Melanie Foley
I was born/grew up in: Placentia, NL but grew up in the very small community of St. Brides
I now live in: Conception Bay South, NL
I completed my training/education at: Aesthetics Training Program at Woodford’s Training Centre
Describe what you do at work.
I work in a Salon and Spa where a person may come to relax, destress or improve their appearance . I perform a variety of treatments on my clients depending on the service they have requested. So during any day I might be doing manicures, pedicures, facial treatments, or hair removal (waxing). I’m also trained to provide massage but I don’t provide those. When I’m performing different procedures I rely on my knowledge the anatomy of the head, hands and feet to make sure I am applying the correct pressure and using the proper products. The work of an aesthetician is very personal and often tailored to the client’s needs. Depending on the client’s skin conditions and needs, I may recommend specific products for them to try. I also check in clients, schedule appointments, and collect payments.
When I was a student I enjoyed:
How does your job affect people’s lives?
My job is providing more of a luxury service than a necessity. But people like to look good and feel better about their appearance. And I help them do this!
What motivates you in your career?
I love meeting new people and learning about them! Depending on the service I’m providing, I could be working with the client for an hour or more. During this time we chat about everything. Over time I develop good, personal relationships with my regular clients. It’s great to have clients who trust you and appreciate the service you perform. It is very gratifying when the continue to come back on a regular basis because that means you are meeting their needs.
When I was a student, I would have described myself as someone who:
Describe your career path to this career.
When I was in high school I really didn’t know what I wanted to do. So I started a general studies program at the College of the North Atlantic but that really didn’t interest me. I tried doing makeup applications but, again, I didn’t enjoy that because I found it stressful. I learned about the aesthetics program and enrolled at Woodford’s Training Centre. I found the program to be great for me because it had a good combination of hands on and course work. We had to learn all about the biology of the body parts we would be working on: the hands, head and feet. Who knew there was so much to know about the layers of skin!? But you need to know how the treatments you are doing will affect that part of the body.
After I completed my basic program I did a three week placement a spa that offered a large variety of treatments. Here I got to practice my skills and learned more about full body treatments and working with lasers. As an aesthetician you learn the basics in school and then get to specialize depending on where you work. If they use lasers, you can do training to learn how to use them and provide treatments such as laser hair removal. There are always programs and courses offered by the companies that supply the different products that the salon or spa carries.
What activities do you like to do outside of work?
I go to the gym – not for fun but because I have to. After talking to people all day sometimes I just want some quiet time with my dog or watching TV.
What advice or encouragement would you give others seeking a similar career?
If you want to be an aesthetician you need to know up front that it is hard work. Both the training and day to day work is much harder and demanding than many people realize. And when you are starting out it takes a long time to build up a full workload because you have to develop relationships with people.