The future of wellness is moving fast, and med spa owners are feeling the pressure to keep up. In this episode, we are joined by Alex Thiersch, founder and chairman of AmSpa, and Adam Reinebach, CEO of AmSpa, to break down what practices need to know as wellness, aesthetics, and longevity become more connected than ever. With GLP‑1s, peptides, and hormone replacement therapy reshaping the industry, med spa owners are navigating shifting state laws and increasing scrutiny from regulators. Tune in to learn how to manage legal risk, stay compliant amid rapid change, and position your practice for long‑term success in an evolving wellness landscape.
Listen to the full episode using the player below, or by visiting one of the links below. Contact ByrdAdatto if you have any questions or would like to learn more.
Transcript
*The below transcript has been edited for readability.
Intro: [00:01] Welcome to Legal 123s with ByrdAdatto. Legal issues simplified through real client stories and real-world experiences, creating simplicity in three, two, one.
Brad: [00:13] Welcome back to Legal 123s with ByrdAdatto. I’m your host, Brad Adatto, with my co-host, Michael Byrd. And Michael, we’ve been hosting this show for a while now. What are we going to do to keep these, this things fresh?
Michael: [00:27] Brad, no matter how many times you ask, we’re not going to do any role-playing to keep things spicy. I have a better idea.
Brad: [00:35] Okay, Michael, first off, that was a private conversation between us, and you are not supposed to say that out loud. Luckily, nobody listens or watches the show.
Michael: [00:42] Okay, yeah, that’s true. Okay, well, here’s my idea.
Brad: [00:47] Okay.
Michael: [00:47] Let’s have an interesting topic with interesting guests this season, then just get out of the way.
Brad: [00:54] That sounds so cool. What is our theme for this season?
Michael: [00:57] I’m so glad you asked, Brad. As business attorneys for health care practices, we meet a lot of interesting people and learn their amazing stories. This season’s theme is The Future of Wellness, where longevity, advanced weight loss solutions, and anti-aging innovations collide. Get ready for insights from the people driving the evolution of the medical industry.
Brad: [01:19] Wow, that actually sounds amazing. I can’t wait to watch our first show.
Michael: [01:23] I know. I know. I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Brad: [01:25] All right, Michael, we do have two guests joining us today. That’s right, audience members, two guests, and we’re going to talk about wellness. And we get tons of questions about the intersection of wellness and med spa and how they all come together. But today we have, you know, and even better, we have the leaders of AmSpa, the largest trade association for med spas, to help answer these types of questions.
Michael: [01:44] Everyone, our guests, and by now our listeners, Brad, know that your daydream is to have a private jet, right?
Brad: [01:52] Confirm.
Michael: [01:52] Well, I’m going to help add some color to your dreams.
Brad: [01:56] Okay.
Michael: [01:56] I read an article recently titled “The Billionaire Social Calendar for 2026.” I figure you need to think about where you’ll be traveling once you get that jet.
Brad: [02:07] Well, I’m sure all of us billionaires, the movers and shakers of the world, will be in Vegas in April of next week for the MedSpa show.
Michael: [02:15] Yeah. I heard you say us. I don’t think you’re quite there yet.
Brad: [02:19] No?
Michael: [02:19] No. Not, not quite.
Brad: [02:21] Okay.
Michael: [02:22] But yes, that’s not the question. Besides MSS, where do you think they’ll be going this year?
Brad: [02:30] All the F1 races.
Michael: [02:32] Not completely inaccurate.
Brad: [02:34] Yes.
Michael: [02:34] I have the calendar that goes month by month with the go-to social events.
Brad: [02:40] Okay.
Michael: [02:40] So you’ve already missed, Davos in January, the Super Bowl in February, the Oscars in March. But I read this crazy article about the World Economic Forum in Davos that we may need to break down in a separate episode.
Brad: [02:57] Yeah. That the World Economic Forum could be its own podcast, but where else are we, I mean, where else are the billionaires, me, I mean, my friends, the billionaires, where else are they going to go this year?
Michael: [03:06] I think we should own it. Let’s just say we and maybe we’ll manifest all of it.
Brad: [03:10] Yes. Manifest on our private planes.
Michael: [03:12] Okay.
Brad: [03:12] Where are we going?
Michael: [03:13] All right. For, future planning, here are the key events by month.
Brad: [03:17] Okay.
Michael: [03:18] April, the Masters. May, the Milken Global Conference. June is the FIFA World Cup. July, the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference. August, Burning Man. A little surprising. September, the Monaco Yacht Show.
Brad: [03:36] Of course, of course.
