PRIVACY POLICY

Welcome


At AVARA Aesthetic Spa, trust is part of the treatment. Whether you're booking a facial, sharing your skin history with us, or signing up for our Birthday Club texts, we want you to know exactly what information we collect, why we collect it, and how we protect it. This policy explains all of that in plain language — no legalese scavenger hunt required.


This policy applies to information we collect through our website, our Vagaro booking platform, in-spa intake forms, phone calls, text messages, email, and social media interactions with AVARA.


1. Information We Collect


  1. Contact & appointment information Name, phone number, email address, and appointment history — collected when you book a service, join our client list, or sign up for our Birthday Club.
  2. Payment & billing information When you pay for a service, your payment is processed through Vagaro's secure payment system. AVARA does not store your full card number on our own systems — that's handled by Vagaro's PCI-compliant payment processor.
  3. Health & skin intake information Before certain treatments, we ask about allergies, skin conditions, medications, or other health details relevant to your service. This helps our aestheticians recommend safe, effective treatments. (A note on HIPAA: because AVARA does not bill insurance and is not a "covered entity" under HIPAA, this intake information is not governed by HIPAA's rules — but we still treat it as confidential and use it solely to provide your care, as described below.)
  4. Photos If we take before/after photos of your treatment, we only use them for your chart or for marketing if you've given specific, separate consent. You can decline photos entirely, or ask us to stop using a photo in marketing at any time.
  5. Website & tracking information Our website uses Google Analytics and the Meta Pixel to understand site traffic and to show you relevant ads on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. These tools may collect your IP address, browser type, pages visited, and device information through cookies.



2. How We Use Your Information


We use your information to:

  1. Schedule and manage your appointments
  2. Provide safe, personalized treatments based on your skin/health history
  3. Process payments through Vagaro
  4. Send appointment confirmations and reminders
  5. Send marketing texts and emails (only if you've opted in — more below)
  6. Run retargeting ads and measure how people find our website
  7. Improve our services and website experience
  8. Comply with legal obligations and protect against fraud

We do not sell your personal information to data brokers, and we do not share your health/skin intake information with third parties for their own marketing purposes.



3. Text Message (SMS) Marketing


If you opt in to AVARA's SMS program (like the Birthday Club), here's what you're agreeing to and what you can expect:

  1. Consent: We only text you if you've affirmatively opted in (e.g., by replying to a signup text or checking a box). Consent to receive texts is never a condition of booking a service.
  2. Message frequency: Varies — birthday offers, promotions, and occasional updates.
  3. Message & data rates may apply from your carrier.
  4. Opt-out: Reply STOP at any time to unsubscribe. Reply HELP for assistance.
  5. No third-party sharing: We don't sell or share your phone number with outside companies for their own marketing.

This complies with the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and CTIA messaging guidelines.



4. Email Marketing


If you sign up for AVARA emails, every marketing email will include:

  1. Clear identification that it's from AVARA
  2. An easy one-click unsubscribe link
  3. Our business mailing address

We honor unsubscribe requests promptly, per the federal CAN-SPAM Act. Unsubscribing from marketing emails won't affect appointment-related emails (like confirmations) tied to a service you've booked.



5. Cookies, Analytics & Advertising


Our website uses:

  1. Google Analytics — to understand how visitors use our site
  2. Meta Pixel — to measure ad performance and show you relevant AVARA ads on Facebook/Instagram

You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on, and manage ad personalization through your Facebook/Meta ad preferences or your device/browser cookie settings.



6. Third-Party Service Providers


We work with a small number of trusted vendors to run AVARA, including:

  1. Vagaro — booking, scheduling, and payment processing
  2. Google Analytics — website traffic analysis
  3. Meta (Facebook/Instagram) — advertising and retargeting

These providers only receive the information necessary to perform their function and are bound by their own privacy and security obligations.



7. Data Security


We use reasonable administrative and technical safeguards to protect your information — including secure, access-controlled systems for client records and PCI-compliant payment processing through Vagaro. No system is 100% secure, but we take your privacy seriously and continually review our practices.



8. Data Retention


We retain client records (including intake and appointment history) for as long as you remain an active client and for a reasonable period afterward, in case you return or as required for our business and legal recordkeeping needs. You may request deletion of your information at any time (see Section 10).



9. Children's Privacy


AVARA's services are intended for adults. If a minor receives services with us, it is with the knowledge and consent of a parent or guardian, and any information collected is handled under that guardian's authorization. Our website is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect information online directly from children under 13.



10. Your Privacy Rights


Regardless of where you're located, you can always:

  1. Ask what we have — Request a copy of the personal information AVARA holds about you
  2. Ask us to correct it — If something's outdated or wrong
  3. Ask us to delete it — Subject to legal/recordkeeping requirements (e.g., we may need to retain certain records)
  4. Opt out of marketing — Text, email, or ad retargeting, anytime
  5. Opt out of the sale or sharing of data — AVARA does not sell personal information, so there's nothing to opt out of here, but we confirm that commitment for California residents and anyone else who asks

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the information in Section 12. We'll respond within a reasonable time.

(Note: Comprehensive state privacy laws like the CCPA are triggered by specific revenue/data-volume thresholds. AVARA offers these rights to all clients as a matter of good practice, regardless of whether we technically meet those thresholds.)



11. South Carolina-Specific Notice


South Carolina does not currently have a comprehensive consumer privacy law, but AVARA's practices are designed to comply with:

  1. The South Carolina Financial Identity Fraud and Identity Theft Protection Act, which requires us to notify affected individuals in the event of a data breach involving sensitive personal information
  2. The South Carolina Unfair Trade Practices Act, which prohibits deceptive business practices — we commit to accurately describing our data practices in this policy
  3. Applicable federal law, including the FTC Act's prohibition on unfair or deceptive practices



12. Contact Us


Questions, requests, or just want to talk to a human about your data? Reach out:

AVARA Aesthetic Spa

1421 Shucker Circle

Suite 1120, Studio 126

Mount Pleasant, SC 29464

(843) 818-3562

info@avaraaestheticspa.com



13. Changes to This Policy


We may update this policy as our services, tools, or the law change. We'll update the "Last Updated" date above, and for material changes, we'll make reasonable efforts to notify active clients (e.g., via email or an in-spa notice).



14. Governing Law


This policy is governed by the laws of the State of South Carolina, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.