Choosing software for your med spa is one of the highest-leverage operational decisions you’ll make. The right platform quietly handles scheduling, intake, payments, and client communication so your team can focus on delivering great treatments. The wrong one creates daily friction that compounds over time — staff working around broken workflows, clients having a poor booking experience, and you spending time on software problems instead of running the business.
This checklist is designed to help you evaluate platforms before committing, not after you’ve already trained your team on something that doesn’t fit.
Step 1: Define what you actually need
Before opening a single demo, write down the specific problems you’re trying to solve. The clearer you are here, the harder it is for a sales demo to distract you with features you don’t need.
Common real problems med spa owners are solving:
- No-show rate — you need automated reminders and ideally deposits or card-on-file at booking
- Manual intake forms — you’re collecting paper forms or sending PDFs and manually tracking completion
- Double-bookings or schedule gaps — your current scheduling tool doesn’t reflect real-time availability well
- Inconsistent client communication — confirmations and reminders are sent manually or not at all
- Unpredictable software costs — your current tool bills per user and scales uncomfortably as you hire
Write your list. Every platform you evaluate should be measured against it.
Step 2: Evaluate scheduling capability
Scheduling is the operational center of a med spa. A platform that gets this wrong costs you revenue and client trust.
Checklist:
- Can clients book online without calling or emailing you?
- Does the booking page show real-time availability that syncs directly with your provider calendars?
- Can services be assigned to specific providers (not just “anyone”)?
- Can clients choose a preferred provider, or have one assigned automatically?
- Does the system prevent double-booking across providers?
- Can you set different durations per service, per provider?
- Is there a buffer time or cleanup time you can set between appointments?
- Can you manage multiple locations from one account?
Step 3: Evaluate client communication
The biggest no-show reducer in most med spas is reliable automated reminders. This should be non-negotiable.
Checklist:
- Are email reminders automated per appointment? Is this included or an add-on?
- Are SMS reminders automated? Is this included or an add-on?
- Can you configure reminder timing (e.g., 48 hours before, then 2 hours before)?
- Does the reminder include a reschedule or cancel link so clients can act on it without calling?
- Are booking confirmations sent immediately and automatically?
- Can reminder content be customized per service type?
Step 4: Evaluate intake and consent forms
Paper forms and emailed PDFs are not a workable long-term solution. Digital intake and consent forms should be collected before the appointment, with completion confirmed before the client arrives.
Checklist:
- Can you create digital intake and consent forms inside the platform?
- Are forms automatically sent as part of the booking confirmation flow?
- Can forms be assigned to specific services (e.g., only laser clients see the laser consent)?
- Can you see at a glance which clients have completed their forms before arrival?
- Are form responses stored in the client’s profile for future reference?
- Can you mark a form as required (appointment not confirmed until complete)?
Step 5: Evaluate payments and financial controls
Payment collection at booking is one of the most effective ways to reduce no-shows and set clear expectations with clients.
Checklist:
- Can you require a deposit at booking (fixed amount or percentage)?
- Can you store a card on file without charging it?
- Can clients pay in full at booking for services or packages?
- Are packages and memberships supported, with automatic billing?
- Can you apply a late cancellation or no-show fee?
- What are the payment processing fees? Are they competitive with Stripe standard rates?
- Is there a retail POS for product sales if you sell skincare?
Step 6: Evaluate team and staff management
As soon as you have two or more providers, you need clear rules around who sees what and how schedules are managed.
Checklist:
- Can each provider have their own schedule and availability?
- Can you set permission levels (front desk vs. provider vs. owner)?
- Can providers see their own calendar without seeing sensitive business data?
- Is there a staff-facing mobile app or browser view for checking schedules on the go?
- Can you track provider utilization in reports?
Step 7: Evaluate reporting
You can’t run a profitable med spa without knowing which services drive revenue, which providers are fully booked, and where retention is breaking down.
Checklist:
- Can you see total revenue by period (day, week, month)?
- Can you filter revenue by provider and by service?
- Is there a report on no-show and cancellation rates?
- Can you see client retention metrics (repeat booking rate)?
- Can you export data if you ever need it?
Step 8: Evaluate setup time and support
A platform that takes three months to configure properly is not a good fit for a practice that needs to be running next week.
Checklist:
- How long does it realistically take to set up services, providers, and availability?
- Is there a migration path from your current tool?
- What does support look like? Email, chat, phone? What are response time expectations?
- Is there a free trial so you can test with your real service menu?
Step 9: Evaluate total cost
The advertised starting price is rarely the price you’ll actually pay.
Questions to ask:
- What features are included in the base plan vs. paid add-ons?
- Is pricing per user? What’s the cost at your current and projected team size?
- Are payment processing fees included or separate?
- Are there setup or onboarding fees?
- What’s the cost of SMS reminders — per-message, bundled, or included?
- Are there contract minimums or cancellation fees?
Red flags to watch for during demos
- Features that exist but require a higher-tier plan to actually use
- Interface that requires significant staff training before it’s functional
- Support response times measured in days
- No free trial — “book a demo” as the only entry point
- Pricing that only makes sense for teams larger than yours
A shortlist for most med spas
After this evaluation, most small-to-mid med spas (1–10 providers) narrow to two or three platforms. The ones that consistently check the most boxes for appointment-based aesthetic practices are:
- DaySpark — strongest overall fit for practices that want intake forms, SMS reminders, deposits, and packages without separate add-ons. The Essential plan ($49/mo) covers solo practitioners and small teams; the Growth plan ($89/mo) adds intake forms, SMS reminders (US and Canada, $5/mo add-on), multi-location, and user roles for growing teams. 14-day free trial, no credit card required.
- Boulevard — strongest for high-volume practices with budget for premium software
- Jane App — strongest for clinics with clinical documentation needs
Start with a free trial on your top two picks. Run through your real service menu, test the booking flow as a client, and have a front desk team member use it for a day. Your team’s daily experience will tell you more than any feature comparison.