Michael: [03:36] I think we’ve talked about that before too.
Brad: [03:38] Oh, yeah.
Michael: [03:38] October is the Frieze Art Fair and Art Basel, Paris. Not sure about that one.
Brad: [03:45] All right.
Michael: [03:46] Eight, November is F1 Vegas. There’s your F1.
Brad: [03:51] There you go.
Michael: [03:51] And then December, New Year’s in St. Barts, of course.
Brad: [03:54] Well, all those really sound like nice stopping points, actually.
Michael: [03:57] Have you ever attended any of these events? Or are any of these on your list even before you have that private jet?
Brad: [04:04] Well, I actually have been blessed to attend a lot of Super Bowls. But on my list to fly in my private plane would definitely go to the Masters, any World Cup, and definitely any F1 event. How about you?
Michael: [04:18] I’ve not attended any of them, and those are all the same answers I would give too because they’re all bucket list sporting events.
Brad: [04:26] Absolutely. All right. Well, I think we have enough about what we’ll be doing with our billionaire friends, but let’s bring on our guests today.
Michael: [04:34] All right. Joining us is Alex Thiersch, who will go first. He’s our fourth-time guest. He graduated from the University of Iowa and went to DePaul University College of Law. He is the founder and chairman of the American Med Spa Association, has the Medical Spa Insider podcast, and is the managing partner of ByrdAdatto’s Chicago office.
Brad: [05:02] Sounds interesting.
Michael: [05:03] Passionate about dogs, cats, and Michael Jordan. Next, we have Adam Reinebach, the CEO of AmSpa. Prior to that, he was the operating partner with Beringer Capital and previously the CEO of Bridge Tower Media. He studied journalism at Rutgers. Alex and Adam, we appreciate you being here today.
Adam: [05:26] Great to be here.
Alex: [05:28] First of all, thanks for having us. I could sit here and listen to you two all day long. This is the most fun I’ve had in a while. Regarding the billionaire social calendar, I have some qualms with it, there’s no way the F1 Monaco race isn’t on there. That’s a terrible oversight.
Brad: [05:48] I agree with you on that.
Alex: [05:49] So whoever wrote that is going to have to hear from our lawyers.
Brad: [05:52] Well, that brings me to my first question. I like where you’re going already, Alex. Regarding the billionaire social calendar for 2026, besides MSS, what events do you plan to attend or would like to attend in your private plane?
Alex: [06:06] Yeah, definitely, for me, my dream would be F1 Monaco staying in one of those yachts right by where they cruise along. That would be amazing. Maybe Paris Fashion Week would be really cool too. Yeah, something like that. I’ve always wanted to go to Carnaval in Rio, which would also be a cool experience, and I think going as a billionaire would be a lot better than how I normally do it. Adam probably has a lot of insight into this, since he’s done all these things.
Adam: [06:48] I wish. I think, number one for me would be probably the NCAA tournament, you know, the basketball tournament.
Brad: [06:55] Oh, yeah.
Adam: [06:57] NBA Finals. I have been to an NBA Finals, but I’m a sucker for basketball, so really any great basketball event, those would be at the top of my list for sure.
Alex: [07:08] Fair.
Brad: [07:08] Sounds great.
Adam: [07:09] Yeah. You had us at any basketball event or sporting event.
Alex: [07:13] Exactly.
Adam: [07:13] I’m all in.
Brad: [07:15] All right, let’s jump in. I’ll let you both take a shot at this. We’d love for the audience to hear a little more about AmSpa and The Medical Spa Show.
Alex: [07:29] Yeah, no. First of all, I appreciate you guys having us on. We’ve had a little bit of a change I stepped back from being CEO, and we’ve brought Adam on. He’s now kicking ass as our new CEO, which has allowed me to take more time to focus on advocacy and the legislative side. There’s a lot going on in the industry, and here we are coming up on MSS again, which is amazing. One week away, and it’s always right on our heels. This year is going to be incredible. Adam has been more involved in some of the details than I have in the past, but I know we have a lot of new things this year that are going to be amazing. AmSpa, in general, is really getting back to our roots and focusing on helping the industry, which has a big need for representation right now. Adam, I’m really excited for everyone to see MSS this year. We say this every year, but I truly believe this will be the biggest and best event we’ve ever done it’s going to blow the roof off. Anyone who hasn’t been is going to be blown away by what they see.
