A med spa (medical spa) is a clinic that pairs the comfort of a day spa with medical aesthetic treatments—Botox, dermal fillers, lasers, microneedling, body contouring, and increasingly GLP-1 weight-loss programs—delivered under a licensed physician’s oversight. That physician is the whole distinction.
In Florida, injecting a neurotoxin or firing a laser is the practice of medicine, which means a legitimate med spa runs under an MD or DO, and the person holding the syringe works within a scope of practice the state defines. Miami has hundreds of these places. The good ones tell you exactly who is treating you before you ask.
This guide covers what a med spa actually is, how to spot a risky one, what treatments really cost here, and nine physician-led and physician-supervised clinics worth your money, from South Beach to Doral.
What Is a Med Spa? (And How It’s Different From a Day Spa)
A med spa combines a day spa’s atmosphere with a medical practice’s offerings, pairing traditional aesthetic services alongside injectables, lasers, and prescription treatments.
The primary distinction is licensure. Day spas employ estheticians and cosmetologists for surface-level skin care. Conversely, med spas are aesthetic medical practices. Under Florida law, neurotoxins, fillers, weight-loss prescriptions, and most energy devices constitute medical practice and require physician oversight.
Consequently, “non-invasive” treatments remain medical procedures with real physical effects. Furthermore, Florida law lacks a distinct legal category for “medical spas,” subjecting them strictly to standard medical regulations.
Unlike dermatologists, who primarily treat skin diseases and offer cosmetic care secondarily, med spas focus exclusively on aesthetics and refer out medical conditions.
How to Choose a Med Spa in Miami: The Legit-vs-Risky Checklist
Here is what nobody tells you: nothing obliges a clinic to volunteer who is treating you, what their license is, or who is supervising them. Some post it proudly. Plenty don’t. The burden of asking sits with you, and the questions below are the ones that actually get useful answers.
- Who is the medical director, by name? A clinic that won’t name a physician, or names one you can’t find in the Florida Department of Health license lookup, is telling you something.
- Who is actually treating me, and what is their license? “Our expert injector” is a marketing title, not a credential. Ask for MD, DO, ARNP, PA, or RN.
- Was I evaluated before this was recommended? A medical consultation should come before a treatment plan, not after you’ve already paid for one. If nobody assessed you, ask why.
- Is the product real and U.S.-sourced? Ask to see the box, the label, and the lot number. Any clinic doing this properly will show you without blinking.
- If it’s a GLP-1, is it brand or compounded—and why that choice for me? See below. This is the most misrepresented item on any Miami med spa menu right now.
- Is the consultation a consultation, or a sales appointment? A real one includes a treatment you were told not to get.
- Does the price make sense? A quote far below the market isn’t proof of anything on its own, but it is a reason to ask more: what product, from what packaging, injected by whom, and what does the total actually come to once units and areas are counted.
Who Might Be Treating You
| Provider | Typically |
|---|---|
| Physician (MD / DO) | Evaluates, prescribes, treats, and supervises others in the practice. |
| Nurse practitioner (ARNP) | Treats within their scope, often with prescribing authority. |
| Physician assistant (PA) | Treats under physician delegation. |
| Registered nurse (RN) | Administers treatments a physician has ordered. Does not prescribe. |
| Esthetician / cosmetologist | Surface-level skin care. Does not inject. |
Scope depends on the license, the supervision arrangement, and the specific treatment, and it is not identical from one clinic to the next. That is exactly why it’s worth asking who will be in the room and what they are licensed to do.
The GLP-1 Question
Compounded semaglutide is not a generic Ozempic. It is a non-FDA-approved preparation that became widely available while the brand drugs were in shortage, and once those shortages resolved the FDA sharply narrowed when compounding is permitted. Some clinics still offer it.
That doesn’t automatically make a program wrong, but it does make it a question worth asking directly: brand or compounded, and why that choice for you. A clinic advertising a GLP-1 at a rock-bottom monthly price with no exam and no labs is selling convenience, not care.
