As the spa industry continues to trend and unravel into creating a wellness enriched lifestyle, estheticians and spa professional must continue to mind licensure and how we can practice wellness while maintaining the standards for our statutes according to each of our states’ requirements as a provider of specific therapies – esthetics. But, when incorporating the aspect of wellness within your spa practice, there can be regulations we are not aware of for the safety of the guests and the liability for the owner. There is always a focus to maintain high standards that follow the state laws of the board of cosmetology, along with the goal of enhancing our guest’s well being, holistically. How can we incorporate wellness treatments in our spa while remaining in a legal scope of practice as estheticians?
Proper Licensure
In my state, a Facial Specialist is recognized by the board as someone who performs “massaging or treating of the face or scalp with oils, creams, lotions, or other preparations. These services must be preformed in a licensed salon.” With that said, we need to educate ourselves on obtaining the correct license to become a salon owner or a licensed esthetician. In the state of Florida, to become a licensed facial specialist you must receive your cosmetology license. Certain criteria’s follow: you must be over the age of 16 years old and complete 1200 hours of education with hands on training. Once you have conquered obtaining your license through the Board of Cosmetology, you are now able to pursue your own ventures in owning a salon/ spa! You can find recent information on your state’s local website for applicable laws online for becoming a salon owner, because it does take numerous licenses to begin running your own business, such as building permits, business operation license, and the fire department permit, plus many other legal documents.
Defining Alternative Therapies
When you have your own spa facility, posting and identifying proper procedures in the work place will always keep staff informed of the guidelines available as they can refer back to them. Also, having a skilled lead therapist who continues to maintain the practice, and in detail trains from the spa’s SOP (standard operating procedure) is vital. After you have embarked on receiving your cosmetology license and store front spa or hotel resort spa (dreams are a part of success, too), the answer on how we stay in the guidelines and properly abide and uphold state statutes for wellness spas is being sure that whatever products or machines are being used must be presented and passed by the Department of Health. In effort to comply with the Department of Health in order to provide holistic treatments, however, any product that is organic or natural to its’ contents and how it is produced must be presented along with any tools or instruments per usage that would be suggested as an “alternative” treatment. At times, difficulty can arise when we are offering wellness or holistic treatments in our spas; one might consider “alternative therapy” as a substitute to cosmetics, medicine, and pain or stress relief. When in fact, all we are creating when providing our spa service menu with wellness targeted services are ways that we can rejuvenate our inner wellbeing, our health to live longer (fingers crossed) in a community of connection that keeps us all knowledgeable.
Spas that identify as wellness centers can be a far extreme between different types pertaining to their way of modern therapy. The source of the treatment must provide dedicated time from your guest to enhance their vitality. This could mean offering a retreat or ritual at your spa. If it were a retreat, ideally the guest would stay for more than three nights and have meals and activities designed into a program especially for cosmetic procedures that absolutely should have follow up care in a wellness facility, along with esthetics based routines for skin care. A ritual can be a specific service from your day spa or resort spa that classifies with as a wellness/holistic facial. In terms of facial rejuvenation, services can include, but are not at all limited too: facials (including lactic or glycolic peels, AHA peels, micro-needling, microdermabrasion etc.…); waxing (the brand and procedure helps to determine if it falls under the category of wellness); and clarifying acne skin care. Some tools may be: infrared lights, oxygen machines, and even salt therapy or permanent ink (more on those topics in another issue).
The list can go on and on. It is all about how you present the ideas of wellness as your objective to a healthy lifestyle and centering the focus for the individual (guest).
A New Age of Tools
The other side of the spectrum, where we are not just trying to offer wellness to our guests, but that there is a possibility the treatment being offered does not fall under regulations of the Department of Health or the treatment is falsified as wellness. In the spa industry, we are recognizing new ways in development for esthetics care. Some of the new aged tools are not yet sanctioned or approved by the board. Careful consideration should be acknowledged as one starts to become engaged in such offerings of services. So, be sure to do your research on what your establishment is going to offer and how the board regulates it, or where you are getting your treatments. Educating through your particular vendors, who already have passed their products, or materials through the board will be a successful way to maintain the scope of practice. In particular, finding your local associations for spa vendor/ education round tables, where you are provided with one on one time to advance your spa’s wellness attribute, you will be able to ask questions and figure as partners if together you can build a relationship suitable to incorporate such tools or products into your spa menu.
Having a comprehensive workshop towards your goals of providing wellness can be a proficient way to dedicate investing time as a director or owner. This is a direction that we want to encourage, as an opportunity to be educated, trained and have a common ground of assisting ourselves and business to the next level- the new way; in a community that is progressively guiding us to achieving a more positive awareness on our wellbeing, and maintain a scope practice, keeping us all safe and recognizable with the statutes in our state, as a place that holistically one can begin their journey to a better wellbeing. Together with the right leads, communication, and education, we can integrate the board’s regulations and practices of wellness to our spas, community of vendors and associations, and clients.