Adam: [09:07] Yeah, no. We’ve got great momentum with this show. First of all, we have 75 new exhibitors, which is just incredible. That’s a mix from different industries, and many of these exhibitors come from AI and other technology companies. One of the things we’re adding this year that we’ve never done before is a whole track on the first day of the show focused on artificial intelligence and technology innovation. This track will guide the average med spa operator through all the available tools and show how they can increase margins by leveraging technology. It’s developing so quickly, and MSS gives operators a chance to step away from the day-to-day and really learn how to apply it. We’re really excited about this. We’ve carefully designed the agenda to be timely and relevant, and we’ve added a bunch of new speakers this year. Another major addition with a lot of work from Alex is that we’ll be offering live injections at the show. There’s a lot of new, exciting content this year, creating strong enthusiasm in the market as we get closer to the event.
Brad: [10:54] That’s awesome. Again, I’m excited for next week at the Wynn with you guys. Alex, you mentioned this in the opening as AmSpa has shifted to focus more on advocacy for its members, a lot has been happening in different states. The legislative landscape is changing state by state, and we’re seeing varying types of enforcement. Can you share what’s been going on and what you’ve been seeing?
Alex: [11:21] This isn’t necessarily a new thing we’ve always known that this was coming, and last year it was happening, but really what we’re seeing now is just a flood of legislation and regulatory activity, and enforcement as well, on and against med spas. And it’s coming from places that we didn’t necessarily expect, and it’s coming in ways that we didn’t necessarily expect. And I think not everybody knows about it, and I think part of the reason that I’m excited to have Adam on board is, number one, he’s got such experience growing and scaling companies, and he can help AmSpa provide the resources that we need to provide. But we need, as an industry, to get ourselves together because these bills, there was one that just happened in Indiana. And by the way, if any of you want to hear more about it, we talk a lot about this on our podcast and on our website, and we have Patrick, O’Brien, our general counsel. We talk about this stuff at length. But there’s a ton of this legislation that is either trying to get med spas under the umbrella of the Board of Pharmacy, which is kind of strange, because health care is never governed by the Board of Pharmacy, or we’re seeing small tweaks in rules that have major impacts on the way that med spas can do things that they’ve ordinarily done. And we saw this in Texas last year. And we’re starting to see some other things that are popping up. And the reason this is important is that this is all happening not because of things that are bad with the industry. It’s happening because of the perception that others have of the industry. So these legislatures and the regulators don’t know the way that the industry works, and so the only story they’re getting is the story that’s being told to them from others. And the story they’re being told is that the industry is a total dump. And I hate to say that because it kills me. The perception that these folks have of what the med spa industry is really depressing because they don’t see it as a professional industry. They see it as a hodgepodge of back alley nail salons and just nobody’s clean, everyone’s using counterfeit products, nobody’s licensed, nobody’s safe, and that’s the narrative that they’re using to regulate us. And so my job, and I think what we’re doing now, and what we have to do if we’re going to survive this, is we have to come together and change that narrative, and that’s the main thing.
Michael: [14:20] Maybe you should invite them to Vegas, next week so they can see all the compliant ways things are being done.
Alex: [14:27] Oh, we are. And interesting, we’re going to have our friends from the FDA in Vegas, because they’ve, as you may have known, shown an interest in the industry as well, and we’ve gotten in touch with them, and they are very interested in a good way. I have to say they’ve been very interested in having a conversation, so we’re excited to have them. They’re giving a talk as well, so we’re going to show them. We’re going to show them this is not just a fly-by-night operation.
Michael: [14:57] And you’re going to keep them away from Brad?
Alex: [14:59] Yes. Well, we’re just going to, introduce them to Brad, depending on how they are. We’re not sure. If they get really excited, maybe they’ll be, you know, like, “Brad’s the best,” and next thing you know, we’ll never see them again. We can cut that out.
Michael: [15:20] No. No, never. So this season, our focus you heard at the beginning is on something I’m sure you’re getting a ton of questions on, because we all are. That’s just talking about the future of wellness. When we say wellness, we’re including longevity, weight loss, and anti-aging, which dovetails even into your mention of the FDA. But I’d love to hear y’all’s perspective from AmSpa about how you’re seeing wellness intersect with aesthetics.
Alex: [15:56] Yeah, Adam, I would love to have your perspective on this too, because you’re coming at it from a bit of an outsider, not so much anymore. I would love to hear what you’re seeing. Of course, I’ve been at this from the aesthetic side for so long it’s all coming in, and yes, it’s blending, but people are talking to… You know, Adam is learning this from his own perspective, and it’s been interesting to see when he reports back what folks are telling him, because it really is becoming a new industry. It’s becoming a very new and different industry, and there’s no going back. This is where it’s going to go and where it’s going to stay.
