I do private Botox parties as a fun and lucrative side gig. Here's how I got certified and what they're like.

• Dr. Samantha Ellison worked at Botox parties on her days off as a traveling physician.
• She's given Botox to politicians, celebrities, lawyers, teachers, colleagues, and exotic dancers.
• Ellison wants to educate more people about the world of medical aesthetics and its benefits.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Dr. Samantha "Sam" Ellison, a hospitalist and medical aesthetician in her 30s, who's based in Sebring, Florida. It's been edited for length and clarity.

I was first introduced to medical aesthetics during my residency at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. One of my friends was getting married and she had a Botox party for her bridal shower — I'd never been to anything like it. It was a night of laughs and camaraderie but instead of leaving with a typical party favor, I left with a very smooth forehead.

I already knew I wanted to go into hospital medicine, but I wanted to add an aesthetic component to my work as well. I've always been immersed in beauty. My mom was a cosmetologist, my husband is one, and I have other family members who are makeup artists and stylists. I wanted to be a doctor to help people, but I didn't want to only focus on the internal parts of my patients. After that bridal shower, I knew I wanted to add Botox to my profession.

I'm a freelance hospitalist physician, which means I take care of many kinds of conditions at multiple hospitals. When I first started doing Botox parties in 2021, I'd been practicing medicine for about three years. I worked a seven-days-on, seven-days-off schedule and I'd do two to three Botox parties a week. Most of these parties would happen after work hours or on my days off.

Now, my husband and I own a salon and spa where we offer weight-loss and sexual-health services along with Botox and other aesthetic procedures.

Learning to do Botox injections was a matter of understanding the aesthetics

I got my certification to do injections under Empire Medical Training. The program is a two-day training event that costs about $7,000. It requires a lot of didactics then a day of hands-on learning where students are given models or bring their own to apply the principles in real time.

After my initial certification, I trained with master injector, Dr. Lanna Cheuk at LC Medical Spa in New York City. The training was a six-month fellowship where I did beginning, intermediate, and advanced botox courses as well as other medical aesthetics courses. That training served as the most influential aspect of cultivating my skills, which I've done over years.

In order to inject Botox in Florida, you have to either be a medical doctor or a nurse practitioner, and an NP is not supposed to perform these injections without the supervision of a medical doctor. I got my medical degree at Howard University, so I already had knowledge about the various muscles, nerves, and vasculature of the face. On the other hand, some people who do injections at Botox parties aren't trained and skilled.

Getting injections from people who aren't properly trained can lead to complications, and sometimes clients come to me to reverse those issues. The complications and side effects are rare and typically resolve on their own. Usually, they're just things like mild bruising or pain at the injection sites, which can be treated with a cold compress.

A less common issue is eyelid ptosis, which occurs when the toxin from Botox diffuses and reaches the muscle that elevates the eye, making the upper eyelid look droopy and the face look asymmetrical. Eye drops typically prescribed for glaucoma can be used to counteract the effect.

My Botox parties are requested by clientele whose primary concerns are privacy and exclusivity

My husband is also a politician, so a lot of his connections became my connections. Some of my clients have included national politicians and A-listers who sought out a more concierge medical-aesthetics experience. I also service nurses, business executives, lawyers, doctors, and lately a lot of teachers have been requesting Botox parties.

Most of the parties are requested by women and there are usually five to 10 people between ages 35 and 50, but my goal is to change that demographic. I want to introduce more people from all walks of life to the world of aesthetics, and educate more men about the benefits of toxin treatments.

I also work with exotic dancers. Whenever I've serviced these beautiful ladies and entered into their spaces — the clubs where they work — it's not as quiet as I'm used to in someone's home. You have to deal with loud music or more people around and it's not as controlled an environment, but it's so much fun.

Botox parties are really laid-back

A lot of these Botox parties occur in the evening, so it's popular to have a sleepover where people come in themed pajamas. Hosts have provided pizza, charcuterie boards, or just desserts. Other clients have thrown ice-cream parties.

I've noticed a lot of guests are less hesitant to get Botox at parties because it's not as scary and intimidating. A secretary from a major law firm hired me for a Botox party for five women. Three were prior recipients of Botox, one was new to it but super excited, and one was very apprehensive but didn't want to be the only one in the office who didn't show up.

I was able to help the apprehensive guest move from a point of uncertainty to one of excitement because of my knowledge and the time I took to answer questions. Ultimately, she got the services and told a couple of friends. I ended up with four clients from her experience.

Botox parties can be a huge supplement to your income

The cost of a Botox party is based on the number of clients who want to be injected and the expectations of the host. I typically offer the host a promotional discount on their injections, but if the host wants me to do the party planning that's an additional cost. There are also fees if I have to travel — often to Miami, which is about 350 miles away from my home. The cost can range anywhere from $3,500 to $20,000.

Doing Botox parties can be really fun and lucrative, depending on how you market yourself and how good your network is. Word-of-mouth has been my best marketing asset, but there's more competition in the field these days. Because of safety guidelines, I didn't do Botox parties for a lot of the pandemic, but there was an upsurge in requests and interest in Botox peaked after the pandemic ended.

The biggest challenge of working as both a hospitalist physician and doing Botox parties is the mental switch it requires. I'm very used to treating internal organs, but when I'm doing Botox parties in my spare time I have to focus on the skin.

Moving forward, I plan to further expand my salon and spa business with Botox, PRP fillers, and other injectables.

Correction: March 7, 2023 — This story was updated to clarify that Dr. Samantha Ellison completed a six-month fellowship in addition to her certification to do injections.