r/Estheticians

How do you get customers? I tried in Facebook groups but it didn't help much and I still need a number of people to be able to graduate from school

Hello,

I was recently offered a job at Glow Bar and passed the training. The pay is good, the hours are good, and the benefits are good. I was also offered a job at a private spa, where I was told I could become a master Esthetician. The pay is also good, benefits I'm inquiring, and hours are good. Both are in great locations.

My biggest question is more about the experience. Glow Bar offers 30 minute facials which would improve my speed, although that is not necessarily why I got involved in skincare. The private Spa offers 1-hour services and is more specialized, I'd learn a lot. This might seem easy to choose, but I also want to start a family with my husband in the next year or two. Perhaps a chain, like Glow Bar, would be better in that instance? Would a private spa also be just as supportive? Which would help my career growth the most? I am very passionate.

Please help, anyone who has experience.

My goal is one day have my own suite.

I’m considering opening a premium beauty and aesthetics salon in Ravenna, offering high-quality facial treatments, laser hair removal, and body treatments. Before taking this idea further, I would really love to hear from people living in Ravenna and the surrounding areas. Do you feel there is a need for a premium salon offering these types of treatments? Would this be something you would personally be interested in? And is there any treatment or service you feel is currently missing in Ravenna? Your honest opinions and suggestions would be very helpful to me. 💕 Thank you

For those working in med spas, what's the part of your day that feels like it should be easier by now but still isn't?

I don’t really do skincare aside from casual sunscreen/lotion use but I’m curious what they’ll say. I fully expect to be upsold, but I’m trying to learn more about these things. I’ve done a facial before but I didn’t notice any benefit from it. I’ve used retinol (I’ve tried both high percentage lotions and The Ordinary retinol serum) , used them consistently for almost 5 years and never noticed any benefits.

Im quite nervous, I think I look very “natural”, I don’t use make up or do my hair or do any of that so I worry I’ll stick out like a sore thumb there.

Hi everyone!

I'd love to hear some honest opinions and experiences.

I live in NYC and I'm planning to start my own waxing business. I'm considering renting a Sola Salon suite as a solo waxer. I'm new to the beauty industry, although I've successfully run a different business before, so I understand that building a client base takes time.

The Sola suite would be **$1,600/month** (regular price), but they currently offer:

* 50% off for the first 12 weeks

* 1 year of free booking software

* 1 year of insurance (I believe)

* Fully furnished, including the treatment bed

* A premium, professional environment

I've also found private office spaces for **$900–1,100/month**, but they come with nothing included—no furniture, no booking system, no insurance, and in one case not even a sink in the room. They're also farther from my target area.

I have a detailed business plan and a marketing strategy. My goal is to build a premium client experience, and I feel like Sola fits the brand I'm trying to create. My concern is simply the cost. Paying $1,600 per month just for rent is a big commitment.

Financially, I have a part-time job, so I'm not relying solely on the business from day one. I also have enough savings to comfortably cover about 4–5 months of business expenses while I build my clientele. My goal is that by around the sixth month, the business will at least cover its own expenses.

Since waxing is a repeat-service business, I'm hoping to build a loyal client base that returns every 4–6 weeks.

For those of you who have rented a Sola suite—or started in a private office—would you do it again? Was the higher rent worth it? Or would you recommend starting in a less expensive location and upgrading later?

I'd really appreciate hearing your experiences and advice. Thank you!

I had the worst client experience today which made my already bad day worse. My boss has a regular client for facials who come in often.

So right from the start she didnt fill out the consent/intake form just signed it and didnt want to answer the questions. “Why do you need to know this? I never got asked this” and it was the standard what meds are you on blah blah. So i read it out loud to her, she gave me very stern nos.

During the wax she tells me to do small strips. I politely told her I have a specific way I do it to ensure comfort and safety. She kept going “it will hurt less if its small strips.”

I proceeded to do the bikini line and she commented “those are too big” and when I took them off she said “can I just do it myself and show you” I was dumbfounded. I told her if she wasnt comfortable proceeding I will kindly stop the service and she will not be charged. She wanted me to keep going. At this point I am shaking. She had two months of growth, alot of ingrowns, she stated she was never told to exfoliate and has been getting waxed for 10 years. Looking at her growth it looked like she shaved and not waxed based on the cycle of the hair.

I told her since the growth of hair is very long it will be more uncomfortable. She said this was the worst shes ever had and I can do waxes no problem.

She kept picking the wax strips I laid on, she wouldnt stay in butterfly position making the wax stick and kept telling me theres so much hair left when it was under her skin as ingrowns.

Worst experience ever….

Currently I’m working at a corporate salon and it’s been a horrible experience.
I’ve been here for over a year and somehow am still pushing through mainly because I feel stuck.
But the unpaid hours, no overtime pay, no benefits, rude clients, lack of communication from management, LONG hours. Is too much for me and it does not feel like a good fit and hasn’t.. since I started.
I quickly found out I would get treated weird if I asked for time off (I have 2 kids and I can’t be at work 10 hours a day for 8 days straight realistically every single month)
I also felt like it was wrong to leave and go somewhere even if I didn’t have clients. I’m a w-2 employee but I only get paid when I have a client. I have asked chat gpt if I have a case and I do. I have worked over 40 hours in a work week most months and did not get compensation as well as not getting paid for the long hours I have sat at work.
I don’t have a plan to quit soon because I don’t know how else I’m going to make money but I’m extremely burnt out and checked out from this job that I’m just waiting for something to happen at this point to where I get fired or feel comfortable enough to quit. I just want to know if anyone has sued a salon you’ve worked at and it was successful and how long the process was.

