Opening a Medspa Checklist: Supplies, Vendors and Accounts

Opening a medspa means setting up your supply chain before you set up your schedule. The short version of the checklist: settle your legal structure and medical director first, get your identifiers and registrations, open manufacturer and distributor accounts, install compliant storage and safety equipment, then place small first orders and set up purchasing controls. Most delays come from doing these out of order, for example trying to open an injectables account before the medical director's credentials are in place.

This guide walks through each phase, with a starter supply list, a sample timeline and the documents vendors typically ask for.

Phase 1: What legal and clinical foundations come first?#

Everything downstream, from manufacturer accounts to what you can legally stock, depends on how your practice is structured and who supervises it.

• Ownership structure. Who can own a medspa varies by state. The American Med Spa Association (AmSpa) notes that the rules around medical practice ownership vary by state and can be complex. Some states require physician ownership; others allow different structures under the corporate practice of medicine doctrine.
• Medical director and supervision. Injectables and many device treatments are medical procedures. Define your medical director's role, supervision and delegation arrangements under your state's rules. AmSpa warns that using a physician only as a nominal "medical director" while a non-physician runs the practice can create serious legal problems.
• Protocols. Your medical director should approve written protocols covering treatments, product selection, storage, adverse events and complication management before you open.
• Legal advice. AmSpa's recommendation is direct: if you have questions about what's legal in your state, consult a healthcare attorney. Do this before signing a lease or ordering equipment.

Why this matters for supplies: manufacturers verify the medical director's license before opening injectables accounts, and your protocols determine which products, emergency supplies and storage you need.

Phase 2: Which identifiers and registrations do you need?#

Collect these before approaching vendors. Keep copies in one folder, because you'll send the same documents many times.

Neurotoxins and hyaluronic acid fillers are prescription products but not controlled substances, so many injectables-focused medspas never need a DEA registration. If your service menu includes anything controlled, plan for DEA registration, secure storage and recordkeeping from day one. Our inventory management guide summarizes the DEA inventory and record-retention rules.

Phase 3: How do you open manufacturer and distributor accounts?#

Manufacturer-direct accounts#

For branded toxins, fillers and biostimulators, you'll usually open accounts directly with manufacturers. Expect credential verification and some product-specific requirements. As one documented example, Allergan Aesthetics' new-account process:

• asks for a main contact, registered business name, tax ID/EIN, medical facility shipping address, and the medical director's name, NPI or state license number and email;
• sends terms to the financially responsible applicant and a Medical Director Certification form to the medical director;
• takes four to five business days, per Allergan; and
• requires a short training video and attestation before first purchase of certain products, including Juvederm Volbella XC, Voluma XC, Skinvive and Kybella.

Other manufacturers have their own processes and timelines, usually through a sales representative. Start these applications as soon as your medical director and shipping address are confirmed.

Distributor accounts#

Licensed medical distributors typically supply consumables, PPE, general medical supplies and some prescription items. They'll ask for similar documentation, particularly for Rx products. Before you open an account:

• Verify the license. FDA recommends checking the distributor's license on the state licensing website and confirming it has filed an annual report in FDA's wholesale distributor database.
• Confirm authorization for injectables. If a distributor offers branded toxins or fillers, ask the manufacturer to confirm the distributor is authorized.
• Ask about terms. Minimums, shipping and cold-chain fees, payment terms, and claim windows for damaged or warm deliveries.

FDA's Know Your Source campaign warns of a growing network of rogue wholesale drug distributors selling potentially unsafe drugs. New practices can be especially exposed: you don't have established relationships yet, and a "startup discount" offer can look like a lifeline. Our guide to counterfeit Botox and fillers explains how to vet any supplier.

Questions to ask every new vendor#

Use the same short list with every supplier so you can compare answers side by side:

1. What license do you hold, in which state, and can you ship to our state?
2. For branded injectables, are you authorized by the manufacturer? (Then confirm with the manufacturer.)
3. What are your minimum order, shipping, cold-chain packaging and payment terms, including any card surcharge?
4. How do you ship refrigerated products, and what is your process if a package arrives warm or damaged?
5. What expiration dating should we expect on delivery?
6. Do your invoices show lot numbers, and what transaction documentation do you provide for prescription products?
7. Who is our account contact, and how do we reach them when something goes wrong?

