While some medical aesthetics clinics opt to remove the waiting room to allow for increased efficiency and more floor space for treatment rooms, this option may not be practical for all clinics. If you plan on keeping your waiting room, you need to put the effort into ensuring it offers a pleasant experience for your prospective patients. The following are some valuable tips to manage first impressions while also ensuring comfort.

While a spacious waiting room may seem clean and open, more square footage in this area can reflect negatively on your clinic. First-time patients may assume the large waiting area is meant to accommodate a lot of people, suggesting your clinic may be impersonal and value quantity over quality. Alternatively, some newcomers may perceive the large space as empty and a sign that perhaps you’re not the skilled medical aesthetics practitioner your website would have them believe.

On the other hand, an extra small waiting area can make patients feel confined, potentially raising stress levels and causing impatience if their wait time is longer than anticipated. To determine the best size for your waiting room, calculate your average number of patients at your busiest time and ensure there is ample room for them to sit and relax. Resist overestimating “just in case.”

Comfortable and attractive seating is a must in any medical aesthetics clinic waiting room, but to really ensure your prospective patients have a pleasant experience while waiting, opt for more than one type of seating. Rather than having a standard set of the same basic chairs, providing options for people of different ages and body types will make all prospective patients feel welcome and comfortable. Likewise, opting for more comfortable choices, rather than your traditional stiff waiting room chairs, offers a more personal touch that should be in line with your clinic’s branding.

For most medical aesthetics clinics, the main goal of your waiting room will be to eliminate anxiety and provide comfort. While natural lighting is ideal for easing anxiety, if you are unable to lay out your waiting room in an area with a window, opt for warmer, non-fluorescent lighting. Plants, artwork, or throw pillows can add a pop of color but opt for pastels or muted shades, rather than strong reds, to promote calm.

Offer a variety of reading material and update magazines with the latest issues. If it’s easier, consider investing in a couple tablets with a digital magazine subscription service to easily keep your reading materials all up to date. Free Wi-Fi is also a good option to consider, as are offering coffee, tea, bottled drinks or juices, or fresh fruit-infused water.

The waiting area also offers an opportunity to communicate your expertise and trustworthiness. While being careful not to clutter the area, consider displaying your degrees, awards and recognitions, photos of patient success stories, or press clippings of your involvement in non-profit activities. You could also create informational displays on the treatments you offer or play videos that orient the patient to your services.

The bottom line is that every aspect of your waiting room—from its size to its seating and amenities—should be determined with your prospective patient’s comfort in mind.

For more information and insider tips on how to turn prospects into paying patients, download our eBook, “Mastering the Art of the Aesthetic Consult,” today!

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