Med Spa vs At-Home Peels: What No One Tells You
If you've ever walked out of a med spa with a glowing face and a $300 receipt, you've probably asked, ‘Was that really worth it?’
In this episode, we're pulling back the curtain on professional peels. What's in them, what they actually do, and why you can get the same results or better at home.
You'll hear why our customers keep saying, ‘This is the best money I've ever spent.’
Because it's not just about saving money, it's about taking control of your skin, seeing real change, and knowing precisely what's going on in your face.
We're gonna talk about why at-home peels are the best money you'll ever spend.
Yeah, that's easy.
Yeah, it is. We all know that if you go to a med spa, peels are pricey.
They are. We know this because we've been a full-service medical spa for seven years. So we did services. We had multiple; we had three treatment rooms. We did everything under the sun, including hair, massage, and nails.
We had a medical director.
We did it all, Botox injections. We did it all. So yes, we know all about that.
As a spa business, when pricing your services, you have to include a lot of things in those prices. It's not just that the lowest price is the actual product itself, right?
So, when you buy this box of TCA, you'll get anywhere from six to 18 peels. I guess it depends on how many layers you're putting on. This is $40. This is not where the cost is involved.
The cost is involved with having a medical director. You need to have a doctor on staff if you're performing specific procedures. You have to have an esthetician. You or another medical person has to. We had a nurse and an esthetician. We had multiple estheticians, a nurse, and a doctor.
And you have to pay them for their expertise, for their schooling that they were in debt for, for 20 years. And you have your insurance to cover. You have your building expenses.
There are numerous factors involved in that price. So, you can do an appeal at home for, let's just say, $5. That price is likely around $120 to $130 at a spa because it covers a wide range of services and amenities.
Sometimes up to $300.
Oh, I was being gentle with that price.
I overheard a customer asking about the difference between Jessner peels at a local med spa. I said, ‘Fun fact, nothing.’
I said, ‘A true Jessner is 14% resorcinol, salicylic, and lactic acid.’
That's it.
That is what is in our Jessner. This is the truth. So she's like, ‘So you would sell this to me?'
I go, ‘Absolutely. We sell to doctors' offices, spas all over the country. And we also sell to the general public.’
Yes.
We know that there are two types of customers. Let's discuss those.
Yeah, because some people and estheticians will get flustered and make like comments on our posts, ‘No, nobody should be doing this at home, and neither should they do that. It's dangerous.’
Yeah.
Like, okay. It's not dangerous if you-
True.
Understand how your skin responds. You know everything. You know what acid. You have received the proper tutelage, which we provided prior to undertaking any of these tasks.
And nobody is telling you to start some strong peel. All of our customers work their way up. They start with gentle peels, work their way up.
But you're always going to have that person who either A, they go in, they get a peel. They're like, ‘I could totally do this at home.’ You know, they're do-it-yourselfers.
And then you'll find someone who enjoys that experience. They want somebody to do that for them. You will always have those two separate customers.
Estheticians and nurses, and spas will always have customers because there are people who enjoy the experience. They want someone to tell them what to do and do everything for them. They don't want any responsibility.
True.
And then you have people who are just like, "No way, I need to do this at home." We cater to both, selling to doctors and spas, who will take care of you.
We also cater to individuals who are ready to do this at home or, at the very least, learn how to do this at home.
Right.
You know, and that's where you start off with something like peeluniversity.com. Start by watching the video and then read the accompanying text.
Then, learn about your skin type and Fitzpatrick type. What kind of prep do you need to do? Like, we're going to teach you all of that.
Most of the time, people come to our site, but they don't just buy a peel and leave. You might consider purchasing a regimen, a peel, or at least a couple of products, such as a retinoid and Fade Bright, to help prepare your skin. This process typically takes about four weeks before you're ready to do a peel.
Let's take a walk back in time.
Yeah.
In 2001, you had troubled skin.
I did.
You were going to a dermatologist.
I was going to a medical spa. Yeah, right down the road.
So you were that person.
I was.
And you were a DIYer, I'm assuming, because here we are.
Yeah, yeah.
I recall you mentioning a $3,000 package or something similar.
It was $300 a week. And I had to go in, I think I had to go in once a week, and they would do some sort of treatment on me.
Got it.
So, I would either get a peel, or I knew they didn't offer needling or anything like that. It's been a long time. But I also had a light thing on me. It was either like a peel or a light thing.
