For med spas and day spas · free guide
A free guide to filming a client video with just a phone, at a regular's next visit, before their treatment. With the research on why it works.
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Almost everyone checks reviews before booking somewhere new, and they want recent ones. Video is the format most people say has convinced them to buy.
97% of consumers read reviews for local businesses, and 74% look for reviews from the last three months. (BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey, 2026)
47% won't use a business with fewer than 20 reviews. (BrightLocal, 2026)
Showing reviews raised purchase likelihood by 270%, and by 380% for higher-priced products. (Spiegel Research Center, Northwestern University)
85% of people say watching a video has convinced them to buy a product or service, and 63% would rather learn about one from a short video. (Wyzowl Video Marketing Statistics, 2026)
For cosmetic treatments, 94% say review sites play a role in choosing a provider, and almost half say a provider's social media affects whether they book a consultation. (American Society for Dermatologic Surgery consumer survey, 2025)
Written reviews get you considered. A real client saying it in her own voice is what helps a nervous first-timer actually book. And because people look for recent reviews, one video isn't enough. The spas that stand out keep adding new ones.
Your regulars come back every few weeks, they already trust your team, and they're relaxed in your space. That makes them easy to ask and natural on camera. A new client doesn't have a story yet. A regular does.
Ask them before their treatment, not after. They walk in looking the way they want to look, they aren't rushed or sleepy, and their skin isn't red or oily from a facial. Two minutes at check-in is all it takes.
It also helps to give them a heads-up when they book: "Next time you're in, would you be up for a two-minute video about what it's been like coming here?" People say yes more easily when it isn't sprung on them.
Whoever the client knows best should ask: their esthetician, therapist or the owner. You can say it like this:
"You've been coming to us for a while, and we'd love to share what it's been like for you. Would you be up for answering three quick questions on camera before your appointment? It takes about two minutes, and it's totally fine to say no."
A few things that make it easier:
Make it clear that saying no is fine. A client who feels pressured won't sound like herself.
Have them sign a simple consent form that says you can use the video on your website and social media. Med spas should check with their compliance person or attorney, because a client video can count as health information.
Offer to send them the finished video. Most people love seeing it, and many will share it themselves.
You don't need a camera crew. A phone and five minutes of setup will get you a video that looks and sounds good.
Hold the phone vertical if it's mainly for Instagram, and set it on a small tripod or a stack of books at the client's eye level. Handheld video shakes and looks rushed.
Face the client toward a window. Soft daylight on the face looks better than any overhead light. Avoid having the window behind them, which turns them into a silhouette.
Pick a quiet room and close the door. Turn off the music and any fountains or machines. Sound matters more than picture: people will watch a so-so image, but they click away from bad sound.
Keep the phone close, about an arm's length away, or use an inexpensive clip-on microphone that plugs into the phone.
Choose a background that looks like your spa: a corner of a treatment room, a shelf with your products, your logo wall. Keep it tidy.
Have the person asking stand right next to the phone, so the client looks just off camera, as if talking to a friend. Clients shouldn't look straight into the lens.
Record a few seconds of silence first, then start the questions. Let the phone keep rolling the whole time.
These are the questions I ask clients when I film them. They get people talking about how they felt, which is what a nervous first-timer wants to hear.
What made you first come in? Were you nervous about anything?
What's it like when you come here?
What's changed for you since you started coming?
What would you tell a friend who's thinking about booking?
A few tips while you're asking:
Ask them to answer in full sentences, like "When I first came in, I was..." That way the answer makes sense without your question.
Don't hand them a script. Their own words are the whole point.
Let them pause. The best answer often comes right after a silence.
When they say something great, it's fine to ask, "Can you say that one more time?" The second take is usually smoother.
One good two-minute recording can be used several ways:
Post the best 30 to 60 seconds on Instagram, with captions, since most people watch with the sound off.
Put it on your website next to your booking button or on the page for the treatment they talked about. That's where people decide.
Send it to new clients after they book, so they arrive knowing what to expect.
Do one a month. Your regulars are already coming in, so a steady stream of fresh videos takes almost no extra effort, and it keeps your proof recent.
None of this is required. Plenty of spas do great work without it. But most never film their clients, which is exactly why the ones that do stand out. If you want to go above and beyond, this is an easy way to do it.
I'm Jack Holt, a documentary filmmaker in Atlanta. I spent the last year and a half as an Atlanta med spa's entire video department, filming its clients and providers. If you ever want help filming or editing your client stories, I'd be glad to talk.
Jack Holt · Big Brand Vision · 678-822-8203 · bigbrandvision.com