Have you ever been to a student beauty salon? If not, you should definitely consider it, especially if you’re looking to save a few bucks during the recession. Student salons have become increasingly popular during this time and you’re definitely in good hands, despite what you may think.

In fact, student salons have experienced supervisors on hand to watch over and answer any questions students may have. And though it may take a bit of extra time, it’s totally worth it. You wouldn’t want someone rushing through a beauty service you’re paying for no matter how skilled they are.

Another advantage of a student salon is the great specials they have throughout different times of the year. For different services that suit you best, you may find great deals from students who really care about what they are doing. And you’ll be helping them out by giving them the opportunity to have more experience.

I recently talked to some individuals from Empire Beauty Schools and you can certainly see the increases occurring in the beauty industry throughout this recessionary period. For an interesting inside look into the beauty industry, click over to Recession Boosts Biz for Beauty Schools.

-Amanda Fornecker

Sometimes it’s those around you that can truly influence and inspire you. And you may find these individuals in beauty school. Take Melanie Zagar and Liz Hofrichter, for instance. These two present-day beauty salon owners met in beauty school and now they have turned what once was a dream into a reality.

When you participate in a specialized program, whether it be beauty school, grad school, or some other career school program, you are surrounded with people who are passionate. This is why I believe that beauty school — or any school you are interested in — is completely worth it.

This is especially true if you are passionate about the material. Having just enrolled in grad school myself, I understand the joy, motivation, and hard work that can come out of studying something you’re passionate about. I see this surround me with my fellow students, professors, and department heads.

And it’s not only in grad school. Career-focused programs are filled with individuals who truly want to be there. While you may have the required slow course or two, you’re still working toward something you really want to take to the next level. And it is here that you will be working with individuals who have been successful in their very field and wish to pass on their knowledge from over the years to you, the aspiring beauty professionals.

I know I’ve said it countless times, but there are so many advantages to pursuing your beauty passion. Not only does beauty school give you the flexibility, shorter programs, and real-world experience, but you’ll also find dedicated faculty and lifelong friends. And in the case of Zagar and Hofrichter (you can read more about their friendship-turned-partnership here), a business partner that can help you achieve your success. You just need to want it badly enough.

-Amanda Fornecker

Thinking about spa school? That’s pretty much what we do here at SpaBeautySchools all the time! Let us help you take the guesswork out of it and get you started. Here are a few selected spa schools you may be interested in checking out. You should also check out our Facebook Fan Page for more school suggestions! Become our fan and follow us on Twitter – we’re all up on the technology (and the great spa schools)! Good luck in your search!

Academy of Massage Therapy – You can become an expert massage practitioner with a healing arts education. It’s located in Hackensack, New Jersey, and is a great place to begin your journey in becoming a certified massage therapist or certified clinical massage therapist.

American Institute of Holistic Theology – Located in the South, this holistic theology school offers preparation for a variety of spa careers to its students. By combining knowledge in metaphysics, divinity, parapsychic science, and more, spa students at this school get to learn a great deal about the holistic field.

Clayton College – For a spa school with a diverse curriculum and distance learning education opportunities, Clayton College can certainly give you what you need for your impending spa career. With iridology, herbal studies, naturopathy, and other natural health subjects, Clayton College provides many options.

Northern Arizona Massage Therapy Institute – NAMTI, as the Northern Arizona Massage Therapy Institute is better known, is a well-known massage therapy school. Providing training in massage an bodywork, NAMTI has been around for a while and is accredited to provide students with their massage therapy degrees.

Ohio College of Massotherapy – Massage therapy is a career that can help a lot of different people feel good about themselves. The Ohio College of Massotherapy provides students with a massage education that will lead to diplomas and degrees. In fact, there’s even an online associate degree program for massage therapy, giving you many different options to pursue your massage education.

-Amanda Fornecker

I love reality television. It’s my guilty pleasure. Depending on the type of show, I can be interested in both competitions and shows that document people’s lives. The ability to appeal to an audience is probably best-suited for a brand new idea for a show. We’ve all seen the same old beauty competition shows. Shear Genius had hair stylists vying for a chance to win the title, money, and a career takeoff; Blush got us all interested in makeup careers. But there must be something else.

Here’s where “Beauty School Drop-In” (working title) comes in to play. I think this is a fabulous idea. The proposed show will follow around a few beauty students at the Hoss Lee Beauty School in Citrus Heights, CA. The students won’t necessarily be competing for anything on the show, but we will get to see their real lives. It will document what they actually go through as beauty students and even show their home and work lives. We will get to see what a truly exciting and challenging experience beauty school can be. I think this will be a great way to interest many more people in getting their beauty school degrees, certifications, and licenses. You don’t really know what a particular career involves until you’ve seen someone in action.

The show won’t air anytime soon, as there are still casting calls taking place. However, I do hope it makes it to the air so we can all learn something from beauty school and better understand how our beauty school stylists and cosmetologists get to where they are.

For more info check out: Local Reality Show Hopes to Make the Cut.

-Amanda Fornecker