Step into a space where visual wellness meets restoration. Soft lighting, calming aromatics, and a minimalist design create a tranquil atmosphere, while a reclined spa chair invites relaxation and a focus on self-care.
This isn’t your traditional spa. It’s a sanctuary thoughtfully embedded within an optometry practice—a place where aesthetic enhancements complement personalized eye care, relaxing music harmonizes with the quiet hum of state-of-the-art equipment, and vision care transcends traditional boundaries. ODs are positioning themselves as experts who can treat both ocular health and the delicate skin around the eyes, elevating their practices into spa-like spaces where patients can go to reduce wrinkles, dark circles, and hyperpigmentation and leave with a youthful glow that is both seen and felt.
Identify Offerings
Offering treatments that integrate aesthetics with eye care can be done by relating to the physical concerns that patients see and feel, which in turn creates a more robust service menu over traditional medical spas.
“Aesthetic treatments naturally align with ocular health because many cosmetic concerns—like dark circles, redness, or puffiness—are often tied to underlying ocular surface issues such as dry eye, meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), or inflammation,” says Jennifer Wademan, OD, of Bidwell Optometry in Folsom, CA. “By addressing both function and appearance, we improve not only how patients feel but also how they look, creating a more comprehensive care experience.”
At Eyes On You in Seattle, Evie Lawson, OD, offers a comprehensive spa menu with wellness packages such as the Screen Time Refresh Package. This includes a radiofrequency TempSure Envi treatment to improve oil production and flow while tightening the skin around the eyes, followed by a hydrating under-eye mask and neck massage. The optical service is elevated into a relaxing and rejuvenating spa session, as the addition of an under-eye mask transforms a traditional dry eye treatment into a relaxing spa experience.
Create a Dedicated Space
Patients may experience anxiety in traditional exam rooms, even during routine ocular health or dry eye treatments. By taking place in a thoughtfully designed space that promotes relaxation, the experience shifts from a clinical necessity to a moment of self-care.
Dr. Wademan remodeled an existing exam room that wasn’t being used into a dedicated aesthetics room.
“I invested in a spa chair, made small modifications to create a more inviting and spa-like atmosphere, and gave the room a fresh coat of paint to enhance the ambiance,” says Dr. Wademan.
Invest in Tools + Training
Researching equipment options through both an ocular and aesthetic lens can reveal beauty treatments optometry practices can overlook without that additional perspective, as the same tools are marketed and used in different ways. Ensure that the equipment provider offers extensive and ongoing training, and look for cross-hiring opportunities with licensed aestheticians and beauticians.
“By investing in a master aesthetician and registered nurse as staff in my practice, I was able to expand the scope so much more effectively,” shares Dr. Lawson. “The aesthetician we have is amazing in business development and integration as well as aesthetics.”
Dr. Wademan began with one investment, intense pulsed light therapy, “a great option because it treats both ocular surface disease (like MGD and rosacea-related inflammation) and provides skin rejuvenation benefits—making it a dual-purpose tool with a strong return on investment,” she explains.
For optometrists, this fusion of wellness and aesthetics represents a thriving opportunity: a fresh avenue for growth and enhanced patient care where an appointment is transformed from an annual necessity into an experience patients can eagerly look forward to, encouraging them to return more frequently for moments of renewal and self-care.