Record the answers in your vendor file with the date. They become the baseline for your first vendor review.

Marketplace accounts#

A wholesale marketplace lets you verify your practice once and compare offers from multiple verified suppliers. On Pink Kiwi, practices verify credentials before wholesale offers on restricted products are shown, and Rx, DEA-scheduled and cold-chain items are gated at checkout. There's no buyer membership fee. For a new practice, that's a quick way to see current market pricing before you commit to account minimums anywhere.

Phase 4: What storage and safety equipment do you need before products arrive?#

Don't accept your first injectables delivery until these are in place.

Refrigeration and temperature monitoring#

Several toxins must be refrigerated. The Botox Cosmetic label, for example, calls for unopened vials to be stored at 2°C to 8°C (36°F to 46°F). There's no federal refrigerator standard specific to medspas, but CDC's vaccine storage guidance is a strong benchmark:

• A purpose-built or pharmaceutical-grade refrigerator. CDC says to never use dormitory- or bar-style combined refrigerator/freezer units (CDC).
• A calibrated digital data logger with a probe that reflects product temperature, an out-of-range alarm and logging at least every 30 minutes (CDC).
• The unit placed with clearance from walls, ceiling and floor, on a circuit that won't be switched off accidentally.
• A temperature log and a named owner for daily checks.
• A written excursion procedure and a backup storage plan.

Infection control and sharps#

Under OSHA's bloodborne pathogens standard, employers with occupationally exposed staff need an exposure control plan, engineering controls such as sharps disposal containers and safer medical devices, PPE, hepatitis B vaccination availability and training.

• Written exposure control plan and staff training records.
• Puncture-resistant, closable, leak-proof, labeled sharps containers in every treatment room.
• Safety-engineered needles and devices where appropriate (your plan must consider them).
• PPE: gloves in all needed sizes, masks, eye protection.
• A regulated medical waste contract that meets your state's rules.
• Surface disinfectants that meet your infection-control protocol.

Secure storage#

• Lockable storage for high-value injectables and any prescription products.
• If you'll hold controlled substances, storage and recordkeeping that meet DEA and state requirements.

Phase 5: What goes on a starter medspa supply list?#

Your list depends on your service menu and your medical director's protocols. Use this as a starting framework, and have your clinical team approve every product and specification.

Injectables (per your service menu)#

• Neurotoxin(s) your injectors are trained on, such as Botox Cosmetic, Dysport, Xeomin, Jeuveau or Daxxify. Units are not interchangeable between brands, so product choice is a clinical decision.
• Hyaluronic acid fillers approved for your planned indications, for example from the Juvederm or Restylane ranges. Confirm every filler is on FDA's approved filler list.
• Biostimulators, if offered, such as Sculptra.
• Diluent and reconstitution supplies as specified in each toxin's label.
• Emergency and complication-management supplies exactly as specified in your medical director's written protocols.

Injection consumables#

• Syringes, such as 1 mL Luer-Lok syringes.
• Needles in the gauges and lengths your injectors use, such as 30G ½-inch needles.
• Cannulas, if used, such as 25G cannulas.
• Sterile gauze, alcohol prep pads and antiseptic applicators per your skin-prep protocol.
• Topical anesthetic, if your protocols use it.
• Ice packs, applicators, marking pencils, headbands and mirrors.

PPE and cleaning#

• Nitrile exam gloves in each size your staff need.
• Masks with eye protection.
• Surface disinfectant wipes, such as CaviWipes or Super Sani-Cloth.
• Sharps containers and medical waste supplies.

Skincare and retail#

• Post-treatment and backbar essentials, such as broad-spectrum sunscreen.
• A small, focused retail line from brands you've confirmed you can buy through authorized professional channels, such as SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic. Start narrow; retail minimums tie up cash.

Devices and IV (if on your menu)#

• Device consumables (tips, cartridges, gels) from the device manufacturer or authorized reseller. See lasers and devices.
• For IV services, start kits, catheters, flushes and fluids from licensed distributors. If you'll use compounded products, confirm the right source: FDA distinguishes 503A compounders and 503B outsourcing facilities: 503A compounding is based on patient-specific prescriptions, while 503B outsourcing facilities are subject to CGMP requirements and may supply orders for office stock that aren't for an identified patient. State rules also apply. See IV and wellness.

