Beauty therapist
Beauty therapists provide face and body treatments to help clients look and feel better.
Also known as: Beautician
- Starter salary£23,000 a year
- Experienced£29,000 a year
- Typical hours30 to 37 a week
What you'll do
As a beauty therapist, you could:
- give a facial by cleansing, massaging and toning a client's skin
- do a makeover by applying and advising on make-up
- shape eyebrows and colour eyelashes
- give manicures, pedicures and treatments like extensions and nail art
- remove unwanted facial and body hair
- do non-surgical skin improvement treatments
- offer ultraviolet (UV) treatments and spray tanning
- give related treatments, if trained to do so, such as aromatherapy
Working environment
You could work in a salon, at a health spa, on a cruise ship, in a hotel or from home.
You may need to wear protective clothing.
Skills and knowledge you'll need
You'll need:
- customer service skills
- sensitivity and understanding towards your clients' needs
- the ability to work well with your hands for giving treatments
- excellent verbal communication skills to explain treatments
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- the ability to work well with others
- active listening skills
- the ability to sell products and services
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
How to become a beauty therapist
You can get into this job through:
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
- specialist courses run by private training providers
College
You could study for a college qualification, which may help when you apply for jobs as a trainee in a salon or spa.
Courses include:
- beauty therapy
- massage therapy
- aromatherapy
- nail technology
- beauty specialist techniques
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
Apprenticeship
You can apply to do a Beauty Therapist Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship, or Advanced Beauty Therapist Level 3 Apprenticeship.
These typically take up to 2 years to complete and combine work-based training with periods of study.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
Work
You could start as a beauty therapy assistant in a salon or spa. You could then study for a qualification while you're working.
Other routes
You could take beauty therapy courses with private training providers, that can be found by searching online.
It's important to research and compare exactly what is included in courses, whether they lead to a recognised qualification and what the costs are.
Career path and progression
With experience, you could become:
- an assistant manager
- overall salon manager
- beauty services sales and marketing manager, with a hotel and spa company
You could work self-employed and set up your own salon, work from home or travel to clients.
You might also use your skills and experience to work in fashion, theatre or media make-up.
Career tips
Advertised pay rates are often listed as full-time equivalent (FTE) or pro rata. Actual pay will depend on the number of hours you work each week or month.
Professional and industry bodies
You may find it useful to get professional recognition by joining a register like the Guild of Beauty Therapists .
Guides for this industry
Related roles
- Job roleMassage therapist
- Job roleReflexologist
- Job roleNail technician
- Job roleAromatherapist
- Job roleBeauty consultant
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