The test
How fast do med spas call back?
On October 12, 2026, we sent the same message to 19 med spas in 8 states through the contact form on their own website: “Hi, I'm interested in Botox, first time. What's your new client pricing?” Then we timed every text, call and email that came back.
What came back
| What happened | Spas |
|---|---|
| Automatic text or email within a minute | 7 of 19 |
| A real person reached out within 5 minutes | 2 of 19 |
| A real person reached out within 1 hour | 5 of 19 |
| A real person reached out within 24 hours | 7 of 19 |
| A real person reached out within 72 hours | results Oct 15 |
| No reply of any kind after 24 hours | 8 of 19 |
Status as of October 13, 2026, 24 hours after submission. Final 72-hour numbers are added on October 15.
What we learned
Fast isn't the same as answered. Most spas that replied quickly sent an automatic “thanks, we'll be in touch” text. It arrives in seconds, but it doesn't answer the price question or offer a time.
The people who called were good. Every call we got was a real staff member with a friendly voicemail. The problem is timing. Of the 5 spas where a person reached out within the hour, 3 took 10 minutes or longer. Two more spas had a person reach out the next day, after 16 and 19 hours. And 8 spas hadn't replied at all after 24 hours.
The fastest spa set the bar. One spa had a staff member call in under two minutes and repeat the exact question back. That is what every lead should get, and it's hard to staff all day.
How this compares
19 spas is a small sample. Treat these numbers as a snapshot, not an industry average. The pattern matches a much larger study: in 2011, Harvard Business Review sent web inquiries to 2,241 US companies across industries. 37% replied within an hour, 24% took more than a day, and 23% never replied at all.
How we ran it
- Spas chosen from public listings in 8 US metro areas, with a working web form.
- Skipped forms that required a date of birth, payment, an account, a visible CAPTCHA, or an instant booking.
- Calls and texts went to a dedicated test number. Emails went to a test inbox. Nothing was booked.
- “Real person” means a named staff member or a live call. Automatic and templated texts are counted separately.
- We don't name the spas. The point is the pattern, not any one business.
- Because we skipped spas with instant online booking, the sample may lean toward spas without that kind of automation.