SHOP, THEN DROP IN
FOR SURGERY

Coming soon to a mall near you: tummy tucks, boob jobs, and booty lifts. With extreme makeovers more popular than ever, plastic surgeons are going retail. The ritziest new entrant: Rodeo Drive Plastic Surgery, a $1 million Beverly Hills facility that opened in August near Chanel and Hugo Boss. The 5,000-square-foot center, the fanciest of a handful of similar facilities, has sumptuous exam rooms with leather chairs, marble countertops, and bamboo floors.

It’s all part of a “retail medicine” trend that has gained ground over the past few years, in which doctors perform procedures like laser eye surgery and arthroscopic knee repairs away from traditional hospital settings. As the thinking goes, Why check into a chaotic building full of sick people if you really don’t have to? Convenience is another factor. “It’s the Jiffy Lube approach to health care,” says Kelly Pyrek, editor of Today’s Surgicenter, a trade magazine.

While cosmetic surgery typically isn’t covered by insurance, retailers can often offer lower prices than hospitals because they have less overhead. At Rodeo Drive, breast augmentations and face-lifts run “slightly less” than the $3,000 to $5,000 average, says founder and medical director Lloyd Krieger. “It’s as safe as a hospital but at a more reasonable cost.” Hey, could be the only bargain in the neighborhood. – David Stires