Where Science, Technology, & Dedicated Professionals, Help to Create the Estheticians & Nail Technicians of the Future
The Academy of Aesthetic Arts is dedicated to a higher level of professionalism.
We provide students with the most comprehensive balance of theory and
practical skills in the industry. With a State of the Art working spa
students are given the opportunity to practice their skill with instructor
supervision
Our goal is to provide the most in-depth course of instruction to prepare and equip our students for a successful career in the Salon/Spa and Medical Spa Industry
Academy of Aesthetic Arts provides supervised facial and clinical spa services. Come and tour our 8400 sq ft. facility complete with a luxury day spa! Including 10 Facial Rooms, Waxing Room, Private Makeup Studio and Hydro-Therapy Water Spa.
Conveniently located in Shawnee, KS, just off I-35 and Shawnee Mission
Pkwy. Ample student and client parking
Shawnee is a rapidly growing community located in northwest Johnson County,
Kansas and is a western suburb of Kansas City, Missouri.
Programs
Academy of Aesthetic Arts offers the following programs. Check out our Admissions or Student Services page for details on these programs.
- Esthetics Full Time 750 Hours
- Esthetics Part Time 750 Hours ( Evenings & Saturdays)
- Nail Technology 500 Hours
- Instructor Training 300 - 450 Hours
- Missouri Certification for licensed Kansas Estheticians 100 hours
- Addtional training hours up to 150 hours for out of state applicaints whe need to meet the Kansas and Missouri requirements
About Us & How it Began
Picture relaxing on a table in a room filled with calming music as a knowledgeable esthetician applies treatments guaranteed to give skin a healthier appearance.
Think it has to cost a fortune? Not necessarily.
Academy of Aesthetic Arts, provides an inexpensive pampering day spa experience while at the same time giving new estheticians the knowledge and experience they need to get a job in the real world. We opened in February 2005, but Malinda and Cathy owners, have been in the business of beauty together for almost 10 years.
Malinda and Cathy first created their own business after each working in the industry for 10 years. They met while working in the beauty department of a department store and discovered they each had a desire to open their own business. In 1997 they opened Elite Aesthetics at 6100 Nieman Rd., a skin care clinic and beauty product distribution company.
The idea to expand their business and create a school for estheticians,
however, came through the distribution aspect of their company. Malinda
and Cathy had to provide advanced education and training on their products
at salons and spas, and they often had to completely retrain estheticians
on techniques and products.
When Malinda went back to Johnson County Community College to renew her beauty instructor license, she fully realized the limited training and experience aesthetic students were receiving. But the thing that clinched the idea was a little bit more catastrophic. A fire broke out at Elite Aesthetics, and in the three months it took to rebuild the space, Malinda and Cathy lost their employees and customers, so they decided it was time to move forward with the academy.
Though they briefly considered locations in Olathe and Merriam, the partners chose the space in Shawnee because they liked the city's family ambiance and the close access to Interstate 35. Keeping their distribution business, they opened the academy Feb. 14, 2005, with 8,000 square feet in their new location.
We take 10 students per class and start a new class every eight weeks. With four additional instructors, students learn about both day spa and clinical aesthetic treatments and shadow advanced students before going out on the floor to gain experience. After five months of training, they take their state board exams.
Malinda and Cathy are careful to hand-pick students for the school. "We just need to make sure that this is their dream,"
Thus far, every student has passed their state boards and gotten a job
upon graduation. Three students even went out and immediately opened their
own spa.
Because we have out-of-state students in almost every class, Malinda and Cathy know there is a need for the same type of school elsewhere. We would like to have five satellite schools across the country, and are considering St. Louis or Chicago for their next location. But the Shawnee location will always remain the academy headquarters.
The academy has 10 rooms for facials and two hydrotherapy rooms, as well as a make-up station. During the next year, the academy will add a nail salon for manicures and pedicures. And though some might call it a beauty spa, it's not all for women. Amazingly enough, we keep seeing several men as well.
The best part is seeing families make use of the quality skin care and
day spa treatments. Moms can bring their teenage daughters in to learn
about acne prevention or how to apply make-up, while they receive treatments
to prevent wrinkles and age spots, all at a fraction of the price spas
charge. We offer a lot of the same services they do that they charge upwards
of $150 for, but we charge $5 to $50. This is a way for a family to afford
to get a pampering gift for their loved one.