Adam: [16:39] Yeah, I would just add that I think, you know, seeing in kind of the main providers of these treatments, they’re all expanding, right? None of them are just resting on their laurels and saying, “I think I’m good with these four or five treatments.” They all want to be more holistic in their approach, and wellness is obviously a great moniker. It’s very positive, and everybody wants to feel well, and everyone wants to live a long time. All these terms are really resonating with the general public, and I can share stories, I’m sure we all can, of people I know within my family who maybe five or ten years ago said, “Oh, Botox, that’s crazy. I don’t want to have Mar-a-Lago face. I don’t want to look weird.” Then they go to somebody, have a conversation with the injector, it goes well, maybe they get a treatment, and they go, “Wow, this is actually nothing like what I thought it would be.” There are so many instances of that happening. Then there are other people coming from a completely different vantage point maybe weight loss, maybe “Hey, I just want to live longer. I heard about some new medicine online, and I can’t make heads or tails of it.” That entry point could be a med spa. So I think there’s just an increased awareness of all of these goals, and I think ultimately it will help the industry. Some of the monikers may change over time, but a lot of it is just making sure we can educate people on all of this development, because it really is happening at a head-spinning pace.
Michael: [18:36] Alex, do you think that the stuff you’re seeing in Indiana and other states is a consequence of these wellness-type things, GLP-1s, et cetera, coming into medical spas? So, you know you mentioned that they’re kind of coming at it from the board of pharmacy angle, and I could see that connection.
Alex: [19:01] No, it’s not as a consequence, meaning I think it would be happening anyway. I think it’s really adding an accelerant to the fire that I think has taken me by surprise, especially this year. Because we knew just from last year with what happened in Texas, dealing with an IV clinic – IVs have always been a part of med spas that’s not necessarily a new thing. But with GLP-1s and some of the other treatments, now you are getting into this pharma-related, big pharma-related realm where they have an interest in it. What’s happening is this: it’s starting to tinker with big pharma’s ability to do business. And so it’s added another component where it’s not just regulators and legislatures who don’t think med spas are safe. They don’t want to do Botox parties or whatever it is, and so we’re going to regulate med spas. You still have that, but now you’ve got a multi-billion-dollar industry trying to protect their GLP-1 market going after the entire wellness industry to protect that market and med spas are being lumped in. It’s almost like we’re a casualty as part of that. Sometimes the legislation isn’t so bad and it works out, but there are a few cases where it has been really restrictive. That’s the main thing. Right now, I think there are six states with this legislation filed almost simultaneously, and how do you fight all six at once if your industry is as fragmented as ours? That’s why we really have to come together. Otherwise, it’s going to be even harder to tell the laws from state to state, and it’s going to be even worse if we can’t have some kind of unified representation.
Brad: [21:17] Yeah. I mean, obviously we’re talking about different aspects of wellness and anti-aging, and I know peptides is a big issue right now. The FDA’s reviewing it. We have HRT. Talk about, obviously with your pulse from the members, what are you hearing about from a compliance perspective and from a business perspective? What are the considerations that these med spas are considering if they are even looking at these types of newish product lines?
Adam: [21:47] I think Alex could probably give a more complete answer on this, but interestingly enough, I just met this morning with a California med spa operator who lives near me, and I said, “Hey, what are some of your big areas of concern right now?” She said specifically peptides and HRT. Basically, her comment was, “It’s so hard to keep up with all the developments happening right now and making sure that we’re compliant.” It’s going to vary state to state, right? California tends to be pretty heavy in terms of regulation. Her takeaway was, “Hey, it’s great that all this stuff is happening, but I’m just trying to keep up and make sure that I know what’s happening and which ones I can use.” Really just kind of feeling that burden of keeping aware.
Alex: [22:42] Yeah. It’s hard. People’s heads are spinning, I think. Not only are these new developments happening, but as you know, the law moves much slower, so the regulations aren’t catching up, and people are saying different things. God forbid you look on social media and see what people are doing. It creates a spaghetti bowl of things where people don’t know what to do, what to believe, and they want some guidance. They just want to know where the road is so they can be on it. Unfortunately, right now, with all of these different new modalities, nobody can really tell them. We can tell them a little bit, and I always defer to you guys on this because you’re the experts. But you can tell them, and then they also see, number one, everyone else is doing it. Number two, they see that many of these things are really effective and working very well, but they don’t have any ability because of our kind of insulated industry. We’re not really understood, and we don’t have our own specialty. There’s no way to really engage and figure out how we can be a part of it and start using some of these therapies in trials and stuff like that. So there’s a lot of work to do. People have questions. It’s too bad, because there’s so much good coming out of all this that I’m excited for, and everyone’s excited for. We’ve just got to get the house in order somehow.
