A little career letter
Find Your Flow
find what moves you, one small step at a time
Vol. 8 · Tuesday, June 23
Start here · the headline
Esthetician · skin care specialist
You are the person who makes someone feel cared for. Estheticians give facials and skin treatments, do waxing, shape brows and apply lashes, and guide people on how to care for their skin. It is indoor, calm, adult, hands-on work in spas and salons, exactly the people-facing wellness lane you like, and there are no needles in core esthetics. Honest part: it is a licensed job, so a short skin care program and a state exam come first, then the doors open.
The higher-pay lane
Medical & clinical esthetician
Once you are licensed, you can grow into medical esthetics, working in a dermatology or plastic-surgery office. The pay is higher there: skincare specialists in physician offices earn a median around $23.40 an hour versus about $18.55 in salons. And the real range is wider than the $20 median suggests: with tips and commission, and especially in med spas, established estheticians often make $25 to $50 an hour, medical estheticians in Colorado average closer to $27 to $30, and experienced specialists clear $50,000 to $60,000 a year or more. Honest note: medical esthetics can involve more clinical procedures than a calm spa facial, so it is a step to grow into, not the gentlest starting point. Same license opens the door.
The specialist lane
Waxing, brows & lashes
Some estheticians build a whole career around one thing they love: waxing, brow shaping, or lash work. Studios like waxing and lash bars hire licensed estheticians who get fast and great at one service, often with tips and commission on top of the base pay. It is social, repeat-client work where regulars come back for you. Same Colorado license, and a friendly fit for a people person.
The brand lane
Skincare & cosmetics brand work
A license also opens doors that are not behind a treatment table. Skincare and cosmetics brands hire estheticians as skin experts, educators, and reps, doing demos, teaching clients, and representing product lines. If you love the talking-to-people and product side as much as the hands-on side, this is a lane worth knowing, and it builds on the same training.
The freedom lane
Be your own boss
Here is the part a lot of estheticians love: once you are licensed, many rent a room or a chair and build their own clientele. Flexible and part-time schedules are common, and you control your hours and your regulars. Honest truth about pay: entry pay starts modest and grows as you build a book of clients or move into medical esthetics. It rewards patience and people skills, both of which you have.
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How to get qualified (the real path)
This one is honest and simple: esthetician is a licensed career, so the first step is school, not an application. In Colorado you license through the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure. You need 600 hours of approved esthetics training (at least 450 of those in person, up to 150 can be distance learning), then you pass the PSI written and practical exams. No college degree required. Full-time programs typically take 5 to 8 months.
What it costs. State fees are small, about $155 total (roughly $127 in PSI exam fees plus a $28 DORA application). The bigger cost is tuition, which averages about $6,631 in Colorado. Good news for the long run: no continuing education is required to renew, and licenses renew March 31 of even years.
The school closest to home. Paul Mitchell The School is right in Lakewood and runs an esthetics program, about as close as it gets.
See the Paul Mitchell esthetics program ›The affordable public option. Emily Griffith Technical College in Denver is the lower-cost public school. Check their site and search their esthetics and cosmetology programs.
See Emily Griffith Technical College ›Want to compare more accredited Colorado skin care schools side by side? ASCP keeps a directory, and Beauty License Guide has a plain-English Colorado requirements summary.
Compare Colorado skin care schools (ASCP) › Colorado license requirements summary ›You do not have to decide your whole life today. Touring one school, or taking a spa front-desk shift, will tell you more than a month of thinking about it. Small steps are still steps.
Made with love, just for you. Reply any time and we will chase down whatever sparks your interest. xo