And I don't know what the light thing was. I'd sit under this thing for a while, or sometimes they would like to pop things, and then put me under this light.
Oh, or microdermabrasion. I had that too. So, they would do one primary treatment every week when I came in.
And I remember them doing a TCA peel on me. I swear, I thought I was going to die. It was so painful. And I don't know what percent it was. I don't know anything because they don't tell you.
They don’t tell you. That's the other thing. Yeah, they don't tell you.
I know now; I guarantee it was probably around a TCA 20% or something. My face was on fire. They didn't. I know she put it on a few times.
Like I thought I was going to, and then she's like, ‘Okay, well, rinse your face off in the sink.’ So I had to get up and rinse my face off.
Now, here, I don't know anything. She didn't say to use cold water. So here I am using it like normal, like water, like warm water. Like, I would like to wash my face, and I'm like, it's still burning. Like five minutes later, I'm like, it's still burning.
You know, if I'm washing it with hot water, it shouldn't still be burning. I'm like, ‘What is it, what am I going to do?’
No, I'd be like cold water, nice and cold, with a splash, splash, splash. And it will just calm right down. Just the most basic things, they don't even tell you.
The water will spike occasionally due to the pH switch. So, the water will sometimes revamp that. And you're like, ‘Oh, it felt better before I put the water on.’ It subsides soon.
Yeah, well, but the thing was, right, I couldn't afford it. I did not have the money to do that, but I had such bad acne. Like I said, there's like four grades. I had grade three.
So I didn't have a lot of cystic acne. I didn't really get that. I got a little bit, maybe one or two.
The rest was like typical pustules. I didn't have a lot of blackheads, more like whiteheads or typical pustules, gross. And I had to do something about it.
And that's where I started, and then I realized that was just way, way too expensive. And they honestly didn't care what I did. Like I was like ‘What should I be using?’ You know, like what products? They had a couple of product lines they carried, but I had to pressure them to do so.
I'm like, ‘Well, what should I be using?’ ‘Oh, here, you can use this.’ It was mainly like a sunblock or something. I'm like, they didn't try to get me on anything that was gonna clear my skin.
It was almost like they didn't care if my skin cleared. Just come back here, and we'll get your skin clear since you're always coming back. But that just means my cycle is never-ending.
I'm just going to keep getting new acne. I'm like, well, I could be at home rubbing baking grease on my face. I mean, could you give me some direction?
It was just obviously not a good experience. And that's what set me, I'm like, I guarantee. I remember coming home and telling my husband, I'm like, I know there's gonna be people just like me out there that like, this is too expensive.
I know that it's a good thing, but I feel like there's more to it. There should be a lot more to it. And that's when I started my whole year's work of researching journey.
Got up in your computer with a dial-up internet.
Yes.
Yeah. Yeah. Going my, going my way until I finally got started, you know.
Well, lucky for us.
Yeah. Right.
That occurred.
Yeah. Right. Because of my bad experiences.
Here we are, 25 years later, and you have created this fantastic line of at-home DIY home peels.
Yeah.
Like bravo to you, this is amazing.
Yeah.
What a great story.
And all that money that you can save now, too.
Absolutely.
As long as you have the proper education.
That's right.
And that's why I am so passionate about education. For instance, even if you didn't go through Peel University and you didn’t go through anywhere, and you just saw a YouTuber applying a TCA peel, you came to the site and purchased this peel.
Yeah.
Well, you buy that peel, you check out. As soon as you start getting emails from us, you should read them.
Yeah. Definitely.
Because we're going to tell you, you bought this peel, you know.
Yeah.
Have you prepped your skin properly? And you're thinking, well, what's that? You know.
Right.
And we're going to tell you what that is. You need to prep before you do that peel. So that people get the peel home and they're like, ‘Oh my God, I can't even use it. I need to do other stuff first.’
And keep in mind, all of this information is on the page.
Oh, it's on the page. You just didn't read it.
Yeah. They just don't read it very often. You know, and they'll be like, 'Well, nobody ever told me about prepping.’
And I'm like, ‘Well, if you scroll down a little bit, there's a big box that's yellow or whatever, and it talks all about what we're discussing now.’ I promise you that everything discussed in these videos and podcasts is covered in our materials and education, which we'll email you if you purchase.
Yes.
Yeah.
