Beauty Industry salaries vary greatly due to tips and commission. The chart below identifies the salaries of specific beauty occupations for 2021.

Occupation	Min. Education	Avg. Wage	Regulation
Esthetician	Diploma	$22.35	Not regulated
Hairstylist	Apprenticeship	$21.86	Regulated
Lash Technician	Module course	$22.35	Not regulated
Laser Technician	varies	$22.35	Not regulated
Massage Therapist	Diploma	$33.61	Not regulated
Nail Technician	Module course	$22.35	Not regulated
Nurse Injector	Degree	$45.40	Regulated
Salon/Spa Manager	varies	$32.63	N/A
Salon/Spa Receptionist	n/a	$15.40	N/A

Is Provincial Regulation a good thing?

Unregulated occupations, such as esthetics are ran by spas, schools, retailers, etc. The collective of all businesses and organizations with beauty services and sales as the common goal is what we call the beauty industry. Moreover, business owners decide the acceptable minimum education of their staff. While many are open to on-the-job training, many of them require at least the minimum training.

Likewise, educators can opt to award students with an acknowledgement of participation, or certificate.

Regulated occupations, such as hairstyling, do not have as many freedoms. As a result, the integrity of these occupations remains intact. Service providers working in a regulated occupation must be tested to ensure they meet standard technical skills.

In conclusion, there are pros and cons to provincial regulation.

Tips can make all the difference.

Don’t forget to consider the money you will earn from tips as “income”. Tips can take your wage from $15 to $30 per hour. Though tips do not provide a consistent amount, they are a constant addition to your bottom line.

Tips to increase your tips.

Salons and spas with good reputations usually attract higher paying clients that are likely to tip a bigger percentage on the service. In the same vein, these employers will have higher expectations of you as a Service Provider.

In addition, training in higher ticket services will increase your tips. Generally, clients tip their Service Provider 15% of the service. Therefore, the bigger the service price, the bigger the tip.

Similarly, you can also increase your tip percentage by providing excellent customer service. Dazzling clients with your skill and personality will earn you a long-lasting career!

Commission also makes a difference.

Like tips, commission can add a few dollars extra per hour to beauty industry salaries. Commission rates vary depending on your employment agreement.

All staff members can take advantage of making money through commission sales. For instance, a salon receptionist can take their wage from $15 per hour to $20 per hour in commission sales.

Increasing commission earnings

“I’m not a good salesperson.” We’ve heard this one time and time again! Don’t let the thought of selling products scare you away from your beauty industry career. The trick to commission is understanding your client and product knowledge.

Firstly, think of yourself, not as “pushing” a product on a client, but as “prescribing” a product to help your client achieve their goal. Secondly, setting an attainable daily sales goal will help you stay organized. Lastly, familiarize yourself with your available products to select the best solution for your client.

Other ESG resources…

We know beauty careers! In other words, talk to us about starting your career in the beauty industry. We can help you develop a career path that will lead you to your goal in time and cost effective manner.

Choosing a training provider can be overwhelming, the choices are endless! Moreover, you want a training provider that will prepare you mentally for your new career. Whatever your long term career goals are, we can help you design a career path that is right for you!

Check out some of our other resources:

TRAINING 411: Beauty Educator Directory

Alberta Beauty Industry Job Bank

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EXECUTIVE SPA GROUP
Beauty Industry Resource Centre
(780) 604-2772
info@executivespagroup.com

***VENUE RENTAL UNAVAILABLE JAN 1/22 to MAR 31/23.***

Welcome to our specialized venue! Our venue makes your course delivery easy, because it is equipped to meet your beauty industry needs.

A venue that fits like a glove.

We are beauty industry experts. As a result, we understand your venue rental needs. Our goal is to make your training event flow as smoothly as possible.

Our venue is fit to deliver a variety of esthetics and medical esthetics courses. For instance,

• Lash Extensions
• Nail Care
• Skin Care
• Makeup Artistry
• Permanent Makeup
• Botulinum Toxin and Dermal Filler procedures

Leave the large luggage behind!

ESG is equipped with 5 spa stations and 5 nail stations. In addition, you can furnish your stations with tools and equipment as needed. We carry a wide selection, from PPE to pedicure basins, ESG has you covered.

Model Recruitment

Models play an important role in service demonstrations and technical training. We can help secure models for your event.

South Central location

Executive Spa Group is located in the historical yet trendy neighbourhood of Old Strathcona. It not only offers convenience, but excitement as well!

Located minutes away from downtown Edmonton, Old Strathcona is a busy, centrally-located neighbourhood. It offers you and your students many amenities. For example, parking, transportation, hotels, and restaurant options.

After training hours, you can enjoy the remarkable food and drink scene Whyte Ave has to offer. In conclusion, ESG is the obvious choice for your venue rental!

Virtual Tour

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EXECUTIVE SPA GROUP
Beauty Industry Resource Centre
(780) 604-2772
info@executivespagroup.com

Are home businesses lucrative?

You bet they are! As long as you manage your business with the same effort and respect that you would a store-front, these businesses can bring in a lot of income with fewer expenses, leaving more money in your pocket!

What do I need to have a home business?

First, register your business.

You must register your business name in order to report your earnings to government authorities. There are 4 choices for you when registering your business, most people who run a small business opt for a sole proprietorship.

You will also need a business license, not to be confused with your hairstyling license or esthetics certification.

You will also require a business license and a development permit. This type of license is granted by the city. Home-based business must follow special regulations since they are located in neighbourhoods designed for living, not business.

