Spa, Massage and Beauty Career Articles

Spa and Beauty Articles

General Spa & Beauty Information

Growth of the Spa and Beauty Industry

People like to look and feel their best. The market for estheticians and hair stylists has always been strong, but it has risen to a new level in recent years with a profound shift toward more holistic health and beauty approaches. Beyond just a haircut and a quick facial, more women—and men—looking for a time-out, an escape and an opportunity to pamper themselves. Read more.

Paying for Massage or Beauty School

What you pay for school may vary widely depending on where you live, what profession you choose and how you intend to use your training. For example, you can take a one-day seminar to learn the basics of aromatherapy for $150, or you can enroll in a detailed training program that covers everything from the production and quality of essential oils to the anatomy and physiology of relevant body systems to become a certified aromatherapist. Read more.

Find the Field that Fits

There are countless "perfect jobs" in the spa and beauty industry. Looking for glamour? You can find it. Want flexibility? It's yours. The key to crafting your perfect career is knowing where you belong. How do you do that? Start by asking yourself a few simple questions. Read more.

Spa & Beauty School Accreditation

You may have seen the word "accreditation" come up a lot and wondered what it really means. Accreditation is simply one way to evaluate the quality of education a school offers. To help you understand a little bit more about accreditation and what it entails before you choose a spa or beauty school, we've put together a quick guide to get you started. Read more.

Which Spa or Beauty School is Right For You?

There are many factors to consider when choosing a cosmetology school, beauty school, massage school or other spa training program. You want a school that will adequately prepare you for a successful career. You also want to enjoy a fulfilling and exciting educational experience. The ideal school will both strengthen your passion and provide a solid education for your chosen career. Read more.

Spa and Beauty Salary Information

Spa and beauty salaries can fluctuate depending on a number of factors. For example, you can work full time or part time in a wide range of settings, from luxury resort spas to small home salons. Where you practice, what kind of work setting you choose and the hours you work each week are just a few of the factors that can affect your income. Read more.

Career Licensure, Exams & State Boards

For most careers in the spa and beauty industry, you need to earn some type of state license to practice. That usually requires passing an exam and meeting other requirements established by a statewide regulatory board. Read more.

Spa and Wellness Articles

Top Ten Reasons to Get a Massage

Receiving a massage is a great way to pamper yourself. No trip to the spa would be complete without visiting a massage therapist. In addition, massage can be a pathway to improved health and well-being. Did you know that Hippocrates, the father of medicine, was also a massage therapist? Learn some of the top reasons to get a massage.

A Massage Therapist's Essential Toolkit

Combine dedication, compassion and intuitiveness with exceptional communication skills and comprehensive training; add some marketing savvy and fundamental business knowledge. At the end of the day, you have just created the foundation to your success as a massage therapist. Find out what's in a massage therapist's toolkit.

Massage Therapist Personality Traits

Massage therapy can offer a world of fulfillment to any candidate with the right credentials, the right timing and the right personality. You'll need certain social and emotional qualities to establish a comfortable, personal environment for clients while maintaining the utmost professionalism. Learn some ideal massage therapist personality traits.

Survival Guide to Massage School – Learn What to Expect

Entering massage therapy school can be a scary and exciting time! Here you'll find some savvy pointers to help you work out the 'knots' of trepidation you may have about starting a whole new career. Learn what to expect from massage school, and get some great survival tips.

Massage Hot Spots: Top Five Cities to Work as a Massage Therapist

Among the many enticements of a massage therapy career, one, in particular, stands out—location. You can practice this natural healing art anywhere in the world, including on a ship at sea. The field continues to thrive and will experience an estimated 14 to 20 percent increase in employment through 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Learn the top cities to practice massage.

What's Hot in Spa & Massage Treatments

Day spas now make up 80 percent of the spa industry, eclipsing the nine percent of traditional resort and hotel spas. People no longer view the spa experience as a rare luxury getaway, but as a necessary antidote to the stresses of daily life—a way to heal their bodies and find peace of mind. Read more.

Top Five Personal Training Schools

Studying to become a personal fitness trainer will get you into the best shape of your life! You'll graduate with a thorough education and a strong, healthy body. Best of all, you'll be prepared to earn your physical training certification and help other people achieve their fitness goals, too. Learn about some of the top personal fitness training schools.

How The Biggest Loser Trainers Got Their Start

As a hit reality television show, The Biggest Loser has inspired millions of people to lose weight and get healthy. Since its premiere in 2004, the show has taken the US by storm and inspired spin-offs in the U.K., Australia and other countries. Find out how the show's personal trainers, Bob Harper and Kim Lyons, turned their love of fitness into an incredible career.