Michael: [24:21] And we’re really dedicating this whole season to taking a deep dive into all of this. We’ll have an entire episode on peptides where we’ll have our partner Sam on to give the lowdown on all this confusion that you just mentioned. So kind of speed round questions. We’ve already just blew through our time today. I’d love to hear from each of you your perspective on what changes you see with this wellness. What are you seeing happening in the med spa world over the next five years?
Adam: [24:57] Yeah, I’ll take a crack at this one. I think one big trend is going to be that. And this is more of a consumer trend, but I think it’ll be good for med spas. It’s already starting to happen. There’s going to be an increased understanding that aesthetics are not just a vanity play. It’s not just about looking better as I age. There are so many other aspects when you talk about overall wellness, mental health, and people’s baseline confidence – how they feel about themselves and how that translates to other parts of their life. I do think this is just going to continue to grow, and med spas have to be aware of which way the wind’s blowing. They’ve got to be aware of compliance for sure, and they can’t rest on their laurels because there are other groups that are going to be providing some of these services. Incumbent upon the med spas to just stay very close to what these trends are while staying compliant. But I just think that whole dynamic of how people perceive aesthetics medicine is going to change.
Michael: [26:21] Nice. Alex, have you found a word?
Alex: [26:26] I mean, that’s great. I think that’s really well put. The difference between aesthetics and wellness, longevity, and all that is going to be blurred. It’s all going to be one thing. I think that’s kind of goes without saying at this point. I love the fact that Adam sees it too. It’s not a vanity play, and I think the more we get to that point, the quicker we can be taken more seriously. I think part of the problem is that when it is just a vanity play and it’s just, “Oh, you’re just paying for it to look better,” that, good, bad, or indifferent, cheapens it in some people’s eyes. But this is about making people feel better and be more healthy, and I think there’s a lot to that. So I think that was well put.
Michael: [27:17] Awesome. Well, thank you both for joining us on the Legal 123s with ByrdAdatto. We’ll go to break and, come back with a few legal insights. But, we’re grateful for both of you.
Adam: [27:29] Thank you. Enjoyed it.
Alex: [27:30] Happy to be here. And just real quick, season 23, which means this is Michael Jordan season, so it’s the greatest season of all time.
Michael: [27:39] Can’t believe we didn’t make that connection.
Brad: [27:41] Oh. I blame Michael.
Michael: [27:42] Yeah.
Alex: [27:43] I can’t believe you didn’t either.
Access+: [27:44] Many business owners use legal counsel as a last resort, rather than as a proactive tool that can further their success. Why? For most, it’s the fear of unknown legal costs. ByrdAdatto’s Access+ program makes it possible for you to get the ongoing legal assistance you need, for one predictable monthly fee. That gives you unlimited phone and email access to the legal team, so you can receive feedback on legal concerns as they arise. Access+, a smarter, simpler way to access legal services. Find out more. Visit byrdadatto.com today.
Brad: [28:18] Welcome back to Legal 123s with ByrdAdatto. I’m your host, Brad Adatto, with my co-host Michael Byrd. And Michael, we have an exciting season 23, Michael Jordan number as, Alex said right before he left. The Future of Wellness is our theme. I’m so happy that Alex and Adam got to come in, talk about what’s happening in the industry, and more importantly, talk about what they’ll be doing next week. I know the MedSpa Show in Vegas will be capturing a lot of what we talked about, going in depth about AI, peptides, wellness, and everything else. For our takeaways, audience members who can get there should go to MSS and meet us up there in person. I’ll sign any autograph you want. I’m humble like that. Michael won’t sign anything. But anyway, thank you. Again for joining us. Guess what? Michael, we’ll be back next Wednesday when we continue The Future Of Wellness and we address the collision between wellness and M&A when Ben Hernandez from Skytale joins us.
Brad: [29:18] Thanks again for joining us today. And remember, if you liked this episode, please subscribe. Make sure to give us a five-star rating and share with your friends.
Michael: [29:26] You can also sign up for the ByrdAdatto newsletter by going to our website at byrdadatto.com.
Outro: [29:32] ByrdAdatto is providing this podcast as a public service. This podcast is for educational purposes only. This podcast does not constitute legal advice, nor does it establish an attorney-client relationship. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by ByrdAdatto. The views expressed by guests are their own, and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Please consult with an attorney on your legal issues.
