The first classes in esthetics school cover the anatomy and physiology of the skin. Instructors explain the subcutaneous and epidermal layers of the skin and how they function. You will hear lectures on sanitation and safety practices used in the skin care treatment room. Some classes focus on cosmetic chemistry and the understanding of the ingredients in skin care products. You will practice facial techniques and massage first on mannequin, then on fellow students. As training advances, you'll learn to perform waxing on the face and body, makeup applications, and body scrubs and wraps.
Instructors lecture about skin care theory in a classroom. They may also utilize DVDs and demonstrations. To apply theories, you and your classmates may practice treatments on each other in a large open room set up with facial tables. As you advance in schooling, you will perform services on clients who come into the practice clinic to receive treatments. The school may have the practice clinic set up with decor and equipment commonly seen in a spa environment. Generally, you will not receive payment for services.
Cosmetology and beauty schools may offer a program specifically for esthetics. Some schools in your local area that teach massage may also offer esthetics programs, since these services go hand in hand in the spa atmosphere. Esthetics taught in the European tradition may include instruction in aromatherapy and massage techniques. Estheticians taught with a holistic approach focus on the connection between an overall healthy lifestyle and the condition of the skin. After basic schooling, you may want to take some advanced courses that cover special topics such as camouflage makeup, laser treatments or paramedical skin care techniques such as chemical peels and microdermabrasion.
The average duration of esthetics school is about 600 hours or four months of full time study. States set their own guidelines; some states require only 300 hours of training, while others require 1,000 hours of training in a skin care program to sit for the licensing exam. If you are studying esthetics outside of the state you plan to work in, contact the state board in the state you plan to work in, and ask if your training meets their minimum standards for licensing.
Ask the human resources managers of well-known spas and skin care clinics in your area which schools they like the hire their estheticians from. This will give you a good idea of which schools have the best reputation.
As of 2010, expect to pay anywhere from $2,500 to $9,000, depending on if it's at a private school or community college, for an esthetics program that will prepare you to pass the esthetician state board examination. If you enter a program at a community college, you may qualify to receive federally insured or funded financial aid.