Westside Medical Spa
Providing Comfort And Cosmetic Surgery
by Wendy Craft
 Guests can indulge themselves at Westside Medical Spa with many innovative,
injectable cosmetic-filler procedures and several therapeutic spa treatments. Dr. Alexander Z. Rivkin, owner and medical director, opened this cozy
Westwood Village retreat near UCLA in October 2003. Spa clientele can feel
welcomed and safe in the family-like atmosphere the spa staff creates.
The neighborhood that surrounds the Westside Medical Spa
reflects the relaxed feeling Rivkin strives to create for spa guests. He describes the area near the spa as a walking community with
a mixed population of university and office-tower dwellers.
“I like the idea of making what’s perceived to be high-end
services available to college students and people who work in Westwood,”
Rivkin says.
The nearly 1,000-square-foot facility is open seven days a
week for clients’ convenience.
A healthy mix of guests travel to the spa from as far away as
Santa Barbara, further north in San Francisco, as well as from all over the
country. However, local baby boomers and college students comprise three-quarters
of clientele.
Relaxed Atmosphere
 Westside Medical Spa is unique in its ability to offer clients
the latest innovations in cosmetic medicine, which deliver transformative results
with little recovery time, in an intimate, relaxed and luxurious atmosphere,
Rivkin says.
He describes the decor of the three-treatment-room spa as
clean, light and similar to a boutique. The spa is decorated in pale green,
glass, metal and light wood. Guests are offered water, tea and other amenities.
“Instead of putting my resources toward marble and
waterfalls, I really put my time and energy toward selecting a staff that has
very specific characteristics,” he says.
“I targeted my people search to nurses, estheticians and
front-desk staff who are nice and warm, which makes it feel kind of like a
family. Everybody knows everybody’s name.”
Including Rivkin, there currently are three estheticians, two
nurses, one nurse practitioner, one physician’s associate and two front-desk
operators who comprise the spa staff.
The estheticians are licensed and experienced in the spectrum
of their work, which includes microdermabrasion, peels and acne treatments.“I
give them a lot of leeway on what product lines to work with and what treatments
to offer. They are very progressive in terms of how they perform their services,”
Rivkin says, adding that estheticians also undergo continuing education that
includes conference attendance and new-product instruction.
The staff’s simplistic communication structure helps with
reducing the pretension sometimes associated with cosmetic treatments. For
instance, there is no consultation person whom a spa guest would have to first
encounter.
“People come in and we chat and I don’t charge for
consultations,” Rivkin says.
The Westside Medical Spa accepts insurance on some of its spa
and medical treatments because Rivkin understands that clients may have financial limitations.
Injectables & Medical Treatments
Several minimally invasive cosmetic medical treatments
complement Westside Medical Spa’s educated staff and comforting atmosphere.
“My training is facial plastic surgery,” Rivkin says. “I’ve come up with several procedures that are
unique and very interesting in terms of helping people avoid the knife. The
non-surgical nose job is one. It’s really the first option that anybody has
ever had for a non-surgical nose alteration.”
The technique ($1,000) involves injecting cosmetic fillers
into the nose that are moldable like clay and can be worked into specific areas.
The filler includes hydroxylapatite,a non-animal-based product that is similar to
tooth enamel but very finely processed, Rivkin says. The effects in the nose can
last anywhere from three to four years, and in the face it can last for two
years because the face moves around more than the nose, he explains.
Rivkin also is a part-time otolaryngologist (ENT physician).
He sees some patients who have undergone rhinoplasty by other physicians and now
can’t breathe properly.Westside Medical Spa’s non-surgical nose procedure
fixes the problem, he says.
Spa clients are happy with the nonsurgical nose job because in
10 minutes they emerge without bruising or pain and with the results they want. “Everything that I do has no downtime— it’s all
lunchtime procedures,” he says.
Other popular non-surgical medical treatments that involve
injectables include an eye lift ($1,000), jowl lift ($1,000) and chemical brow
lifts using Botox® ($200-plus).
Laser hair removal ($50-$1,000) and IPL photofacials ($350)
are other frequently requested minimally invasive medical treatments.
Signature Spa Treatments
Epicuren™, Benev, SkinMedica™ and Prevage™ are among the
many types of products utilized at Westside Medical Spa. Rivkin also retails a
bleaching cream and wants to formulate his own line of acne products.A lot of
acne treatments are done at the spa, given its proximity to UCLA, he says.
One of the most popular signature treatments is the Acne
Elimination Program.The series treatment combines facials, microdermabrasion,
peels, blue-light treatments, photodynamic therapy (PDT) and homecare. Depending
on the severity of the acne and whether the patient’s insurance will cover
some of the cost, the treatment can range from $500 to $2,000, Rivkin says.
Other requested signature spa treatments include
microdermabrasion ($75-$150) and mesotherapy ($400 per area). For mesotherapy, a
small amount of medication is injected directly into cellulite or fat to
dissolve it. “The results are amazing,” he says. “The cellulite goes away
and it stays away.” Rivkin supplements the injections by encouraging a
lifestyle change with dietary modifications.
Spreading The Word
Looking forward, Rivkin hopes to expand the Westside Medical
Spa to larger facilities and more locations. To help with that expansion, he has found that his most
enjoyable and effective marketing method is e-mail and the Internet.
“I actually answer each e-mail that comes to me,” Rivkin
says. “I’ve found that people like the fact that they can talk to me
directly.”
Despite his background in facial plastic surgery, Rivkin hopes
to extend his ideals of less-invasive cosmetic procedures. He wants more people to know about non-surgical options for
those looking to change their appearance.
“It’s always surgery, and it doesn’t need to be that
way,” Rivkin says. “People need to know that they have other options besides
surgery, and I’d like to take that message to other communities.”
At A Glance
Facility: Westside Medical Spa, Westwood Village, Calif.
Unique Feature: Non-surgical facial-sculpting procedures.
Client Demographic: College students and baby boomers comprise
75 percent of clientele.
Top Requested Medical Treatment: Cosmetic-filler injectables.
Best Marketing Method: Internet.
The Bottom Line: Business has doubled since October 2003 and
is projected to double again by May 2006.
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