A Zeltiq salesman came to my clinic today wanting me to buy the first Zeltiq machine and become one of the physician to start selling the Zeltiq procedure in my country (Taiwan). The Zeltiq authorized dealer wishes to sell the machine for US$115,000. The Zeltiq device comes with an operating card which needs to be inserted whenever machine is operated. Each card is programed to work a certain hour and is considered a consumable part of this device. I own a Velashape device in my practice and am thinking about buying a Zeltiq or Zerona machine in the near future. Can Zeltiq owners give me some advice about this purchase?

115K? That's hilarious. A king's ransom for a new machine who's protocols aren't worked out beyond getting people a result that they can barely see even with side by side photos? Pass
It may be great in the future, and it's a very novel and safe technology. But it's just not there yet, and the price is just through the roof stupid.

Dr. Wang,
So the machine is 115k and has a per usage fee. This sounds about right. What's with these manufacturers? I do not own the Zeltiq, but I do own another non-invasive fat melting device and I can tell you from first hand experience that the formula the sales team for the manufacturer has for the amount you can receive per package of sessions should be divided by 1/2. So if your salesperson says for instance that you can sell 6 sessions for $3,000, a more realistic price would be $1,500. Also, keep in mind the costs of marketing for your new machine, cost of paying employee performing treatments, cost of disposables, etc... I am not a fan of a per usage charge on any machine because it creates yet another road block to making a profit. It's simply hard enough to spend 115k, and work like a dog to get the machine paid off, hoping that you will make a profit once it is. And by the time you have finally managed to get enough people in, perform countless treatments and the machine is finally paid for. Guess what? There is a new machine that your patients are are wanting and you need to look into spending another 115k on, which starts the process all over again of working to pay off the machine. At the price you mentioned, with a disposable fee and minimal results, I'm afraid the only business that will make a significant profit will be the manufacturer of Zeltiq.

-Wendy Hovorka