How to leverage medspa gift card sales as a high-ROI marketing channel in 2026

Gift cards aren’t just a holiday rush item. For many practices, they’re one of the most reliable ways to bring in new, motivated guests. The 2025 Beauty and Wellness Benchmark Report found gift card sales up 20% across beauty and wellness, with medical spas seeing a strong 23% increase. Even better, 24% of those redemptions came from first-time visitors. That’s a steady stream of high-intent prospects who arrive ready to explore what you offer.

These guests come with both spending power and curiosity. A medical spa gift card lowers the emotional and financial barriers to trying something new, making services like injectables, laser hair removal, and chemical peels feel more accessible. When the first step feels easy, conversion becomes that much simpler.

Online purchasing is amplifying the trend. Medspas saw a 54% jump in online gift card sales as consumers increasingly choose fast, convenient digital gifting. And while most of these cards are purchased for someone else, the recipient shows up with clear intent — their cost barrier removed and their curiosity piqued — leading to a higher likelihood of trying services they may not have pursued on their own.

This strategy is not about selling more aesthetic gift cards. It’s about using each redemption as the beginning of a longer relationship — one that becomes increasingly valuable over time.

Gift cards work well in medical aesthetics because they lower the barrier to booking a first visit, and that first visit is where long-term value is created.

Even when the card only covers part of the initial visit, that appointment opens the door to hundreds or thousands in lifetime value when it leads to a series, maintenance cadence, or membership aligned to the guest’s goals.

A $150 injectables gift card often covers part of a neurotoxin treatment. A laser hair removal gift card usually covers the first session of a multi-step plan. Once a guest begins, the next steps make sense: the full protocol, maintenance appointments, or even a broader aesthetic treatment plan. Higher-ticket services are even easier to enroll in when monthly BNPL options like Affirm, Klarna, or Sunbit are available.

When that initial visit translates into ongoing care, one gifted appointment can grow into $1,500 to $3,000 in annual revenue. Sometimes more. It’s one of the simplest, most predictable acquisition engines a medspa can tap into.

Gift cards make it easier for people to take the first step, which is often the hardest part of entering medical aesthetics. Guests arrive curious and open to learning what might work for them. Many already have long-term goals in mind; they just haven't had the chance to discuss them with a professional. When the conversation is welcoming and clear, guests feel comfortable exploring what comes next. 

The redemption visit is often the moment when everything starts to make sense for a new client. They come in excited to use their medspa gift card and usually want help understanding the best direction for their skin or aesthetic goals. For many, it is the first time they speak with a provider about what is realistic and what kind of timeline they should expect. When the discussion feels informative and reassuring, guests feel supported rather than overwhelmed. 

Gift cards bring clients in for that initial experience, but the next-step options are what help them move forward with confidence. A few simple, thoughtfully designed choices can make it easier for guests to understand how to continue their progress. Once they see early results or simply enjoy the experience, they are often more open to exploring additional services that align with their goals. 

Clients leave their first visit feeling motivated, but without clear guidance, that momentum can fade quickly. Thoughtful follow-ups help them understand what to do next and keep them connected to their treatment path. Many guests simply need a reminder or a bit of context about timing. Automation makes this easy by offering gentle, well-timed support that helps clients stay engaged. 

Higher-value treatments can feel like a big decision for someone who is new to your practice. Flexible monthly payments make these choices feel more approachable and aligned with everyday budgets. Once clients understand they can start now and pay over time, the entire process feels less intimidating. It becomes a conversation about what best supports their goals rather than what fits into a single visit. 

To understand the true impact of medspa gift cards, it helps to look beyond the first appointment. Tracking how clients progress over time shows which pathways lead to the strongest results for both the guest and the business. This insight also helps providers tailor recommendations more effectively. Over time, these patterns create a clearer picture of what consistently supports healthy, predictable growth. 

Gift cards attract clients who are already open to transformation. When supported by good scripting, strong CRM segmentation, BNPL options, and thoughtful automation, these guests become some of your highest-value relationships. 

One $150 medspa gift card can grow into $1,500 to $3,000 in annual revenue. Multiply that across locations, and the impact becomes hard to ignore. 

The holiday gift card rush is the ideal time to update your tagging system, refine your redemption workflow, activate automated follow-ups, and enable BNPL across key services. Together, these steps turn seasonal gift card activity into year-round revenue. 

Find out more about how Zenoti can help simplify and scale your conversion funnel.