NP / RN / PA Aesthetic Practice FAQ
How long does it take to open a medspa?
A focused operator can open a medspa in 90 days from decision to first paid patient. NPs balancing a clinical schedule typically take 4 to 6 months. The two longest-lead items are entity formation in your state and (in reduced or restricted states) finding a medical director.
The 90-day path is realistic for a full-time-focused operator. It looks like this:
Weeks 1–2: Entity formation (PLLC, PC, or MSO/PC depending on state), state business license, EIN, business bank account, professional liability insurance quote.
Weeks 3–4: Medical director conversation (if state requires), good-faith-exam protocol drafted, malpractice and general liability insurance bound.
Weeks 5–6: Supplier accounts — Allergan, Galderma, Merz — submitted. Pharmacy relationships. Lease signed or sublease agreement. Build-out scoped if needed.
Weeks 7–8: EMR / charting platform set up. Booking software live. Payment processor approved (cash-pay focus, no Medicare billing). Patient intake forms and consent documents drafted for your state.
Weeks 9–10: Brand identity, practice name registered, website launched, Google Business Profile claimed and optimized. Pre-launch list building begins.
Weeks 11–12: Soft launch. First 20 paid patients. Protocols refined, pricing calibrated, first reviews gathered. Transition to public launch and paid acquisition.
What stretches the timeline: - Entity formation in your state. Most states file in 1–2 weeks; California, New York, and a few others can take 4+ weeks. Expedited filing fees ($100–$500) are typically worth it. - Medical director search in reduced/restricted-practice states. This can be the longest path-to-launch item. Start week 1, not week 6. - Build-out if you're doing one. Ground-up retail-to-medical build-out is 8–16 weeks. Sublease or existing-medical-office is days, not weeks. - Supplier account approval. Allergan and Galderma have moved to stricter approval recently — they want to see your entity documents, license, and physical address before they'll authorize. This can add 2–4 weeks if you don't start early. - Insurance binding. Premium malpractice carriers ask for credential verification, prior employment, license history. Standard turnaround is 1–3 weeks.
My Practice Academy is built around this 90-day path. The curriculum walks the order of operations in sequence so nothing blocks anything else. The free assessment at /find-your-starting-point returns a state-specific version of this path.