Browse the full catalog, or start from the injectables practice page for a curated starter collection.

Phase 6: How should you size and place your first orders?#

New practices tend to over-order. Injectables expire, some need refrigeration, and you won't know your real product mix until patients start booking. Some ground rules:

1. Order for booked demand plus a buffer, not for your business plan's month-six volume.
2. Stagger deliveries. Two smaller orders spaced a couple of weeks apart beat one large one while you learn your usage.
3. Check dating on arrival. Make sure expiration dates leave plenty of time for your expected usage.
4. Resist minimum-driven overbuying. A rebate that requires buying more than you'll use before expiry isn't a saving.
5. Compare quotes before committing. If a vendor quotes you opening prices, check them against live offers with the rate-my-pricing tool. No account needed.
6. Set up controls on day one. Create saved reorder lists for your approved products, set who can order and who approves, and set a monthly supply budget. It's much easier to start with controls than to add them after bad habits form. See purchasing approvals and monthly budgets.

Phase 7: Which supply policies should be written before you open?#

Short written procedures prevent most early mistakes. Aim for a page each:

• Authorized supply policy: approved vendors, license verification, who can order. (Template in our counterfeit guide.)
• Receiving procedure: inspection checklist, lot and expiry logging, cold-chain checks.
• Storage and temperature monitoring: daily checks, log retention, excursion response.
• Recall and suspect-product response: how you check lots, quarantine and notify.
• Inventory and reordering: par levels, counts and expiry reviews. See our inventory guide.
• Bloodborne pathogens exposure control plan, as required by OSHA.

What should be in your vendor credential packet?#

You'll send the same documents to almost every supplier. Assemble one packet (a shared folder works) and keep it current:

• Legal business name, DBA and entity documents
• EIN confirmation
• Organization NPI and individual NPIs for the medical director and prescribers
• State license numbers and copies for the medical director and each licensed provider, with expiration dates
• Facility or business licenses your state requires
• DEA registration certificate, if applicable
• CLIA certificate, if applicable
• Sales tax permit and resale certificate, if you sell retail
• Shipping address, receiving hours and the name of who can sign for deliveries
• Accounts payable contact and payment method
• Medical director agreement or attestation, if a vendor requests it

Put renewal dates on a shared calendar. An expired license on file can pause a vendor account right when you need to reorder, and several vendors may need updated copies after every renewal.

What mistakes do new medspas make with supplies?#

Each of these is avoidable with a little planning:

• Ordering before storage is ready. Refrigerated product arrives before the refrigerator has been installed, tested and connected to a data logger.
• Buying the business plan instead of the schedule. Stocking for projected volume and writing off expired product months later.
• Too many brands too soon. Carrying several toxins and filler ranges before you know what your injectors and patients prefer, which multiplies minimums and expiry risk.
• Accepting the first quote. Signing up at opening prices without checking what the market is charging.
• No approved vendor list. Each provider orders from wherever they used to work, with no license checks and no consolidated spend.
• Skipping the paperwork. No receiving log, no lot records, no temperature log. Everything seems fine until a recall notice or an inspection arrives.
• Ignoring fees. Frequent small cold-chain orders with separate shipping charges, and card surcharges nobody noticed.

What does a sample supply setup timeline look like?#

Your timeline depends on your state, build-out and hiring. This sequence shows the order of operations; adjust the timing to your situation.

For vaccines, CDC advises that before using a new storage unit you check and record its minimum and maximum temperatures each workday for 2 to 7 days. Applying the same practice to your injectables refrigerator is a sensible precaution, and it's why the refrigerator should be installed well before your first delivery.

Key takeaways#

• Legal structure and medical director come first; manufacturers verify the medical director before opening injectables accounts.
• Gather your EIN, NPIs, licenses and any DEA or CLIA registrations before approaching vendors.
• Open manufacturer accounts early; some products need training or attestations before your first order.
• Verify every distributor's license and authorization. New practices are prime targets for "too good to be true" offers.
• Install and test your refrigerator, data logger, sharps and PPE before products arrive.
• Order small, stagger deliveries and set par levels once you have real usage.
• Put reorder lists, approvals and a monthly budget in place from day one. For a deeper dive on every vendor and document, watch for our medspa launch vendor kit, and read the full medspa supply buying guide.