Do Estheticians Make Good Money?

Many people want to know if their chosen career path pays well before they embark on it. It’s only natural. There are a lot of variables, however, when considering how much money an esthetician makes. At Skin Science Institute, we teach students not only how to be good estheticians, but we also teach them business skills and career planning.

Do What You Love

Everyone wants to make enough money to be able to pay their bills every month. But how much more than that do you need or want? This is a question many struggle with all their lives. Parents sometimes pressure their children into courses of study that lead to lucrative jobs, but these may not be jobs they enjoy. How much money is it worth to work at a job 40 hours a week for the rest of your life that you dislike? You are likely looking into going to esthetician school because skin care is an area of interest for you. When you think about working in a salon or a doctor’s office and spending your days helping people become more beautiful, the idea is exciting to you. And we feel that’s the way it should be — we love coming to work every day and helping students prepare to get their esthetician license.

What Type of Job Is Right for You?

When you get your esthetician license, you will have many choices available to you. You may work in a dermatologist’s office doing chemical peels, microdermabrasion and microneedling. Or you may work in a salon, doing lash extensions, makeup application, waxing and facials. While the work is the same in both these areas, they may not pay the same. You may think because a doctor’s office is more clinical that the pay would be higher, but sometimes estheticians are paid more in very high-end salons or day spas.

How Many Hours Will You Work?

Some women have their eye on becoming an esthetician because of the flexibility it offers. Many esthetician jobs, especially in salons, are part-time, allowing you to balance your career with the demands of motherhood and other obligations. Some esthetician positions pay by the hour, while others give you a percentage of the fees collected for the services you provide. To determine which is the better way to be paid, you must consider whether your employer will want you onsite whenever they are open to be available to service walk-ins and whether you get many clients this way, or if it’s better to work only when you have bookings.

Start Your Own Esthetician Business

One of the ways some estheticians make more money than others is by running their own business. That way, they don’t have to split fees, rent space in a salon or work for an hourly wage. Opening your own salon does have its share of expenses, such as the lease, equipment, insurance, etc. However, having a home salon or offering your services in your clients’ homes can save money on overhead (but not insurance). So, depending on how many hours you work, what type of facility you work in, what city you work in and how you get paid, as an esthetician you can make up to $76,000 per year, according to Glassdoor. Apply today to our esthetician school or contact Skin Science Institute for more information.