S12.E14: Med Spas

[Lantern7]

Meh episode for me, mostly because I don’t go for beauty treatments or anything remotely adjacent to that. Also, You-Know-Who doesn’t play any part in it. Actually, there’s a trend called “Mar-a-Lago face,” but John didn’t go into that. Just a bunch of horror stories about mostly unregulated procedures where something going wrong is preferable to something going HORRIBLY wrong. Also, salmon sperm treatments. And Rachel Dratch got to bring back Wanda Jo. That’s always fun, right?

[Annber03]

4 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

Actually, there’s a trend called “Mar-a-Lago face,” but John didn’t go into that.

...I don't even want to know, do I...?

I don't go in for these kinds of procedures, either, but I'm always interested in stories about medical malpractice. I remember Oxygen had a show called "License to Kill" that touched on some unscroupulous individuals who performed questionable cosmetic surgeries similar to the kinds listed here, and it was really disturbing how much they were able to get by with and how many people were impacted by or died as a result of their shady/illegal procedures. It really is insane that so many people are allowed to work on someone's body without any sort of legitimate license or other credentials. I don't get how that's allowed to be a thing. 

The poor woman with the lesions - first off, that did indeed make me squirm, second, I liked her point about how people will ooh and aah over someone getting a boob job while turning around and judging those who tried to do something similar only for the procedure to go awry. Valid point, and a good way to call out the shallow culture that makes women feel the need to have these kinds of procedures in the first place. 

Besides that, it doesn't matter whether you agree with the person deciding to get the procedure or not. The fact remains that someone who wasn't capable of working on them was allowed to do so and put them and thier health/life at risk, and that's where the anger and judgment should go. Not to the patient. 

As for the stories at the top of the hour, the Lindell stuff just reminded me of how nice it's been to not be bombarded with his stupid My Pillow ads anymore. That TV channel of his sure...sounds like a channel, indeed. Mmhm. Why can't Trump and Musk and others in their circle fall into the same kind of irrelevancy that Lindell's fallen into? 

[Lantern7]

2 hours ago, Annber03 said:

...I don't even want to know, do I...?

I thought it was brought up on that other thread we visit. Here's an article. Look upon it and despair for humanity.

Speaking of despair . . . Rudy has a show on the Pillow Guy's network/whatever. Of course he does.

[DoctorAtomic]

I literally never heard of a "med spa," but I have seen ads for laser hair removal, so I guess I knew what they was. 

The girl with the lesions needs to get off her horse. Yes, people shouldn't be shaming her for wanting to get the procedure. I don't have a problem with it. I thought of laser hair removal, but it's cheaper and easy for me to just shave. It's the lack of due diligence and *why* you're wanting to get these procedures done. Everyone is an 'influencer' and everyone since covid thinks they're a medical expert. Perform the due diligence first. And, yes, if you're only doing it to get more clicks, then you should be called out, to a point. She was comparing two different scenarios. 

I'm fine with more oversight and regulation, but there's still a piece of it you have to own yourself. 

[peeayebee]

I was disappointed to get this kind of ep when there's so much to talk about with the current horror show. Maybe they're leaving it for after Dump's birthday parade this Saturday.

I haven't noticed any Med Spas around here. They may be around, but I haven't noticed. I'll be on the lookout now. 

I have a friend who gets B12 in IV form. I wonder if that's a Med Spa. She's a very sensible, well-informed person, so it might just be a real medical office.

That influencer with the horrible legions... Did they say it was from B12 injections? If so, why would she have so many?

The one bright spot in the ep was Wanda Jo. I cracked up when she said they did "ozone ear fuckalations" and "ultraviolent floop-a-doops."

[andromeda331]

I guess Med Spas are the new getting plastic surgery from someone who turns out isn't a doctor. 

How this isn't regulated I don't know.

The legions were gross.

Salmon sperm? Why would put that anywhere near you?

Always happy to see M'Wanda. 

[MicheleinPhilly]

22 hours ago, peeayebee said:

That influencer with the horrible legions... Did they say it was from B12 injections? If so, why would she have so many?

I think John said that she went in for a B12 shot and was then upsold something else which is what caused the legions. 

Which were seriously GROSS. I'm so glad that I'm terrified of needles and don't really give a shit what I look like. 

Didn't a med spa essentially kill Joan Rivers?

[EtheltoTillie]

16 minutes ago, MicheleinPhilly said:

I think John said that she went in for a B12 shot and was then upsold something else which is what caused the legions. 

Which were seriously GROSS. I'm so glad that I'm terrified of needles and don't really give a shit what I look like. 

Didn't a med spa essentially kill Joan Rivers?

I believe Joan rivers died because she was having endoscopy surgery at an outpatient facility (legal) rather than at a hospital. They might have had better emergency response at a hospital. 

Edited June 10 by EtheltoTillie

[bilgistic]

I live in NC, and there are unregulated "med spas" everywhere here. Those "cool sculpting" places are in every other shopping center. Literally anyone can rent a salon suite and start shooting up faces with Botox.

