How much does it cost to start a med spa?

AmSpa, the med spa trade association, covers startup cost in its State of the Industry report, but only in the paid edition. The most detailed public breakdown is a franchise disclosure. dermani MEDSPA's 2026 FDD (Item 7, reproduced by Franchise Chatter) estimates $491,792 to $906,189 to open one location. The two largest lines are leasehold improvements at $124,257 to $309,376 and equipment at $117,062 to $194,300. Opening inventory runs $48,778 to $65,808, furniture and fixtures $24,409 to $38,176, prepaid rent, utilities and security deposit $17,088 to $36,178, professional fees $4,000 to $20,000, insurance $7,000 to $14,500, business software $2,020 to $3,000, and licenses and permits $2,000 to $5,000. The disclosure also budgets $40,000 to $80,000 of additional funds for the first three months. Franchise-only costs account for $63,000 to $68,000 of the total: the $55,000 franchise fee, a $5,000 training fee and $3,000 to $8,000 of travel during training. Sorso estimate: take those out and an independent spa built to the same standard lands at about $430,000 to $840,000 ($491,792 minus $63,000 is $428,792; $906,189 minus $68,000 is $838,189). A spa that opens with fewer devices, or in space that needs less work, will come in lower, but we found no public source that itemizes that case. Who may own the spa is a state question: AmSpa's state-by-state legal summaries cover ownership under the corporate practice of medicine doctrine and the rules for management services organizations, and the answer decides how much legal work the entity setup needs. SBA 7(a) loans, which can fund equipment, furniture and working capital, go up to $5 million. Opening cost is the easier half of the question; what decides whether the spa clears anything is the ongoing operating cost structure, where injectable waste and underused equipment leases do most of the damage.