The Med Spa Treatment Menu, Explained
Injectables: Neurotoxins
All four relax the muscle that creases the skin. They differ in how they behave. Botox is the reference standard, lasting roughly three to four months. Dysport spreads more, which suits larger areas like the forehead. Xeomin is a “naked” toxin with no accessory proteins. Daxxify, FDA-approved in September 2022, is the only peptide-formulated neuromodulator, using a 35-amino-acid stabilizing peptide instead of human albumin, with a median duration of six months and up to nine in some patients. One thing worth knowing before you compare quotes: units are not interchangeable between these products, so a per-unit price only means something alongside the product name and the number of units you’ll actually need.
Injectables: Fillers and Biostimulators
Hyaluronic acid fillers—Juvederm, Restylane, RHA—add volume immediately, and in many cases can be dissolved with hyaluronidase if the result isn’t what you wanted. That use is off-label, removal isn’t always complete, and the enzyme carries risks of its own, but the relative reversibility is still why most people start here. Sculptra is a different animal: poly-L-lactic acid that stimulates your own collagen over months. Results build gradually, last two years or more, and cannot be undone. It is the better long game and the worse impulse buy. We went deeper on it in our guide to Sculptra providers in Miami.
Lasers and Light
IPL targets pigment and redness. Laser hair removal works in a series because hair grows in cycles. Resurfacing splits into ablative and non-ablative: ablative CO2 and Erbium remove tissue and deliver the strongest results with real downtime, while Fraxel, Moxi, and Clear + Brilliant work under the surface with a gentler recovery. In Miami, this matters more than in most markets—higher Fitzpatrick skin types carry a real risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, and the wrong device or setting on tan skin in August is a months-long problem. Ask what device, what wavelength, and how many patients with your skin tone the provider has treated.
Microneedling and RF Microneedling
Standard microneedling creates controlled micro-injuries to trigger collagen. Adding radiofrequency drives heat to a set depth, which is where tightening comes from. Morpheus8 goes deeper and works on the body as well as the face; Vivace and Sylfirm X trade some depth for precision. Our Morpheus8 explainer covers what the treatment actually feels like and who it suits.
Body Contouring
CoolSculpting freezes and eliminates fat cells. Emsculpt NEO uses electromagnetic energy to build muscle while applying radiofrequency to reduce fat, which is why it reads as “toning” rather than “shrinking.” They solve different problems and are often sold as if they solve the same one. Full breakdown in our Miami body sculpting guide.
Skin: Facials, Peels, and PRP
HydraFacial cleanses, exfoliates, and infuses serums with no downtime, which is why it is the default pre-event treatment. Chemical peels scale from superficial (esthetician scope) to medium and deep (medical, and capable of real damage in the wrong hands). PRP and PRF spin your own blood to concentrate growth factors, used for skin quality and hair thinning. For the facial side specifically, see our best facials in Miami guide.
IV Therapy and Longevity
Vitamin infusions are everywhere in Miami, and the evidence is thinner than the marketing. For people without a documented deficiency, benefits beyond hydration are not well established. NAD+ and peptide protocols sit in the same category: promising mechanisms, limited human outcome data. Worth doing with a physician who will run labs first and tell you when the answer is no. Our red light therapy guide applies the same standard.
How Much Do Med Spa Treatments Cost in Miami?
Most Miami med spas quote after a consultation rather than publishing a menu, though a handful do post prices. What follows is a spot-check of what clinics around the market were advertising and quoting in August 2026, before promotions, packages, and memberships. Prices move with the injector’s experience, the neighborhood, and how much product you actually need. Treat this as a sanity check, not a quote.
| Treatment | Typical Miami range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Botox | $12–18 per unit; a single area often $300–500, the full upper face $700–1,100 | Dosing drives the total. Coral Gables, Brickell, and the Beach skew higher |
| Dysport / Xeomin | Compare by area, not by unit | Unit counts differ by product and cannot be converted between brands |
| Daxxify | Quoted per area; expect a premium over Botox | Longer duration; units are not interchangeable with other toxins |
| Dermal filler | $500–800 per syringe; $1,000–2,500 for premium products | Priced per syringe, and most faces need more than one |
| HydraFacial | $180–300 | Deluxe and Platinum tiers push toward $480 |
| Laser hair removal | $100–500 per session; $1,500–4,500 for a full-body series | Often sold as a series, though some providers price single sessions |
| Morpheus8 | $700–1,500 per session; roughly $2,500 for a series of three | Body areas price higher than face |
| CoolSculpting | $700–1,500 per cycle; $1,800–6,000 for a full plan | “Cycle” is per applicator, not per visit |
| Emsculpt NEO | $750–1,000 per session; $3,000–4,000 per course | Standard course is four sessions |
| Chemical peel | $150–300 superficial; $400–900 medium | Deep peels are a surgical-grade cost and recovery |
| IV therapy | $100–300 standard; $250–800 for NAD+ | Concierge and in-home visits cost more |
| Semaglutide / tirzepatide | Brand self-pay roughly $300–450 per month; compounded and supervised programs priced separately | Three different things get quoted as one number—ask which you’re being sold |
Memberships are how Miami clinics buy loyalty, and they run roughly $45–250 a month, buying anything from a monthly facial to a discounted per-unit rate. Whether one pays off depends entirely on what’s included, whether unused credits roll over, and how long you’re locked in. Read the terms and run the math against your own cadence before you sign.