[iMonrey]

I'd never heard of Med Spas before and so assumed they were a coastal/elite type of thing not found in the midwest. But I Googled "med spas near me" and found several, so there you go.

On 6/9/2025 at 10:19 AM, DoctorAtomic said:

The girl with the lesions needs to get off her horse. Yes, people shouldn't be shaming her for wanting to get the procedure. I don't have a problem with it. I thought of laser hair removal, but it's cheaper and easy for me to just shave. It's the lack of due diligence and *why* you're wanting to get these procedures done. Everyone is an 'influencer' and everyone since covid thinks they're a medical expert. Perform the due diligence first. And, yes, if you're only doing it to get more clicks, then you should be called out, to a point. She was comparing two different scenarios. 

I'm fine with more oversight and regulation, but there's still a piece of it you have to own yourself. 

Yeah, this. Sorry, maybe I'm just a heartless person, but I have trouble mustering up sympathy for someone wanting to inject poison and artificial fillers into their faces, or having other procedures at rather obviously sketchy places. "Buyer beware" is a thing. It's not like getting a facial or a massage. When you are literally injecting things into your body you really need to do your due diligence. 

[DoctorAtomic]

Looks like there's a few near me too. One of the laser places does full body for women but only back for men. Come on. 

 

 

[peeayebee]

I just checked on google maps, too. There are a few nearby. Now, I don't know how accurate it is, but it looks like one is in a residential neighborhood near me, which is to say it's someone's house.

 

[Shrek]

If anyone watches 90 day fiancé here then I think that is what that freak show Shakina was doing in her home/spa thing. 

Who woulda thunk it, a LWT/90 Day fiancé crossover.

Edited June 10 by Shrek

[EtheltoTillie]

23 minutes ago, Shrek said:

If anyone watches 90 day fiancé here then I think that is what that freak show Shakina was doing in her home/spa thing. 

Who woulda thunk it, a LWT/90 Day fiancé crossover.

She's at least a nurse, though, isn't she (am I thinking of the right person?)?  Not like that guy Mr. Injector.  Who would go near that guy?

Every time I hear about one of those people who get injections or implants in some guy's garage in Brooklyn, I wonder what people could possibly be thinking.  They just think it's cheaper and they'll look beautiful.  I'm thinking of some case where someone had cement or some simlar substance injected in her butt.  There's a difference between the outright frauds like that and the med spas that are allowed to operate because of lax regulation in those states but have at least some pretense of medical supervision. 

 

[DoctorAtomic]

The easiest solution would just be for the facility to get its own license than just operating under an MD. Like they were showing, they could live hours away. 

 

[EtheltoTillie]

4 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

The easiest solution would just be for the facility to get its own license than just operating under an MD. Like they were showing, they could live hours away. 

 

They do that because they need an MD involved or they cannot get a license.  The state laws in those cases allow the MD to be remote but they still need one.  They probably can't get local MDs to participate.  

Edited June 10 by EtheltoTillie

[DoctorAtomic]

I was just riffing, but thus seems like a solvable problem. I don't think this is a huge lift.

[milkyaqua]

Forget sketchy med spas, you have people doing botox injections in their houses with no type of license not to mention not knowing what's being injected or where it came from.  It's amazing the chances people will take with their health for some perceived notion of looking better.  Especially when you consider that a lot of influencers on different platforms are using filters.

I know in NY, there are companies that do mobile in-home vitamin IV therapy and the like.  But the legit places are usually doctor owned and have registered nurses who come an adminster them.

As for salmon sperm/PDRN, that's a real thing in South Korea.  In the US it's not FDA approved for injection but it can be applied via microneedling and there are places that do it.  It also requires several appointments to get the most out of it.  There are topical products as well including vegan versions (ginseng, green tea).

There is a lot of stuff going on and more nonsense to come that's pretty downright maddening and depressing.

[MicheleinPhilly]

The first time I became aware of the "in-home IV drips" was maybe 6 or 7 years ago when I went to Key West. In every bar bathroom, there were flyers and postcards advertising these people that would come to your hotel room and hook you up for however long and magically "cure" your hangover. 

I hate needles so was never tempted but also it just seemed hella sketchy. Give me a Bloody Mary and a greasy breakfast and I'll live. 

[Lantern7]

Rewatching the episode. Turns out I repressed Stephen Baldwin’s one-man show. I also forgot about the South Korean election graphics. Has John ever been enthused about capybaras before? It seems like something he’d gush over every 6-8 episodes.

[Annber03]

53 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

Rewatching the episode. Turns out I repressed Stephen Baldwin’s one-man show.

I have so many questions about that show that I'm really not sure I want the answers to :p. God, these poeple are weird as hell. 

[heatherchandler]

On 6/9/2025 at 10:46 AM, peeayebee said:

 

I have a friend who gets B12 in IV form. I wonder if that's a Med Spa. She's a very sensible, well-informed person, so it might just be a real medical office.

That influencer with the horrible legions... Did they say it was from B12 injections? If so, why would she have so many?

 

So many med spas near me.  I’ve gotten a few B12 shots, usually when I tag along with a friend getting something else done.  I’ve never actually felt any energy from it.  It’s BS I think.