The Versatile Life of Personal Trainers – Interviews

Learn how two successful women with unique backgrounds found a career that allows them the personal and professional lifestyle they want. Rose is a young woman who followed an eclectic road to become a personal trainer; Lisa was a stay-at-home mom who wanted to share her love of athletics and had a strong desire to help people lead a healthy lifestyle. Read an interview with Rose Wetzel and Lisa Ballatore to learn more about a personal training carer.

Inside a Spa: Who's Who

There are many types of spas, from small day spas to ultra-luxurious destination spas. A spa may be an independent business, a single location in a larger chain or an important service in a larger resort or hotel. Read more.

A Day in the Life of a Massage Therapist

Massage therapy is one of the most flexible careers you can choose. Massage therapists may offer many different styles of treatment, from traditional Swedish massage to Reiki and stone therapy. They may work from home, in a spa or on a cruise ship. They may practice massage occasionally or six days a week. The variety is endless. Read more.

Top Ten Spa Resorts: Work in Luxury

Employment in a luxury resort spa is a unique and exciting career opportunity. You may need a certain level of skill and experience to be considered, but you will be showered with rewards if you win one of these coveted positions. Read more.

How Do the Top Massage Schools Compare?

There are many more massage schools today than there were even 10 years ago. Some focus on massage for clinical or medical settings. Others are more holistic, offering training in Eastern modalities or teaching spa therapy techniques. Reputation matters. Read more.

Career Spotlight: Spa Reflexologist

Reflexologists encourage balance and healing in the body by applying pressure to specific points on the feet, hands and ears. When working in a spa setting, reflexologists often incorporate additional services for a more luxurious experience. These may include soaking, wrapping, scrubbing, heating, toweling, aromatherapy or color therapy. Read more.

Top Ten Career Tips from a Spa Therapist

Erin Polites and Molly McMartin are therapists at Ummelina International Day Spa in Seattle. Both are massage therapists by training, but they've learned many spa therapy techniques through their work at Ummelina and other spas. They offer advice to students interested in a spa therapist career. Read more.

No Pain No Gain - How These Hollywood Trainers Got Their Start

When you think of the life of a Hollywood trainer, visions of glamour and intrigue come to mind. Whether working with the famous, the beautiful or the talented to perfect their bodies for the silver screen, or the interesting, the entrepreneurial or the artistically skilled in need of a diet and fitness regime, Hollywood personal trainers seem to have landed one of the best jobs in the universe. Read more.

Beauty Articles

Going Solo: How To Start Your Own Salon

It takes a lot of initiative and hard work to become a nail technician or hairdresser. Congratulations! Now that you've developed your skills and built a clientèle, why not put in a little more initiative and hard work to start your nail salon or hair salon? Here's a primer on what it's like and how to do it. Read more.

Top Ten Beauty Treatments

Suffering for beauty is officially out. Today it's about how you look and how you feel. That's why most of today's beauty treatments include "feel-good" spa elements. Read more.

Inside a Salon: Who's Who

On the TV Guide show Look-A-Like, a hair stylist, make-up artist and fashion consultant work together to make ordinary people look like Hollywood stars. In a real salon, the goals aren't usually quite so ambitious, but everybody does have a role to play. They all work together to help clients look and feel their best. Read more.

How Do the Top Beauty Schools Compare

Image is important when choosing a cosmetology school or a specialized program in esthetics, nail technology or spa services. If the name of your school is recognized and respected locally or nationwide, it will help establish your credibility and get you hired in the job of your dreams. Read more.

Top Ten Career Tips from an Esthetician

Are you starting a career as an esthetician or considering one? To help you develop your career, here is valuable advice from a professional esthetician who has created her own successful skin therapy business. Read more.

The Real World: Cosmetology School Graduate

Karafina Antonio thought she wanted to be a graphic designer. She went to college full time for a couple of years and was still taking a couple classes each semester when she started working as a receptionist for the Zip Zap Hair salon in San Francisco. She soon became a full-time manager and decided graphic design wasn't for her. Read more.

Career Spotlight: Nail Technician

Twelve years ago, Carolyn Fielder had no idea what she wanted to do. Now she's an extremely successful nail technician and co-owner of a salon. She's booked a year in advance and earns a gross income of more than $50,000 a year. Read more.

A Day in the Life of a Celebrity Make-Up Artist

Fleur Morrell has been a successful make-up artist in the entertainment industry since 1990. She has done print work, commercials, TV series including Tru Calling and In Justice, and lots of movies. At the time of this interview, she was working nights in New Orleans on the set of Black Water Transit, a film by director Tony Kaye. Read more.

How These Famous Hair Stylists Got Their Start

Everybody has to start somewhere. Even the most famous and successful hair stylists in the world had to figure out what they wanted to do with their lives. They had to choose a school and work their way up just like you. Read on to find out how some of the hairdressers you know and love found their passion and broke into the professional world. Read more.

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