The Best Med Spas in Miami, by Neighborhood
We looked for clinical depth, a real track record in Miami, and straight answers about who does what.
South Beach and Miami Beach
Avabello Aesthetics
Avabello Aesthetics is the physician-owned anchor of South Beach. Dr. Benjamin Eskenazi is double board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery, fellowship-trained at the Cleveland Clinic, and has a background in facial reconstruction and face transplant care. He has trained more than 1,000 aesthetic providers and oversees the injectable program here. The non-surgical menu runs Halo, FaceTite and BodyTite, Morpheus RF, Ellacor, and injectables, with surgery available in the same practice—useful when the honest answer to your question is that a device won’t get you there.
Best for: anyone who wants a surgeon’s assessment before committing to a non-surgical plan. We profiled his approach in this interview.
Avabello Aesthetics is located at 555 Washington Ave., Suite 360, Miami Beach, FL 33139. For more information, visit their official website.
BODYWELLE
BODYWELLE on Alton Road approaches aesthetics from the longevity side. Dr. Alonso Martin trained in neuroscience at UCLA, earned his M.D. at Michigan State, and completed a family medicine residency at UC Irvine before building a practice around biological age, hormone optimization, and cellular health. The aesthetic menu exists, but the reason to go is the diagnostic work underneath it—you get lab panels and a protocol rather than a treatment and a rebooking link.
Best for: the person whose real question is why they feel older than they are. Full profile here.
BODYWELLE is located at 1060 Alton Rd., Miami Beach, FL 33139. For more information, visit their official website.
Skincare by Amy Peterson
Skincare by Amy Peterson has one of the broadest device menus we found on the Beach as of August 2026: Fotona 4D, Fraxel FTX, Moxi and BBL, Sofwave, Tixel, UltraClear, Endolift X, Clear + Brilliant, Sylfirm X, Emsculpt NEO, Endospheres, Cryo T-Shock. Peterson is a licensed medical aesthetician trained at the Von Lee International School of Aesthetics, who spent eight years directing the skincare division of a Seattle plastic surgeon’s practice and has since worked as a clinical educator for Merz Aesthetics and Solta Medical. The clinic is a certified Renuva training center and a clinical site for FIU physician assistant students. Injectables are on the menu too—as with any med spa, ask which licensed provider is performing them.
Best for: device-driven skin and body work from someone who trains other providers on the machines.
Skincare by Amy Peterson is located at 1560 Lenox Ave., Units 201–203, Miami Beach, FL 33139. For more information, visit their official website.
Miami Beach Laser & Aesthetics
Miami Beach Laser & Aesthetics sits inside the Mount Sinai Medical Center campus in Mid-Beach, and unlike a lot of clinics, it names its medical director in public: Gary J. Rosenbaum, M.D. Founder Michelle O’Neill has built the menu around Cutera’s excel V+ and Laser Genesis, plus Ultherapy, a broad neurotoxin selection including Jeuveau, biostimulatory fillers, and VAMP PDRN microneedling. Note that a $250 deposit is required for an initial consultation, credited toward treatment.
Best for: vascular and pigment concerns—redness, broken capillaries, sun damage—where the excel V+ earns its keep.
Miami Beach Laser & Aesthetics is located at 4302 Alton Rd., Suite 740, Miami Beach, FL 33140. For more information, visit their official website.
