Consultation requests are where the booking starts
A client sees your post at 9pm and wants a consultation for a laser or injectable treatment. A salon client asks whether there is a 4pm slot for color while the front desk is with another client. A voicemail has to be returned, and by then the client may have booked somewhere else.
An AI receptionist answers those calls and chats, offers the consultation or appointment you have open and writes up the request for your team. It answers the questions you approve about services, hours and your booking policy. It is the med spa and salon version of our AI assistant. It does not replace your providers or your front desk.
What it books, and what it does not discuss
A consultation is the first visit where a provider reviews the client’s goals. The assistant books the consultation type you name, with the provider you choose, and asks the intake questions you list. It does not decide whether a treatment suits someone.
It does not give medical advice, say who is a candidate for a treatment, describe expected results or discuss side effects. Those questions go to a provider or to your team. For a salon service, it confirms the service, stylist preference, timing and the approved price list, and passes anything else to the front desk.
What a consultation request looks like
- The client says which service they are interested in, in their own words, such as a laser treatment or a color.
- The assistant asks for a name, a phone number or email, and the days and times that suit them.
- It asks the intake questions you list. If a question is medical, it goes to the provider, and the assistant does not answer it.
- It offers the consultation slots you have open, if your booking tool connects, and sends a confirmation by text with the client’s consent.
- Your team gets a summary with the service, the provider, the time and anything the assistant could not answer.
Medical treatments and HIPAA
HIPAA may apply to a med spa that provides medical treatments. It covers a health care provider that transmits health information electronically in connection with a covered transaction, such as an electronic insurance claim (45 CFR 160.103). Whether your practice meets that test depends on how you operate and bill, so ask your counsel before launch. Where HIPAA applies, even a patient’s name tied to an appointment request is protected health information.
Where it applies, the setup follows one rule. Patient information, including a booking request, only goes through tools whose vendor signs a HIPAA business associate agreement. That covers the phone line, the AI, the texting service and the booking tool. A subcontractor that handles protected health information on behalf of a business associate is also a business associate, so every vendor in the chain needs to sign. Where a vendor will not sign, that channel gives general answers only, such as hours, services and the booking policy, and points the client to your own booking system or front desk.
Salon services and consent
Services that are not medical treatments do not need the HIPAA path above. The standard rules still apply. The assistant says it is an AI assistant, and texts need the client’s consent under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Promotional texts need prior express written consent (47 CFR 64.1200). We set up opt-in and STOP handling. A business texting number needs carrier registration (A2P 10DLC), which is extra.
Prices and what the assistant may quote
The assistant quotes only the prices you publish or approve, such as a consultation fee or a service price. For anything else it says a provider will confirm the price at the consultation, and it books the visit. It does not promise a discount, a result or a same-day slot unless you approved that answer in writing.
What it costs and what is not included
Setup is from $900 and takes 2-3 weeks. Phone answering is from $299/month (about 300 minutes), and website chat and messaging is from $199/month. The first month is included in setup.
Not included in any price: domain and hosting, new photography, third-party software subscriptions such as your booking tool (billed at cost), SMS carrier registration (A2P 10DLC) and message fees, and AI usage above the plan allowance.
Who it fits, and who should keep a person on the phone
It fits med spas and salons that miss calls during treatments or after hours, and want consultation requests booked without a retyped voicemail. It is a weak fit if most of your bookings come from walk-ins and a front desk that already answers every call. Keep a person for complaints, any clinical concern and anything about a treatment’s safety. The assistant is not an emergency service: a client who describes a reaction after a treatment hears the safety wording your practice writes and approves, and the message goes to a clinician or the front desk by transfer or alert, depending on your phone setup, agreed in the written scope.
How to start
Ask for a free demo: 30-minute call; demo shared within 3 business days. Or call 617-991-9912. Our AI assistant answers the phone and passes your request to the team.
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