A Day in the Life of a Beauty Therapist

If the idea of helping people look their best and feel great about themselves is appealing, then a career as a beauty therapist may be just for you. Beauty therapists work with clients to apply face and body treatments, while making them feel comfortable and relaxed to enjoy the experience.

If your client leaves feeling happier than when they arrive, then you’ve done a great job. Your job will rarely get boring as every client is different and there are a host of treatments to offer. This will ensure your days are never the same from one to the next, and you’ll constantly be challenged as you provide long-term and new clients with the desired result they’re looking for.

What common tasks could you perform as a beauty therapist?

• Assessment – interacting with clients and assessing skin types to prescribe the perfect treatment
• Facials – skin cleansing, massaging and toning
• Make-up – application and offering advice
• Eyebrows and eyelashes – shaping and colouring
• Nail treatments – manicures and pedicures
• Facial and body hair removal such as waxing
• Skin treatments – non-surgical skin improvement procedures
• Spray tanning

Facial treatments are a common task performed by beauty therapists. 

Other specialised tasks you may perform

• Massage – relieving aches and pains by applying pressure to muscles and joints
• Aromatherapy – using essential oils for massage and bath treatments
• Hydrotherapy – therapeutic body treatments that use water
• Reflexology – a type of massage that relieves tension based on pressure points in the hands, feet and head

Day to day business tasks you may be required to perform

• Reception – answering phones and scheduling appointments
• Ordering and delivering supplies
• Record keeping – e.g. clients’ medical histories
• Cleaning – keeping the treatment rooms up to cleanliness standards

The most important aspect of being a beauty therapist is to build trusting relationships with your clients. You will be in their personal space, so you need to have great interpersonal skills to ensure they feel comfortable.

Possible work locations and opportunities

• Beauty salon – These establishments offer stable hours, the same location and regular clientele. You’ll be trained in all of the salon’s products and treatments, and learn about any specialised electrical machinery they may have.

• Day spa – Generally offer more specialised treatments, including the use of specialised machinery for body and hydrotherapy treatments. You’ll work with a combination of regular and temporary clients, and skills learned can be transferred anywhere in the world.

• Tourist destination spa – This could be anywhere in the world, from a beachside resort, to an eco-health retreat in the middle of a forest. Chances are your clients will be different everyday, and you’ll be a long way from home.

• Hotel – You’ll be offering the same treatments as found in day spas and salons, with the quality dependant on the class of hotel. But often the hours are unsocial, meaning you could be giving treatments at any time of the day or night.

• Cruise ships – Hours are long and there’s nowhere to go! However, you often get time off in port to explore the region, meaning you’ll experience some of the world’s most amazing places. You’ll work under contract conditions, and there’s the potential for a high income if there’s a tipping culture on board.

• Home – A career as a beauty therapist also opens up the opportunity to be self-employed. Owning your own home-based business could greatly increase income potential, and you can set your own hours.

These aren’t the only options available to you, but they are the most common. Your career could take you in many other directions such as offering a mobile service, owning your own salon, temping for various beauty therapists, salon management, makeup artists on film sets, teaching at a college, becoming a sales rep for a company that sells beauty products, or writing for various beauty publications. The opportunities to create a career to suit your particular needs and interests are endless. If you’re a single person who wants to travel the world, or a family person with children who needs flexibility in their work hours, this career could be for you.

If you are entering the beauty industry for the first time there are a huge range of courses available to suit your needs. Whether you have the time to study full-time in class, or part-time from the comfort of your own home, there’s a course for you. Take a look at the beauty courses on offer, fill in the online enquiry form found on every course page, and someone will be in touch to help you.

Good luck with what promises to be a long and rewarding career in beauty therapy.