What it actually costs to look & feel good.
Salons, skincare, gyms, groceries, dentists and everything in between — a plain-language breakdown of the monthly upkeep of wellness and appearance for women and men in 2026, and where that money works hardest.
$10,000 – $30,000+
Across eleven everyday categories
$5,000 – $15,000
Across six everyday categories
Figures are estimated US ranges for 2026, based on widely reported salon, clinic and retail pricing. Actual costs vary by city, provider and lifestyle.
The women's routine, line by line.
From nails and brows to med spa visits and the grocery run — the categories that make up a typical maintenance routine, and what each one realistically costs per month.
- Nail salon$40 – $120A gel manicure every two to three weeks, plus the occasional pedicure.
- Hair salon$80 – $300Cut and color every six to eight weeks; balayage and extensions sit at the top of the range.
- Laser & hair removal$50 – $200Session packages amortized across the year; full courses run $1,500 – $3,000+.
- Botox, esthetician & cosmetics$100 – $500Facials, injectables two to four times a year, and the makeup and skincare shelf.
- Clothing & fashion$100 – $400Seasonal refreshes, workwear and occasion pieces.
- Gym & Pilates classes$50 – $250A gym membership plus reformer Pilates or boutique classes at $25 – $40 a session.
- Groceries for eating well$300 – $600Fresh produce, quality protein and the weekly shop that makes a nutrition routine possible.
- Brow salon$15 – $50Shaping, tinting or lamination every four to six weeks.
- Shopping & extras$50 – $200The unplanned candle, the wellness gadget, the gift you forgot to budget for.
- Med spa$100 – $400Laser facials, microneedling and body treatments, amortized across the year.
- Dentist & teeth whitening$30 – $100Cleanings, checkups and whitening treatments spread across the year.
The men's routine, line by line.
Fewer line items, but the same principle — barber visits, training, skincare and the food that fuels it add up faster than most men expect.
- Gym & fitness classes$40 – $200A gym membership, plus the occasional class, league or training session.
- Barber & haircuts$40 – $100A cut every three to four weeks, plus beard trims and hot-towel finishes.
- Facials & skincare$30 – $150A growing category — cleanser, moisturizer, sunscreen and the occasional professional facial.
- Dentist & teeth whitening$30 – $100Cleanings, checkups and whitening treatments spread across the year.
- Groceries for eating well$300 – $600The weekly shop that fuels training — protein, produce and meal prep staples.
- Clothing & shopping$50 – $250Wardrobe refreshes, gym kit and the occasional statement piece.
Some of it compounds. Some of it evaporates.
Look at the tables above and a pattern emerges. The categories with the most lasting return are the quiet ones: the groceries that become better meals, the gym membership that becomes a habit, the consistent skincare routine that costs less than one med spa visit but works every single day.
The most expensive categories — injectables, laser packages, last-minute fixes — are often attempts to buy back what sleep, movement, nutrition and a steady routine would have protected in the first place. That does not make them wrong. It makes them optional, and optionality is where a budget breathes.
The question is rarely “how much should I spend?” It is “which of these categories actually matter for my goals?” — and that answer is different for every person.
Spend $29 to find out which thousands are worth it.
An Aura routine looks at your goals, your skin, your schedule and your budget — then tells you which of these categories deserve your money and which you can skip. One month of Aura costs less than a single blowout.
Educational guidance, not medical or financial advice.