The beauty industry in Massachusetts is widely recognized for it’s nationally-acclaimed excellence and it’s incredible growth, with cosmetologists, manicurists, and aestheticians all ranked as the “Fastest Growing Occupations in Massachusetts,” between 2012 and 2022 by the Massachusetts Labor and Workforce Development Department.
 | How to Become a Cosmetologist in Massachusetts |
| Qualifications for Manicurists in Massachusetts |
| How to Become an Aesthetician in Massachusetts |
| How to Become a Barber in Massachusetts |
With this massive growth comes creation, innovation, and cutting-edge style, putting five different Boston salons on Elle Magazine’s list of “Top 100 Salons in the US.” One of these salons, Patrice Vinci Salon on Newberry Street has also been recognized in Allure, American Salon, and Day Spa Magazine, among others. These cosmetologists are the best in the country because of their customized hair treatments—so personalized that they’ll even make house calls! Along with this, these cosmetologists are educated in Olaplex, which is a scientific innovation that reverses and prevents hair damage, taking the limits off of clients’ color options.
The manicurists at Serenity’s Nail Spa in West Boylston are revolutionizing the way people view nail salons. Rather than a cold, quick salon experience, clients at Serenity’s Nail Spa get the expertise of a nail salon with the comfort of a spa. Offering exotic and rejuvenating services, such as Raw Shea Scrubs and Marine Spa Cooling Masques, this nail spa is raising the bar for nail services.
Aestheticians are the skin care specialists who can make even the dullest skin supple, radiant, and glowing. The aestheticians at the full-service, Mane Escape Salon and Spa, offer cutting-edge facials, such as GM Collin Stem Cell Facials, GM Collin Collagen Facials, Ultrasonic add-ons, Sea C Spa Facials, and more. Along with this, these skin care specialists offer microdermabrasion treatments and clinical peels, all tailored to each client’s individual needs.
Finally, Boston is a spearhead of the barbering revolution, with barbershops like Tweed Barbers being recognized by Details Magazine as one of the “16 Best Barbershops in America.” This barbershop is bringing back the traditional, masculine sense of community through barbering, by offering top-of-the-line services (hot lather shave, anyone?), but focusing mainly on building strong, long-term relationships with the men in the neighborhood.
Clearly, whether you’re looking to become a cosmetologist, manicurist, aesthetician, or barber, Massachusetts is the place for you. To being your cosmetology, manicuring, or aesthetician career, you’ll start by becoming licensed with the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Cosmetologists. If you’re looking to begin your career as a barber, you’ll be licensed with the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Barbers. Both of these Boards regulate the education and exam standards for beauty professional licenses throughout Massachusetts.
How to Become a Cosmetologist in Massachusetts
Cosmetologists are the most comprehensive and well-rounded beauty professionals, who focus mainly on haircutting, hairstyling, and hair coloring. Along with this, they are trained in basic nail and skin services.
Education Requirements for Massachusetts Cosmetologists
To begin your career as a cosmetologist in Massachusetts, you’ll start by enrolling in a 1000-hour cosmetology training program. In your beauty college experience, you’ll get to learn the art and theory behind perfect hair, nail, and skin services, by meeting the following course and hour requirements:
- Manicuring – 50 hours
- Hair Straightening and Permanent Waving – 250 hours
- Shampooing – 25 hours
- Finger Waving – 50 hours
- Marcelling and All Iron Curls – 45 hours
- Skin Care/Facial Grooming – 80 hours
- Wig Instruction and Scalp Treatments – 50 hours
- Dyes and Bleaching – 150 hours
- Hair Cutting – hours 125
- Oral, Written and Practical Tests, Sterilization, Hygiene and Anatomy – 125 hours
- Instruction and Lecture on Sanitation – 25 hours
- Ethics, Salesmanship, Courtesy and Conduct – 25 hours
Examination Requirements for License as a Massachusetts Cosmetologist
Once graduated from a cosmetology training program, you’ll be ready to pass the following Massachusetts cosmetology licensing examinations:
- Massachusetts Cosmetology Written Exam administered by Pearson VUE
- Massachusetts Cosmetology Practical Exam administered by Pearson VUE
After passing these exams, you’ll be able to be registered as a licensed cosmetologist in Massachusetts.
