How Lisa Lickstein and Her Team at Lickstein Plastic Surgery Are Redefining the Standards of Aesthetic Patient Care Through Unreasonable Hospitality

At Lickstein Plastic Surgery and Medical Spa in Palm Beach Gardens and Port Saint Lucie, Florida, exceptional patient care begins behind the scenes with a leadership model rooted in empowerment, equity and unreasonable hospitality. The award-winning practice exemplifies how investing in staff development both transforms culture and directly elevates the patient experience.

Building business by building people

At Lickstein Plastic Surgery and Medical Spa in Palm Beach Gardens and Port Saint Lucie, Florida, exceptional patient care begins with an extraordinary team culture—one that’s been deliberately shaped by co-owner and chief operating officer Lisa Lickstein, MSW, MBA. With graduate degrees in social work and business administration, Lisa has combined emotional intelligence with operational strategy to transform a growing practice into a high-performing, patient-centered enterprise.

Lisa and her husband, board-certified plastic surgeon David Lickstein, MD, FACS, founded the practice in 2017 with 13 employees and a clear vision of patient-centered plastic surgery. By 2019, their lead injector, Christina Hobgood Naugle, PA-C, had begun substantially growing the injectable side of the business by building strong relationships with patients who were navigating from illness to wellness. Her commitment to long-term care and relationship-building deepened trust with patients and improved referrals from med spa to surgery. The Licksteins soon opened a freestanding medical spa to create the light, elegant atmosphere non-surgical patients were looking for, led by Naugle as clinical director and equity partner.

The team has since grown from 13 to more than 30 across three locations, with a fourth due to open in 2027. The practice was named 2024 Business of the Year by Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce and recently won in four categories for the 2025 Palm Beach County Community’s Choice Awards: Best Cosmetic/Plastic Surgery Center; Best Spa/Medical Spa; Best Esthetician; and Best Facials. 

Investment in the community

Under her leadership, Lickstein Plastic Surgery presents the Women in Business Mentorship Academy through the Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce. Now in its sixth year, more than 150 women have furthered their professional goals through this impactful program.

A champion for the success of women in her community, Lickstein is a proud Leadership Palm Beach County graduate, recipient of Hadassah’s Woman of Valor Regional Award and member of the U.S. Electoral College. In 2024 and 2025, she was recognized as a finalist for the prestigious Executive Women of the Palm Beaches' Women in Leadership Award for Private Sector Leadership.

The power of networking

The Licksteins have long been active in their local chamber of commerce, giving back and working in community with other local small business leaders. It was Lisa’s involvement at a chamber of commerce event that led her to discover the new leadership tools and principles that have transformed the business. During the networking portion of an event, Lisa was approached by a woman offering financial services, which extended into a conversation back at the practice. The next day, instead of a simple message, the woman sent Lisa a copy of Unreasonable Hospitality, best-selling book by Will Guidara, the restaurateur who turned Eleven Madison Park into the number one restaurant in the world. 

This was a year and a half ago. Since then, Lisa’s incredible team has taken a thriving multi-location practice to new heights and she has become a certified Unreasonable Hospitality Coach through the Coach Builder program so she can share these principles with other small businesses.

Listen to Lisa’s appearance on Medical Spa Insider for more on the specific changes her team implemented using the three rules to unreasonable hospitality.

Hospitality vs. customer service

“Hospitality is how you make people feel,” said Lickstein. “Customer service is black and white; hospitality is color.”

Lisa had already been refining the patient experience and investing in her team, but unreasonable hospitality gave her a framework and a language for what she instinctively believed. Much of the practice’s recent transformation is rooted in the team’s dedication to going beyond expectation in small, intentional ways that make a lasting emotional impact.

“The basic principle is, you succeed by giving people routinely and with intention more than they expect.” said Lickstein.

The book systematized the process of exceeding expectations on a daily basis. Lisa began working with staff to shift from customer service to emotional connection, coaching them to deliver what she calls “a story worth telling.” 

“You want to leave people with the story they want to tell. You don’t want to be like, ‘Hey, would you mind filling out a Google review?’ You want people to go, ‘I want to leave a review. Where do I do that?’” said Lickstein.

From staff training to practice culture

“You can't expect your staff to treat your customer in that extra mile, that ultra special way, if you don't treat your staff that way,” said Lickstein.

After reading Unreasonable Hospitality, she offered to buy the book for any team member who was interested and took them out for dinner to discuss it. The staff book club grew quickly and has provided an opportunity for people to get to know each other in a different way while regularly engaging in professional development. 

The team’s deep knowledge of patient interactions has been an invaluable asset as the practice identifies areas of growth. Lisa introduced a practice-wide touchpoint-mapping exercise, asking employees to submit all the moments they believed shaped the patient journey. Together they identified over 100 touchpoints, from the way they give someone an ice pack to how patients check out at the front desk. Staff broke into teams and chose two specific moments to elevate each quarter.

Based on the book’s guidance, Lickstein adopted three new operational rules. Practitioners need to be fully present in the moment with every patient; they need to be flexible and adapt to preserve patient relationships; and they make every experience bespoke to that customer. From these come very impactful, meaningful moments in the practice. 

“Our staff over the last year has really learned and grown together,” Lisa says. “And it’s been a very lovely thing.”

Cultivating a team that cares

The Licksteins’ approach to team building doesn’t end with motivational quotes. The practice has dismantled any sense of internal competition, recognizing that growth happens when providers are treated with equal respect and development opportunities.

“One of the big things that has led to our success is looking at our mid-level providers and physician extenders and to make sure that through their title and their autonomy and their compensation, they are treated with equal respect,” said Lickstein.

When a staff member suggested awarding a plastic trophy to a colleague who went above and beyond, leadership took the idea seriously. Now they nominate their peers for Star Performer Awards when they want to recognize each other for doing something well. .

Lisa also asked the entire staff to write with their personal highlight reel, of the things that made them feel the best about their job, that made the most impact on their patients. 
“That’s so impactful for your staff to see, read, and repeat on a difficult day,” said Lickstein.

Breathe new life into your practice at WALC

Want to maximize your medical spa’s potential? If you’re a medical spa owner or leader looking to energize your team, elevate your patient experience, and gain a true competitive edge, don’t miss Lisa Lickstein’s session at AmSpa’s Women in Aesthetics Leadership Conference.

This October, Lickstein will present “Achieving Competitive Advantage and Increased Profitability Through Unreasonable Hospitality.” She will covering the core principles and practical applications to improve customer satisfaction, staff retention and higher profitability in an aesthetic practice.  

Join Lisa and discover what it means to lead with intention at the Women in Aesthetics Leadership Conference (WALC) October 3 – 5, 2025, at Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.