Hi! I need some advice and I do apologize if this is a silly question. I got a Brazilian wax yesterday. I’ve had one prior to this but it was 2 years ago and they gave me 0 information on how to care for it afterwards. When I got mine yesterday, she told me I needed to exfoliate. What is the best exfoliator for this area? How do I keep this area cleaned so I don’t get folliculitis? I got it with my first wax and it was so painful I don’t want to experience it again. I’m sorry if this is the wrong community to ask.

I’m currently doing some research on patient retention in medspas, and i keep seeing this one phenomenon in all the sources i compiled, so i wanted to ask the injectors here a quick question about a bottleneck I keep hearing about called 'provider amnesia'.

Basically, it's when you finish a great treatment, but because the schedule is packed and you're rushing to clean the room and prep for the next patient, you completely forget to tell them to pre-book their next 90-day follow-up before they leave your chair.

Then they pay at a busy front desk, walk out the door, and just slide off the calendar entirely until they happen to remember to text back months later.

If you’re working on a clinic floor:

1. Does this human error actually happen a lot when the rooms get chaotic?
2. Does your front desk have an easy way of catching these lapses, or do they just fall through the cracks?

Just trying to see if this is a genuine operational headache worth building a backend solution for, or if most places already have it fully figured out. Appreciate any raw insights!

i have searched the post and need honest true advice from everyone
about 6 months ago i shaved my bikini area using a new razor using eos shaving lotion
my labia on the right side became inflamed just enough for me to notice. a few days later i noticed the hair wasn’t growing back at all on about a quarter size of that labia. it’s completely smooth. later i noticed the hairs just beneath the surface coming through but not like an ingrown hair, not painful or pimple like. just trapped, some of them laying sideways. i have been plucking as I see them applying salicylic acid, exfoliating, serums etc.
it still is like that! i have to pluck, when they start growing on their own they’re SO sharp like needles embedding into my skin.
I want to fix this, my skin texture has changed and i want to repair
please help
i have a steamer, have been reading up on that but please tell me from 0 what your thoughts are.
*NOT MEDICAL ADVISE I HAVE BEEN TO DERM WHO SUGGESTED EXFOLIATION**
see pics :

https://ibb.co/G4zsGjdr

Hi everyone! I’m looking for some routine/ingredient insight. I’m currently working with an esthetician. In my evening routine they have me layering retinol, moisturizer, and then benzoyl peroxide. I’ve seen some information saying that these ingredients should NOT be in the same routine, but is it fine since I’m using the moisturizer as a barrier? I’m just a little confused on the conflicting advice and wanted some additional insight on this ✨ Thank you!!

My husband and I are trying to start cutting back on little expenses here and there because we’re hoping to buy a house next year and eventually start a family. One of the things I’m thinking about giving up is my bi-monthly facials.

For context, I live in an area where you honestly can’t get even a decent, basic Hydrafacial for under like $350, so it’s not exactly cheap. I’ve dealt with acne my entire life, and they really do help my skin, so this isn’t something I want to cut out.

I’ve been looking at the Shark FacialPro Glow as kind of a compromise and was thinking about using it myself instead.
And before anyone says “just keep getting facials” or “if they work, they’re worth it,” trust me… I’d love to lol. But we’re trying to be smart about our money because buying a house is more important to us right now, and I’d rather put that money toward a down payment than keep spending hundreds every other month. It’s one of quite a few things we’re cutting back on.

So for those of you who actually have the Shark FacialPro Glow… is it worth it? I know it’s not going to replace a professional Hydrafacial, but does it help your skin at all? Do you notice less congestion, fewer breakouts, or anything else? Just looking for honest opinions before I buy it.

Hi all - I had a microneedling session and it has given me fine vellus hair all over my face. I have started waxing my upper lip (which I never had to do before) the hair is blonde and fine - will it grow back thinner and finer (which I am hoping) or thicker/stay the same? I am hoping waxing will thin it out, but I have read some people say vellus/peach fuzz can often grow back thicker after waxing 😮 so just want to see people’s experience. Thanks!

I’m trying to get an idea of how much one could make as a full-time esthetician in the Raleigh area who did a good job building clientele. I’m interested in working in a spa, either something locally owned or a place like Face Foundrie or Hand & Stone. Not opposed to waxing either. Just wondering how easy it is to make at least $50,000 annually. Any feedback would be so helpful!l

I’m looking to move to Cali, I’m 19 and just got my license in Chicago. I’m wondering how much money beginners make to see if I’ll be able to afford this move. I would work full time ofc and live between San Diego and La

I start school in 2 weeks and I’m SO excited.. I’m going for full specialist so I’ll be doing skin, waxing, nails, etc. I think I’m just confused by how classes are organized.. do you stay with your group or do you get blended in? Also make up days and missing classes.. how does any of this work? I should have asked at the school tour but I was so overwhelmed and also shy about it.

How was your school experience? I am 33 and switching careers from retail management into beauty. Ive always been interested in the beauty industry but retail was within reach financially after high school and I’ve spent 13 years moving up in the retail industry but it’s just not my passion. It’s taught me a lot about running a business and working with the general public so I’m grateful for the skills I can take with me, but I feel like switching careers puts me back at square one so I’m nervous but I am hungry to learn. I’d love any and all advice and tips for the next 6 months!

Solo practitioners, how often are you changing your treatment/service menu? Or adding/taking away services or packages? Not talking about price increases.
Each year I seem to be refining/tweaking my menu but am unsure if it’s annoying to clients. It’s usually taking one thing away or adding/tweaking a treatment. Is once a year too much?

Hi everyone! Curious who is still using steamers on their clients. Why or why not? Thanks!