Job Opportunities for Cosmetologists
The number of cosmetology jobs in Massachusetts is expected to grow 24.18% between 2012 and 2022. This means an average of over 850 new job openings for cosmetologists each year, which spells out great opportunity for aspiring cosmetologists. As a cosmetologist, you’ll be able to look for hourly, commission, or rental jobs in salons, day spas, or hotel salon services.
Marc Harris has Boston locations on Newberry St. and Avery St., as well as one location in New York City. The cosmetologists are known for giving top-of-the-line cuts, colors, and styles with a down-to-earth attitude. A well-known giant in the salon industry, Marc Harris oversees all 100+ employees at all three locations.
For the other best-rated salons in the country that are found in Massachusetts, check out the following:
- Mario Russo – Boston
- Mizu – Boston
- Trephin – Boston
Qualifications for Manicurists in Massachusetts
Manicurists get to specialize and focus on beautifying and perfecting just a few areas of the body—the nails, hands, and feet.
Manicurist Education Requirements
You’ll begin your career as a Massachusetts manicurist by enrolling in a 100-hour manicurist training program, which may be found as a specialized track within a larger beauty college. In this program, you’ll get to learn everything behind the science and art of nail care through taking the following courses:
- Safety/Sanitation – 10 hours
- Artificial Nail Techniques – 25 hours
- First Aid – 2.5 hours
- Basic Manicuring with Hand and Arm Massage – 40 hours
- Professional Ethics / Salon Management / State Laws – 12.5 hours
- Oral-Written-Practical Examinations Hygiene and Anatomy – 10 hours
Manicurist Examination Requirements for a Massachusetts License
After graduating from a manicurist training program in a local beauty college, you’ll be ready to pass the following Massachusetts manicurist licensing examinations:
- Massachusetts Manicurist Written Exam administered by Pearson VUE
- Massachusetts Manicurist Practical Exam administered by Pearson VUE
After passing these exams, you’ll be able to be registered as a licensed manicurist in Massachusetts.
Job Opportunities for Manicurists
With the number of manicurist jobs growing 28.1% between 2012 and 2022 in Massachusetts, now is the perfect time to settle down as a manicurist. As a manicurist in Massachusetts, you’ll be able to look for hourly, commission, or booth rental jobs in full-service salons, day spas, or nail salons. Because many jobs will want you to already have a clientele, consider building your clientele through honing your marketing skills, sales skills, and advanced nail education.
Coco Nail & Spa, located in Cambridge, has been at the forefront of high-end nail services in the New England area for over 20 years. As with most Massachusetts salons and spas, Coco Nail & Spa is dedicated to making each client feel at home, and to do that, they provide excellent servcies along with personalized attention to each client. Offering spa mani/pedis, Shellac mani/pedis, and the “Royal” mani/pedi (which includes citrus salt exfoliate, warm citrus butter, a massage, warm towel, and a hot stone massage), is sure to provide relaxation and rejuvenation for each client.
Other best-rated nail salons throughout Massachusetts include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Treasured Hands Beauty Salon – Boston
- May’s Nail Design – Arlington
- Nailbar – Brookline
How to Become an Aesthetician in Massachusetts
Aestheticians are specialists in skin care, and they are able to make the driest or most oily skin perfectly balanced, radiant, and glowing.
Aesthetician Educational Requirements
You’ll begin your career as a Massachusetts aesthetician by enrolling in a 300-hour aesthetician training program. These programs may be found as a specialized track within a larger beauty school. In this program, you’ll get to learn everything behind the science and art of skin care through taking the following courses:
- Anatomy and Physiology – 10 hours
- Diseases and Disorders of the Skin – 10 hours
- Cosmetic Chemistry Ingredients and Product Knowledge – 25 hours
- Sterilization, Sanitation and Bacteriology – 30 hours
- Management, Laws, Communication and Ethics – 20 hours
- Massages – 35 hours
- Application of Makeup and Sales Product Knowledge – 25 hours
- Electricity and Aesthetics Equipment – 10 hours
- Depilation and Waxing, Eyebrow and Eyelash Tinting – 30 hours
- Clinical Practice, Record Keeping and Treatment Procedures – 105 hours
Aesthetician Examination Requirements
Once you’ve graduated from an aesthetician training program in a local beauty school, you’ll be ready to pass the following Massachusetts aesthetician licensing examinations:
- Massachusetts Aesthetician Written Exam administered by Pearson VUE
- Massachusetts Aesthetician Practical Exam administered by Pearson VUE
After passing these exams, you’ll be able to be registered as a licensed aesthetician in Massachusetts.
