Spa, medspa & solo suite
Esthetician
Skincare is the service; retail and rebooking are the business.
Typical pay
$34k-$75k
How you get in
600-750 hour program plus state license
Outlook
Growing fast, especially in medical aesthetics
Lots of openings
10/100Openings come up often relative to the size of this field, and the field is growing.
JobPOVs index, calculated from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025-2035 for Skincare specialists. It measures how many openings arise each year relative to the size of the field — not how many people apply. BLS does not publish a saturation figure.
Estheticians perform facials, waxing, chemical peels and other skin treatments. Medical spa work pays substantially more than day spa work, and renting a suite pays more than either if you can fill it.
A day in the life
9:30a – 6:00p · 8 hours 30 min
- 9:30aSet the room, review client charts and contraindications
- 10:00aNinety-minute facial with extractions
- 12:00pWaxing appointments, back to back
- 1:30pLunch and restock
- 2:30pChemical peel and a consultation
- 6:00pSanitize, laundry, post to social and confirm tomorrow
How to get in
Esthetics school and licensure
Duration
6-12 months
Cost
$5,000-$18,000
Credential
State esthetician license
- Complete your state's required hours at a licensed school
- Pass the written and practical state board exams
- Start at a spa or franchise for volume and repetitions
- Build a book, then consider a suite or medspa role
Medical esthetics
Duration
6-12 months plus advanced training
Cost
$8,000-$30,000
Credential
License plus laser and advanced modality certifications
- Get your base esthetician license
- Add laser, microneedling and advanced peel certifications
- Work under a physician or nurse injector in a medspa
- Substantially higher pay than the day spa track
Solo suite
Duration
1-2 years after licensure
Cost
$3,000-$15,000 for equipment, rent and insurance
Credential
License plus business registration and insurance
- Build a loyal client book while employed
- Rent a suite rather than taking a commission split
- Handle your own booking, retail and marketing
- Keep the full service price instead of a spa split
What people love
- · Licensed in under a year
- · Medspa and laser work pays well
- · Suite rental means keeping the full rate
- · Product retail adds real income
What wears people down
- · Day spa pay is low without retail commission
- · Building a client book takes a year or more
- · Hands, wrists and shoulders take a beating
- · Chemical exposure and strict sanitation rules