Key takeaways
- A cadence is a scheduling default the clinic sets per service, and the provider adjusts it for each client.
- Booking the next visit at checkout is the simplest retention habit a clinic has.
- Due-back reminders work best as a short sequence that stops the moment the client books or replies.
- Track retention at 90, 180 and 365 days, and lifetime value, against the previous period.
A client who leaves happy can still drift away. She meant to come back, the date slipped, and nobody reached out. A treatment cadence turns "come back in a few months" into a due date the whole team can see and act on.
This guide covers setting cadences, rebooking, reminders that do not nag and how to measure retention and lifetime value.
What is a treatment cadence?
A treatment cadence is the expected interval between visits for a service, used as a scheduling default. It tells the team when each client is due back, so follow-up happens on a date instead of on memory.
A clinic might set a neuromodulator such as Botox to every 3 months and dermal filler to every 10 months. Those are examples of defaults a clinic chooses, not clinical guidance. The right interval depends on the product, the treatment area and the provider's judgment, and it often varies from one client to the next.
That is why a good cadence has two layers. The clinic's medical team sets a default for each service, and the provider adjusts the due date for each client after the visit. A client whose results fade early, or last longer, should get a due date that reflects it.
Example cadence defaults by service
Treat this table as a starting point for a conversation with your medical director, not as a protocol.
| Service | What drives the interval | Example default set by the clinic |
|---|---|---|
| Neuromodulator (Botox and similar) | Product, area, dose and how the client responds | Every 3 months |
| Dermal filler | Product, area and how the client responds | Every 10 months |
| Laser or microneedling series | The written treatment plan | Per plan, then a maintenance date |
| Lash fills | The artist's recommended fill window | Set by the artist |
| Facials and peels | Skin goals and the provider's plan | Set by the provider |
| Hormone or IV therapy | The provider's treatment plan | Per plan |
Why do cadences work better than one-off promotions?
A cadence reaches clients who already trust you at the moment they are ready for the next visit. A promotion reaches everyone at once, whether they are due or not, and often discounts visits that would have happened anyway.
Returning clients rarely need to be convinced that a treatment works. What they need is a reminder at the right time and an easy way to book. A due-back message that arrives as a result starts to fade lands when the client is already thinking about it.
Promotions still have a place, for a new service or a slow month. They just work better on top of cadences than instead of them.
How do you rebook clients before they leave?
Book the next visit at checkout, while the client is still in the clinic. It is the simplest retention habit there is, and it needs no message at all.
- The provider names the next step in the room, for example: "I'd like to see you again around [date] to keep this result." The front desk should see that recommendation in the chart or on the ticket.
- The front desk offers two specific times instead of asking an open question.
- If the client will not commit, record the due date anyway, so the reminder sequence has something to work from.
- For a series, book every session or hand over a written treatment plan with each step listed.
A client who leaves with a date on the calendar does not need to be won back.
What should a due-back reminder sequence look like?
Use a short sequence of two to four messages around the due date, sent only to clients who agreed to receive them, and stop it the moment the client books or replies. The goal is good timing, not more messages.
- Before the due date: a friendly heads-up with a booking link, early enough that the client can still get time with their usual provider.
- On or near the due date: a direct invitation to book, with the provider's name.
- After the due date: a check-in that asks a question instead of pushing an offer, such as whether they want to adjust their plan.
- Later: move the client into an overdue group that gets a different conversation, covered below.
Rules that keep reminders welcome
- Consent first. Text only clients who opted in to texts and email only those who opted in to email, and record the two consents separately. Our guide to HIPAA and med spa software covers texting consent in more detail.
- Respect quiet hours. No automated messages late at night or early in the morning.
- Stop on reply. When a client answers, a person takes over and the automation pauses.
- Stop on booking. A client who just booked should not get a "we miss you" message the next day.
- Test first. Run every new sequence on internal contacts before it reaches clients.
What to say
Keep it short, personal and free of clinical details, because a lock screen is not private. For example: "Hi [first name], it has been about three months since your last visit with [provider]. Want to book your next one? Here is [provider]'s calendar: [link]. Reply STOP to opt out."