Aesthetician Job Opportunities
Growing at the highest rate of all beauty professionals in Massachusetts, the number of aesthetician jobs in the state is expected to grow 52.64% between 2012 and 2022. As an aesthetician in Massachusetts, you can look for jobs at day spas, medical spas, dermatology offices, skin care product stores, full-service salons, or even hotels and resorts that offer spa services.
Canyon Ranch, located in Lenox, is an all-inclusive health resort and luxury spa, with top-of-the-line aesthetician services. These aestheticians use only high-end products, such as Luxury Botanicals, which uses natural plant extracts and botanical aromatic essential oils; Bio-Swiss Oxygen, which is jam-packed with oxygen, vitamin C, and organic botanicals; and Natural Facials, which is made of 100% natural, nontoxic ingredients. And with yummy add-ons like Pumpkin Enzyme Treatments, this all-inclusive spa really does have it all.
Other great Massachusetts spas include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Stonehedge Inn & Spa – Tyngsboro
- Fabu Salon Spa – Newton
- John Carver Inn & spa – Plymouth
How to Become a Barber in Massachusetts
Barbers revive the classic, American art of men’s grooming by cutting, shaving, and trimming men’s hair, beards, and mustaches.
Barber Education Requirements
You’ll begin your career as a Massachusetts barber by enrolling in a 1000-hour barber training program. Throughout this program, you’ll learn everything you need to know to become an excellent barber, by taking the following courses:
- Haircutting – 400 hours
- Perming – 90 hours
- Hair Coloring – 75 hours
- Chemical Relaxing – 40 hours
- Shaving – 50 hours
- Honing and Stropping – 10 hours
- Shampooing – 10 hours
- Mustaches and Beards – 20 hours
- Sterilization and Sanitation – 80 hours
- Scalp Treatments – 15 hours
- Facials – 15 hours
- Light Therapy – 5 hours
- Shop Management – 10 hours
- Theory – 180 hours
Barber Examination Requirements
Once you’ve graduated from barber school, you’ll be ready to pass the following Massachusetts Apprentice Barber licensing examinations:
- Massachusetts Apprentice Barber Written Exam administered by Pearson VUE
- Massachusetts Apprentice Barber Practical Exam administered by Pearson VUE
Once you’ve passed both licensing exams, you’ll be registered as a Massachusetts apprentice barber. You’ll work for 18 months as an apprentice barber, under the supervision of a master barber. Once you’ve completed these 18 months of work, you’ll be ready to take the Massachusetts Master barber licensing exams:
- Massachusetts Master Barber Written Exam administered by Pearson VUE
- Massachusetts Master Barber Practical Exam administered by Pearson VUE
Barber Job Options
As a barber, you’ll be able to look for hourly or commission jobs in barbershops throughout Massachusetts. Once you’ve built a strong clientele, you may have great success working independently though renting a chair or opening your own barbershop. Staying on the cutting-edge of barbering services, using your innovation to create new barbershop atmospheres, and honing your marketing and sales skills are all likely to help you build a strong clientele.
Boston Barber and Tattoo Company has an old-school vibe, but the owners had an itch to melt traditional barbering with modern, rock-and-roll attitudes. To do this, Boston Barber does not just suffice to give cutting-edge cuts, styles, and shaves, but this community-driven barbershop also offers tattoo and tanning services, making this one of Boston’s many unique barbershops.
More top-notch Massachusetts barbershops include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Fast Eddies Barbershop – Allston
- Clarendon Barbers – Boston
- Kendall Barbers – Cambridge