Yes. As easy as they are to do, you still have to prep. I think prep is almost the longest part. I mean, it's easy.
Yeah.
It's easy. There are a few key things to consider.
Well, and if you think about it, a lot of things are like that. To compare it to a home project, let's say you're painting a room and you need to prep it.
You're going to prep your wall.
You're going to prep the wall. You're going to put the tape down.
It takes three times as long to prep the wall as it does to whip up that paint.
And you're like, ‘I haven't even painted yet and I've been here all day,’ you know? So it's going to take.
Just like that.
But then once you get your paint bucket open, you're like, off you go, you know? It's a process, and it's really important because if you don't do it right, you'd end up with a messy paint job. So you don't want a messy paint job.
No, you don't want a messy face or body or whatever you're peeling. You need to prep.
And so the basis of prepping is we just want your skin to be nice and even. We want the layers to be even. If you're dealing with hyperpigmentation, we want to start targeting that already with like inhibitors.
Obviously, the most important thing is to remove dead skin. So, because if you're like scrubbing your skin, you're more aggressive here and you're lighter here and you're heavier here and your skin is all uneven, you know?
So we want to use something like a chemical, not a physical. We want to use a chemical, such as an acid or an acid cleanser, daily to remove dead skin and achieve a smooth, even complexion.
Same thing with retinoids. Even if they're just two things you can prep with, such as an acid cleanser or a retinoid. Retinoids are the same thing. It speeds up the turnover, allowing you to heal quickly, and also helps even out your skin.
So now, when you've got that beautiful, smooth surface, when you lay that acid on, oh, it's going to go in nice and even. You're going to have a beautiful, even result. And then, the prep alone is going to improve your skin.
Absolutely.
But it’s essential.
So if someone is super nervous and wants to try the at-home peel journey.
Yeah, it's a little overwhelming.
You've found the right place, though, because we offer all the education you need here. We're here to answer any questions before, during, and after. We respond to emails, social media posts, and any other inquiries they may have.
Even if we're not around, you can still access the quiz and other resources on our website.
Yeah.
Right? You know you want to do a peel. Maybe you are prepped, but you're unsure what to do. You can use the Peel Finder tool, located on the main page, to answer the questions.
You want a lot of flaking. You want a minor flaking. Is your skin sensitive? It is, and it's going to help you. You're going to put in your problems. It's going to help you choose an acid.
Sure.
But you could do that 24 hours a day. And then, of course, you can call us.
Yeah, absolutely.
We're here to help, Monday through Friday. But if you go through and you learn the information, you don't need our help.
You feel empowered after you know it all, right?
You do, you are a know-it-all. You know more than half of anybody else out there.
Right. I mean, I get that some estheticians are fresh out of school. They don't teach them a lot about peels.
No.
A little bit, not a lot.
It's very small.
They're very, very grateful for the education that we offer on our website.
Yeah, and they think like they have to pay for it or something like that. We're like, ‘No, no, no, it's free. Please just go through Peel University.’
Yeah, we want you to be educated. We just want everyone to know. It makes you feel better when you're doing it, because let's face it. This is an acid that we're putting on our skin.
You gotta be safe.
It's a controlled chemical burn. So, taking all the precautions and being consistent makes it a more straightforward approach. But you know, there are those two types of customers.
Those who want to go to the spa and get it done are perfectly fine, too.
Yeah, you can go to the spa and get it done, and then you can use like a great line, like our line, to keep your skin all nice and prepped because a lot of times spas don't even tell you to prep.
Sure, oh gosh.
They don't even tell you anything about that. So, you will go in with your skin primed and perfect, and you'll get even better results because you're prepping your skin correctly.
I do hear that a lot.
So we can help you, even when you're at the spa. That's okay.
Yeah, yeah.
You're getting other treatments done. You're getting lasers done. You're getting all the excellent therapies.
It's fine. I have nothing against any treatments you're doing out there, but a regimen is essentially something you apply to your skin 30 to 60 times a month.
Right.
You know, that peel or treatment is like once a month. So regimen's essential.
Giving you a good canvas to start with, for sure.
Super important.
If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to reach out. You can call us at 1-800-917-3155.
Yep, you can email us at support@platinumskincare.com or visit us in our Facebook group, Platinum Skin Care Gurus. There are about 40,000 other people in there, where you can see their posts, photos, and ask questions. Everybody's super helpful.
Lots of fun stuff.
See you there.
