So great is society's collective pain that day spas are popping up everywhere. That's a good thing. We could all do with a little stress relief.
Yet isn't it ironic that so few can afford to pamper themselves at a time stress levels are high because of a poor economy?
Well, Venus, fret not over long-neglected nubby fingernails, dry skin or split ends. There are people ready to fuss over you and change your look from raggedy to ravishing for much less than a regular salon or day spa.
Demand from a growing spa industry has led Honolulu Community College to expand its Cosmetology Program to add a new Cosmetician Training Program.
The program offers a quick route into the beauty industry and involves 550 hours of skin and nail-care training. In contrast, the older cosmetology program involves 1,800 hours of learning all of the above with the addition of hair care.Students are anxious to practice on willing victims, uh, vixens. Customers agree to become guinea pigs in exchange for paying below-market rates on such services as hair cuts, perms, hair-coloring and facials.
A shampoo and haircut will cost $5. Bang-trimming is $2. Frosting is $20. A European facial runs $20. You get the idea. The fees go back into buying shampoos, perm solutions and such name-brand supplies as Fudge hair color and Aveda cosmetics.
For the price, you'll have to do without the amenities of private rooms, potted ferns and piped in "sounds of the forest" music.
Because the services are offered during prime working hours -- 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays -- most would have to take a day off to make an appointment. Satisfied clients say it's worth it.
Daisy Lum-Akana says she's been coming to the school for haircuts and perms for 30 years. "I like the students," she said. "They're very friendly and the teachers are there every step of the way to check their work. Before you leave, the teachers check to make sure everything's OK."
Another client, who didn't want to give her name, said she's also been coming to the school for about 30 years to get her hair done. "Earlier," she said, "you could request certain students. They don't allow that anymore. Naturally, you pick the senior students but that's not a fair thing to do for the rest of the students."The matching is done democratically now, with instructors directing the workload toward students who need the hours. You never know who will be doing the work. Micah Murata, for instance, is a cosmetician, a former M.A.C. makeup artist who decided to return to school for his cosmetology license.
"It was hard to go from making money to making nothing, but I would lose out on a lot of jobs because I wasn't licensed to do hair. Sometimes the job wouldn't even involve hair but (the clients) want to know if you have the license."
He is conscientious in his class work. Having worked in the real world before coming back to school, he said, "Hawaii is so small, word gets around fast about who does good work. When you get something done people always ask, 'Who did it?' and there are not too many others out there with a name like Micah."
By the time students finish the program, they will have accumulated about 1,000 hours of practical experience. That amounts to about six months at a full-time job.
HCC salon/spa treatments
Place: Honolulu Community College
"It pays to come to class all the time," said senior Sisi Clowes. When there aren't enough customers, students sometimes can get permission to work on each other. "We can get two services a week, but only if we didn't miss any classes the week before."
Campus faculty and staff can also serve as test subjects. You would think that the cosmetology instructors have the greatest access, but stepping into the facial room draws a longing sigh from Aki.
The main service offered here is the $25 European facial which involves skin analysis, cleansing, toning and a hydration process to add moisture to the skin, with the bonus of a light face and shoulder massage.
"It's such a wonderful experience," Aki said. "People come in here and they're so relaxed. We have clients who snore sometimes.
"I try to get one whenever I have free time, but during class time I'm busy watching everyone."
The students would just as soon not work on their teachers. Freshman Karli Freitas said she feels intimidated working on customers, and she said, "they know. But they just say, 'Oh, just relax.' They're really nice. They understand we're just students."
Aki asks her students to think of her as just another client. "I never make comments while I'm in the seat. They're already nervous. I don't want to do anything that would increase their nervousness."
Other schools that offer beauty services performed by students: Treat yourself to a little pampering
Hawaii Institute of Hair Design 71 S. Hotel St.
Hollywood Beauty College 99-084 Kauhale St., Building A, Aiea