Midtown
Dr. Gallo at the biostation
Dr. Gallo at the biostation brings a board-certified facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon into Midtown‘s longevity clinic. Dr. Julio Gallo graduated from the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago, interned in general surgery at Jackson Memorial, and has spent more than 25 years specializing in facial surgery. At the biostation location, he handles both surgical and non-surgical work—facelifts and mini-facelifts, rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty, chin augmentation—alongside Botox, fillers, Skinvive, Kybella, and microneedling. The pairing is the point: hormone and IV programs downstairs, a facial surgeon upstairs.
Best for: face-specific consults where you want a surgeon’s read on whether a filler is the answer or a delay tactic.
Dr. Gallo at the biostation is located at 115 NE 32nd St., Suite 102-A, Miami, FL 33137. For more information, visit their official website.
Arviv Medical Aesthetics
Arviv Medical Aesthetics opened its Midtown location in 2017 and remains one of the neighborhood’s most laser-heavy practices. Dr. Tali Arviv is board-certified in internal medicine, earned her M.D. at Ross University School of Medicine, completed her residency at Orlando Regional Medical Center, and has more than a decade of laser experience; she also teaches injectable techniques to other providers. The menu spans CO2 resurfacing, laser hair and tattoo removal, vein treatment, IPL, Ultherapy, PRP and PRF, CoolSculpting, and Emsculpt NEO.
Best for: laser resurfacing and removal work under a physician who owns the practice and runs the devices.
Arviv Medical Aesthetics is located at 3250 NE 1st Ave., Suite 504, Miami, FL 33137. For more information, visit their official website.
Brickell
DermacareMD Brickell
DermacareMD Brickell has been doing this for 18 years, which in Brickell med spa terms is geological. Dr. Michelle Barnes earned her M.D. at the University of Miami, completed her internal medicine residency at UM and Jackson Memorial, and is board-certified in internal medicine. She serves as medical director and is known primarily as an injector. The device list is unusually broad for a neighborhood practice—ONDA Pro, Physiq, SculpSure, Morpheus8 Body, PDO threads, CoolPeel, HydraFacial Keravive—and the injectable menu covers Daxxify, the full Juvederm and Restylane portfolios, RHA, Belotero, Radiesse, Sculptra, and Kybella. Financing runs through Cherry, CareCredit, and PatientFi. Closed Mondays.
Best for: injectables from a long-tenured physician injector, and body work without crossing a bridge.
DermacareMD Brickell is located at 1250 S. Miami Ave., Suite 100, Miami, FL 33130. For more information, visit their official website.
Coral Gables and Doral
Medilight
Medilight is the rare Miami med spa built by women who came up through the treatment room rather than the boardroom. Nathaly Gerbino, a nurse practitioner, founded the business in 2002 and opened the first Miami location in 2020 with Niurka Gómez; it now runs in Coral Gables and Doral. The signature work is non-surgical lifting: TriLift dynamic muscle stimulation, ATTIVA radiofrequency, exosome therapy, and their own Founder’s Lift protocol, plus NAD+, IV, and peptide programs on the longevity side. Bilingual across the board.
Best for: non-surgical lifting protocols, and for anyone who wants their consultation in Spanish without it being an accommodation.
Medilight is located at 2710 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Coral Gables, FL 33134 and 7910 NW 25th St., Suite 202, Doral, FL 33122. For more information, visit their official website.
Coconut Grove
Lavish Laser Medspa
Lavish Laser Medspa runs its Coconut Grove location out of a private house steps from CocoWalk, trading the sterile-clinic feel most med spas default to for something closer to an invitation than an appointment. The practice is woman-owned and physician-supervised under medical director Dr. Marc Epstein, who also does the injecting himself; co-owner Rachel greets clients at the door. The menu spans injectables, HydraFacials, laser hair removal, and body contouring, but the standout is XERF, a radiofrequency skin-tightening treatment that reached the U.S. only recently after years as one of South Korea’s most sought-after non-surgical facelift alternatives. Lavish is among the first in Miami to offer it. A second location north of the river runs the same standard of care in a lofty, glamorous space.
Best for: XERF before the rest of the city catches on, and for anyone who’d rather walk into a house than a clinic.
Lavish Laser Medspa is located at 3160 Florida Ave., Miami, FL 33133, with a second location at 65 NE 16th St., Miami, FL 33132. For more information, visit their official website.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a med spa?
