Images and captions omitted for clarity.
The flashy transformations that many people seek can hide a disturbing reality. A revealing investigation uncovered that medical spas in New York City routinely offer Botox, Brazilian butt lifts, and other cosmetic procedures without the proper medical licenses, in unclean environments, and sometimes even without licensed physicians.
Between June and September of last year, city and state investigators toured 15 medical spas located across all five boroughs, and every single one was found to be violating the law in shocking ways.
A recent report by the City Council’s Oversight and Investigations Division—conducted jointly with state agencies—underscores that these clinics often sidestep safety requirements while selling inexpensive fillers, IV treatments, and other trendy beauty services.
When Manhattan Councilwoman Gale Brewer presented the findings at Sutton Wellness NYC in Midtown, she repeated her own words: “You have prescription drugs that are outdated. You have doctors who are not doctors doing Botox. No, thank you.” She went on to highlight unsanitary conditions, the unsettling practice of having staff live in the basement, and an overall lack of hygiene standards.
The medical‑spa sector has surged in recent years, with more than 10,000 establishments nationwide according to a 2024 industry survey. Yet this boom brings potential risks. Many well‑off residents from the Upper East Side have reportedly visited questionable clinics to obtain off‑brand Ozempic or other Botox treatments, only to discover the dangers involved.
An investigator involved in the probe estimated that New York City alone hosts hundreds of medical spas—meaning the 15 inspected represent just a small fraction of the total. The City Council’s report, titled “Moving the Needle,” states that at every location visited, the businesses were found offering medical procedures without the required licensure.
The inspectors’ findings included:
- Unlicensed treatments such as Botox, fillers, and other injectables were being performed.
- 86% of the spas failed to keep the mandatory safety records.
- 73% operated without any medical professional present to supervise procedures.
- 63% violated chemical or fire safety regulations, most notably by storing hazardous materials improperly.
- 60% had no evidence of liability insurance.
- 53% exhibited failures in sanitation and hygiene.
While most of the inspected spas were unnamed in the report, Sutton Wellness was singled out for allowing a nurse to administer beauty injections, IV drips, and other procedures in a back‑room setting without the oversight of a qualified doctor, which is illegal under state law.
Brewer urged authorities to conduct “massive” and ongoing inspections and to shut down any spa that fails to comply with regulations, emphasizing the seriousness of the risk: “Because it’s people’s lives,” she remarked, “they could be burned. I don’t know what happens if you get illegal Botox, God help you.”
Jimmy Tam, 65, a beautician at Sutton Wellness, defended the spa’s new doctor oversight but criticized the recent inspections as unfair. “It’s poison. It’s putting poison in your face,” he told a reporter before encouraging the journalist to consider receiving an injection himself.
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