How to Price Aesthetic Treatments With Your Actual Costs in Mind
Short answer: To price an aesthetic treatment with your actual costs in mind, calculate the full cost per completed treatment (product, consumables, provider pay, card fees and a share of room or device costs), decide the contribution you need per treatment or per hour, and set a price that covers both. Then sense-check it against value, demand and local competitors.
Key takeaways
- Start from full cost per completed treatment.
- Set a target contribution per treatment or per booked hour.
- Price = cost + target contribution, then sense-check against the market.
- Review prices when costs change, not only once a year.
Why do clinics underprice treatments?
Prices are often set by looking at competitors or rounding to a familiar number. If a competitor has different costs, suppliers or staffing, copying their price can leave your clinic with little margin.
Starting from your own costs gives you a floor below which you shouldn't go, and makes discounting decisions easier.
How do you build a cost-based price?
- Cost per treatment: product, consumables, provider pay, card fees
- Allocated costs: room or device time where relevant
- Target contribution: per treatment, or per booked hour multiplied by duration
- Draft price = cost + target contribution
- Sense-check: value to patient, demand, competitor range, positioning
In a hypothetical example, $180 cost per treatment and a $220 target contribution suggests a $400 price before market review.
How does the treatment pricing worksheet help?
The pricing worksheet lists the inputs, walks through a hypothetical example and provides review questions to complete before you set a price.
Resource 051 is organized into these sections:
- Inputs
- Hypothetical example
- Review before setting a price
For the calculation, use tab “051 Cost-based pricing” in the Aesthetic Intelligence Calculation Workbook. Blue cells are editable inputs.
Download Resource 051: Treatment pricing worksheet →
Frequently asked questions
Should prices be based only on cost?
Cost sets the floor. Final price also reflects value, demand and positioning.
How often should prices be reviewed?
At least yearly, and whenever product or labour costs change materially.
What if our cost-based price is above competitors?
Check your costs and value. You may need to explain the difference clearly or adjust the service.
What should you do next?
Download the free treatment pricing worksheet and complete it with your team this week.
Bring your numbers, team and growth plan together.
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Related reading
- What to Include in a Clear Treatment Quote (Resource 060)
- How to Raise Treatment Prices and Explain the Change Clearly (Resource 052)
- How to Recommend Homecare Without Making Patients Feel Sold To (Resource 061)
About Aesthetic Intelligence. Aesthetic Intelligence helps aesthetic clinic owners and managers in Canada and the United States find missed revenue and turn it into practical action through strategy, operations systems, front-desk workflows and training. Founded by Chantel Allen, a former clinic COO with more than seven years of operations, AI and business-systems experience in Canadian medical aesthetics and longevity clinics.
Examples in this article are hypothetical. This is general operational guidance, not legal, financial, tax or medical advice. Clinical decisions belong with qualified clinicians, and advertising, privacy and consent requirements vary by province and state.