How do you measure retention at 90, 180 and 365 days?
Take the clients who visited in a given period and count how many came back within 90, 180 or 365 days. Each window answers a different question, so track all three and compare each with the previous period.
- 90 days shows whether clients on short cadences, such as neuromodulator, lash fills and facials, are returning on rhythm.
- 180 days catches clients on longer cycles and those who came back late.
- 365 days is the broadest view, and the closest to asking whether this is still your client.
Example, with round numbers chosen only to show the math: if 200 clients visited in January and 120 of them had another visit within 90 days, 90-day retention for that group is 120 out of 200, or three in five.
A few habits keep the numbers useful. Define a "return" once (does a product-only purchase count?) and keep that definition. Split the results by service, by provider and by new versus returning clients, since a weak 90-day number for first-time clients points to the gap between the first visit and the second. And read each service against its own cadence: filler clients will look lost at 90 days when they are simply not due yet.
How do you calculate client lifetime value?
Client lifetime value is the revenue a client brings over the whole relationship. A simple version multiplies the average spend per visit by visits per year and by the number of years a client typically stays.
Example, with round numbers chosen only to show the math: a client who spends $400 per visit, three times a year, for three years is worth $3,600. If rebooking and cadences add one visit a year, the same client is worth $4,800. That is the case for fixing timing before reaching for discounts.
Subtract product cost to compare services fairly, since a high-ticket treatment with expensive product may earn less than it looks. Compare lifetime value by lead source to see which channels bring clients who stay. And use it to set limits: it tells you how much you can spend to win a new client and how much a win-back offer can afford.
How do packages, memberships and treatment plans help?
They give the client a reason to keep the rhythm. Prepaid packages, memberships and written treatment plans support a cadence; they do not replace one.
- Packages keep sessions in view. Remind clients of sessions left before they expire.
- Memberships turn the cadence into a monthly habit with credit to use. Our guide to med spa memberships covers credit, rollover and pause rules.
- Treatment plans put every step in writing, ideally with a date for each, so the next visit is already agreed.
What should you do when a client is overdue?
Treat overdue clients as their own group with their own message, and ask what changed before you offer a discount. Some moved, some were unhappy with a result and some hit a busy season or a tight budget.
- Group them by how overdue they are: just past due, well past due and lapsed for a year or more.
- Ask a real question, and route the answers to a person. A client who was unhappy deserves a call, not a coupon.
- Offer a consultation before an offer. If you do discount, check it against the lifetime value math above.
- Remove anyone who asked to stop hearing from you.
How Klinycs handles treatment cadences
In Klinycs, each service has its own cadence set by the clinic, such as Botox every 3 months or filler every 10, and the system shows who is due back. Automations follow up with consent first, respect quiet hours and pause when a person replies, and each one can be checked with a test run before it goes live. Packages remind clients before their sessions expire, and treatment plans have a Book button on every step. Reports show retention at 90, 180 and 365 days and lifetime value, always against the previous period. See leads and marketing and reports.
Frequently asked questions
How often should med spa clients come back?
It depends on the service, the product, the treatment area and the provider's judgment. Clinics set a default interval for each service as a scheduling tool, for example a neuromodulator every 3 months or filler every 10 months, and the provider adjusts the due date for each client after the visit.
What is a good client retention rate for a med spa?
There is no reliable single number to aim for, because retention depends on your service mix, your definitions and your market. The more useful comparison is your own clinic against the previous period, measured at 90, 180 and 365 days and split by service, by provider and by new versus returning clients.
How do you remind clients that they are due for a treatment?
Send a short sequence around the due date: a heads-up before it, an invitation to book on it and a check-in after it. Send only to clients who agreed to texts or emails, respect quiet hours, keep clinical details out of the message and stop as soon as the client books or replies.
What is the difference between retention and lifetime value?
Retention measures whether clients come back within a set window, such as 90 days. Lifetime value measures how much revenue a client brings over the whole relationship. Retention is the early signal and lifetime value shows the result, so a clinic should track both and compare each with the previous period.