A day spa is a business establishment which people visit for professionally administered personal care treatments such as massages and facials. It is similar to a beauty salon in that it is only visited for the duration of the treatment. In contrast, a destination spa offers the same services in a hotel setting where people reside for one or more days.

A medical spa or med spa is a day spa that operates under the supervision of a licensed health care professional, such as a medical doctor. Medical spas may offer additional treatments that can only be administered by licensed medical practitioners. Additional treatments offered depend upon the scope of practice of the licensed practitioner and may include:

• Laser and intense pulsed light procedures
• Medical micro-dermabrasions
• Photo-facials
• Botox and Restylane injections
• Medical peels