks and a social media strategy that aligns with your goals and manpower.
• 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Medical Spa Success Panel, moderated by Cathy Christensen (AmSpa); panelists: Amanda Holden, MD (Holden Timeless Beauty); Shannon King, BSN, BHA, RN (Le Meilleur Beauty & Wellness); Vrinkley Pruna, MSN, NP (Shape & Skin Medical Spa and Weight Loss); Rahi Sarbaziha, MD (Dr. Rahi)—Medical spa leaders will discuss their paths to growth and success in this dynamic industry.
• 1 – 2 p.m.: The Team, presented by Bryan Durocher (Durocher Enterprises)—A medical spa is only as good as its personnel, so it’s important to make sure you hire a staff that can do everything you want it to—and more. In this session, you’ll learn about recruiting, hiring and retaining employees who can make your medical spa dreams come true.
• 2 – 3 p.m.: Choosing the Right Treatments for Your Medical Aesthetics Practice, presented by Tabitha Carnevale, MSN, NP (Advanced MedAesthetic Partners)—Carnevale will teach you how to weigh and assess the right treatments for your practice to offer, from injectables to lasers to ancillary treatments, like hair restoration and sexual wellness offerings.

*Non-CME approved classes

Learn from Our Panelists’ Success

Amanda Holden, MD, Holden Timeless Beauty

Amanda Holden, MD, is double board-certified in emergency medicine and medical aesthetics. She is the founder and CEO of Holden Timeless Beauty, a multi-location medical aesthetics practice in Southern California. She also co-founded the HTB Aesthetics Academy, which trains injectors in the art of minimally invasive injectables. She speaks as a faculty educator at medical aesthetics conferences nationally and tours nationally as the keynote speaker for the global device company BTL. In 2022, she joined the Galderma GAIN Business team to teach best practices to aesthetics practice owners nationwide. She has been featured on multiple podcasts, and has her own podcast titled Reveal the Appeal. She has studied business extensively with the 10X community led by Grant Cardone and is a 10X licensee. She has also announced that she is merging with Alpha Aesthetics Partners as a co-founder in a new aesthetics vertical.

Shannon King, BSN, BHA, RN, Le Meilleur Beauty & Wellness

Shannon King, BSN, BHA, RN, is the owner of Le Meilleur Beauty And Wellness in Norco, California. She recognizes her journey as a black woman in the world of aesthetics is a road not often traveled and looks forward to working with others to pave the way to improve outcomes for clients and providers of color. Her goal is to leave a lasting positive imprint on the world of aesthetics, improving diversity, equality and inclusion. In addition to growing her own medical spa, King offers coaching and consulting to other small business owners in need of assistance with “the B side”—business operations, business systems and compliance.

Vrinkley Pruna, MSN, NP, Shape & Skin Medical Spa & Weight Loss

Vrinkley Pruna, MSN, NP, is co-owner of Shape & Skin Medical Spa & Weight Loss in Huntington Beach, California. She started her career in aesthetics at Shape & Skin when it opened in 2016, while working as a bedside RN on the ENT Stepdown Unit at Keck Hospital of the University of Southern California (USC). She also was selected as an undergraduate scholar and attended the Oxford Honors Program in England, which encompassed the diversity and disparities of global health care. Her true passions are learning, improving and redefining the aesthetic industry to better the lives of her patients.

Rahi Sarbaziha, MD, Dr. Rahi

Rahi Sarbaziha, MD ("Dr.Rahi"), is a Persian-American double board-certified integrative aesthetics doctor based in Beverly Hills, California. Internationally recognized for her unique holistic and integrative approach to cosmetic rejuvenation and inner health, Dr. Rahi caters to her patients’ specific needs to help them achieve long-lasting results. With the combination of functional medicine and aesthetics, Dr. Rahi helps patients reach optimal physical beauty and health from the inside out. With A-list celebrity clientele and a waitlist for new patients, Dr. Rahi is carving out a new lane for wellness by taking a comprehensive approach that goes beyond medicine and cosmetic treatments

Visit Industry-leading Vendors

Also, you’ll have the chance to visit with a number of exceptional vendors through-out this event. Attend the La Jolla Medical Spa Boot Camp to check out the latest and greatest from the following companies:

• Aerolase
• Allergan Aesthetics
• APX Platform
• CareCredit
• Clarius
• CosmoFrance
• Dermalogica
• Docovia
• DoctorLogic
• Environ/DermaConcepts
• Epicutis
• Epionce
• Galderma
• Maven Financial Partners
• MedShark Digital
• Merz Aesthetics
• PatientNow
• Prospyr
• Sciton
• Solta Medical
• Symplast
• TouchMD
• ByrdAdatto
• AmSpa

We hope you can join us in La Jolla on September 22 – 24. This AmSpa Medical Spa Boot Camp is your opportunity to join us to get your medical aesthetic business headed in the right direction and learn some tips and tricks that can take it to the next level. Sign up here to register!