First-year Cosmetology students hone a new skill
Cosmetology I students practiced giving one another facial treatments
With dimmed lighting and slow, calming music filling the room, the Cosmetology classroom at the Center for Career Services transformed into a spa this week. The first-year students have spent much of the school year learning salon-level techniques with hair, but they recently studied how to perform a facial.
In recent days, teacher Yolanda Lopez paired them up and they performed the service on one another. They learned about customer consultation, proper cleansing and facial massage techniques, how to utilize a steam machine and steamed towels, and how to apply a mask.
The previous day, Beato had been the client, reclined in a chair with her eyes closed as she was pampered. She said she had never received any facial service before.
“I was practically falling asleep,” Beato said. “(My partner) did such a good job.”
Students said the calming procedure offered an alternative to what they’ve learned so far this school year.
“Working on someone’s face, this is different,” said junior Valeria Valdovinos, a junior from Rye. “It was nice, calming, relaxing. This has been a great experience for us.”
Lopez said facials will now be a service the students can offer on Fridays, when classmates enrolled in other classes are permitted to sign up to receive cosmetology services with their teacher’s permission. Whether it’s hairstyling or performing facials, the students first study the details, practice on a mannequin, and then practice on one another before they first take outside customers.
“We take appointments and have a schedule,” Lopez said of the hands-on experience. “It’s just like a regular salon.”
Lopez said the nature of facial services tend to make this a popular unit for her students.
“This is a lesson the kids really enjoy,” she said. “You can see how relaxing it is here. We turn our classroom into a spa.”