A med spa is a clinic offering medical aesthetic treatments—injectables, lasers, radiofrequency, body contouring, and often medical weight loss—in a spa-like setting, under a licensed physician’s oversight. In Florida, these treatments are the practice of medicine, so a med spa is an aesthetic medical practice regardless of how it markets itself.
What’s the difference between a med spa and a day spa?
A day spa offers massage, facials, and surface-level skin care performed by licensed estheticians and cosmetologists. A med spa adds prescription and medical-device treatments that require a physician in the chain of responsibility. If a service involves a needle, a prescription, or a laser, you are in med spa territory.
How much does Botox cost in Miami?
Roughly $12–18 per unit at full price. A single area often lands around $300–500, while treating the full upper face—forehead, frown lines, and crow’s feet—can run $700–1,100 depending on how many units you need. Coral Gables, Brickell, and Miami Beach skew higher. Always ask for the total, not the per-unit rate.
How do I know a Miami med spa is legitimate?
Ask for the medical director’s name and verify the license with the Florida Department of Health. Ask what license your provider holds. Confirm you were properly evaluated before a treatment plan was recommended. Ask to see the product box and lot number. A clinic that gets defensive about any of those four questions has answered them.
Who is allowed to inject Botox in Florida?
Physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants inject within their respective scopes, and registered nurses may administer treatments a physician has ordered. Estheticians and unlicensed staff do not inject. The exact supervision arrangement varies from clinic to clinic, so ask who will be treating you and what license they hold.
Is Botox safe?
Botulinum toxin has a long track record in cosmetic use. Most side effects are temporary—bruising, headache, brow or eyelid droop—but serious effects are possible even with approved product and proper technique, and the FDA label carries a boxed warning about the toxin spreading beyond the injection site. Discuss your medical history and the risks with a licensed injector before your first treatment.
Does Florida require a doctor at a med spa?
Yes, in practice. A licensed physician performs or delegates aesthetic medical treatments, and a legitimate med spa operates under one. What varies is the arrangement—who owns the practice, who supervises, and who performs which treatment. Those are fair questions to ask at the front desk.
How much does a med spa membership cost in Miami?
Roughly $45–250 a month, buying anything from a monthly facial to a discounted per-unit toxin rate. Whether one is worth it depends on what’s included and how often you actually go. Check whether unused credits roll over and how long the contract runs before signing.
Can you get semaglutide at a Miami med spa?
You can get brand-name Wegovy or Ozempic by prescription from a licensed provider. Compounded semaglutide is a different product that is not FDA-approved, and the FDA narrowed when it can be compounded once the brand-drug shortages resolved. Ask which one you are being prescribed and why that choice applies to you.
Do you tip at a med spa?
Not for medical treatments. You do not tip the person injecting your Botox any more than you tip your dentist. Spa-side services—facials, massage, body treatments—follow normal spa etiquette at 15–20%. When in doubt, ask the front desk; most Miami clinics will tell you straight.
What’s the best med spa in Miami Beach, Brickell, or Coral Gables?
In Miami Beach, Avabello Aesthetics for surgeon-led assessment and Skincare by Amy Peterson for device work. In Brickell, DermacareMD Brickell for injectables from a physician with 18 years in aesthetics. In Coral Gables, Medilight for non-surgical lifting protocols.
Are med spa treatments worth the money?
Neurotoxins and lasers have decades of outcome data and deliver predictable results. Body contouring works within limits and is oversold beyond them. IV drips are the weakest value on most menus. The variable that matters most is not the treatment or the price—it is who is performing it.
The Bottom Line
Miami’s med spa market is competitive enough that price is a bad way to choose, and marketing is a worse one. The clinics above all clear the same bar: real clinical depth and a straight answer about who is treating you. Nothing obliges a clinic to volunteer that, which is what makes asking your job. The good ones will have answered before you get the chance.
This guide is editorial, not medical advice. Treatment suitability, risks, and outcomes vary by individual and should be discussed with a licensed provider. Pricing reflects a spot-check of market ranges observed in August 2026 and is not a quote. Compounded GLP-1 medications are not FDA-approved and are not equivalent to brand-name semaglutide or tirzepatide. Verify any provider’s license through the Florida Department of Health before treatment.