Zoning bylaws are used to determine whether the city can grant you a home business license. Don’t be surprised if your neighbours are contacted to ask if they are ok with your particular business being on the same street as them.

Beauty industry home businesses are MAJOR businesses.

There are 2 types of home businesses. Because beauty industry businesses have clients coming to the home for services that are not typical of a residential area, they are considered a major home business. Major home businesses cause a degree of interruption to the neighbourhood, for example, less parking available for residents and their guests, versus minor businesses that typically do not receive clients in their home.

What about insurance?

Insurance is important for any business, including a home business. Not many insurance companies specialize in beauty industry insurance, an insurance broker may be able to help you find the right company for you. Your insurer should understand the specific challenges of beauty industry businesses.

Fees and other things to consider.

Registration/licensing/insurance all cost money. Luckily, home businesses today have the advantage of free marketing on social media! Instagram in particular is an excellent tool used by all beauty industry businesses, but has a spectacular impact on home businesses. Many clients use instagram as a way to find their service provider, who quite often has a home business.

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EXECUTIVE SPA GROUP

Happy Anniversary Sweetheart!

My client’s wife had treated him to a relaxing day of spa & barbering services for their anniversary. 

My job was to deliver a body polish service. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this service, it’s basically a full body scrub that leaves your skin feeling like silk. 😊

The service requires the client to be fully undressed. They lie on the massage table covered by a small towel over the groin area and another over the bust for women. 

Drifting away…

Now, during quiet services I tend to drift away in my thoughts and answer pressing questions. Questions like “what should I wear tomorrow?” or “I wonder what my dog is thinking right now?” or “why does the sun lighten our hair but darken our skin?”

It makes the time pass and before you know it you’ve exfoliated 90% of your 6-foot-tall client who happens to be blessed with 2-inch strands of body hair over everything but his palms and soles.  

Zoned OUT.

After scrubbing away at his limbs and torso, I followed up with a swift towel buff. I like using a rolled-up towel to wipe away the granules. To prevent the granules from getting into his eyes I covered them with a small towel, much like a blindfold. I then recite the usual – “for this next step, I will need you to close your eyes”. 

I was so zoned out in my thoughts as I whipped the towel into my hands and began to wind it like a jockey in the locker room. When I turned back to the bed, I realized that I had whipped his groin towel off and left him laying blindfolded, motionless, and butt naked on the table!  

I quickly threw the towel on him and apologized through my uncontrollable laughter, his response “It’s ok, I just wasn’t sure what was gonna to happen next!”. 

– Buffed 

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Submit your funny stories to info@executivespagroup.com.

EXECUTIVE SPA GROUP

Beauty Industry Resource Centre

Last November, The National Post reported that Alberta Health aims to eliminate 500 nursing jobs over the next three years in an effort to find efficiency in the budget.

Not surprisingly, we have had nurses come to us for guidance on how they can use their training and experience in the beauty industry.

Nurses working with injectables.

Nurses who join the beauty industry are often interested in offering injectables. Botox and fillers are amongst the fastest growing services in the beauty industry,

Alberta Health asks 3 questions when it comes to injectables:

1. Who can buy it?
2. Who prescribed it?
3. Who administers it?

If you a member of any college of nursing in Alberta (such as CARNA, CLPNA, or CPSA) you have to check with your college to see what you as a member are allowed to administer as a nursing professional.

If you want to provide aesthetic services, there are multiple medispas that hire RNs to administer injectables. For example, some spas work directly with doctors who are able to get and prescribe the injectables and the RN administers it.

Each manufacturer may have their own rules around a physician being present in the facility when injections are being administered. You will have to contact the manufacturers in question and inquire about their specific instructions.

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Cosmetic Botox® and Nurse Colleges

Botox is a Schedule 1 drug and therefore requires a prescription. Once a prescription has been written, it is currently up to each college to decide whether to allow their members to administer the drug, and under what conditions.

Botox® Manufacturer’s instructions

ALLERGAN’s instructions for use of Botox generally state that injections can only be given by physicians with the appropriate qualifications and experience in the treatment and the use of required equipment.

Who can buy it?

The sale of Botox is regulated federally. Only certain health professionals can purchase this drug legally.

Illegal Cosmetic Botox

Health Canada says is very interested in any inappropriate sales of Botox®. Alberta Health asks you report any suspected illegal sale of Botox.

Cosmetic Botox® and Alberta Health Violations

Alberta Health is not proposing a policy on the use of drugs in personal service settings, but, if reports arise that Botox is being offered in an unsanitary manner, steps will be taken by health inspectors to correct those violations.

The amended Personal Services Regulation and Standards require an operator using cosmetic Botox to follow any accompanying instructions for safe use.

Alberta Health Inspectors may also take referral steps if an inspector suspected irregularity with the purchase, prescription or administration of the drug. These referrals might be to a regulatory college, Health Canada, Alberta Health or to administrators the Pharmacy Act.

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Classification of Dermal Fillers

Dermal fillers (Polymethyl-methacrylate microspheres (PMMA) and Hyaluronic Acid) are neither a drug, nor a cosmetic. Rather they are a Class 3 medical device (given how far they are inserted into the body).

Sale of Class 3 medical devices

There are no restrictions placed on these devices by Health Canada as to who can sell them. Some manufacturer’s state that the fillers are only to be used by a health care practitioner.

Dermal fillers and Alberta Health

The newly updated Personal Services Standards regulate the use of fillers to require that they carry the product name, a list of ingredients and instructions for safe use. Also, any instructions for safe use must be followed by the operator.

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EXECUTIVE SPA GROUP

Beauty Industry Resource Centre

(780) 604-2772

info@executivespagroup.com