Portland, Maine - (207) 772-2591

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School of Cosmetology
  
Programs offered at this location:

1500 clock hour Cosmetology    200 clock hour Manicuring   
1000 clock hour Cosmetology Teacher Training

Portland, on beautiful Casco Bay, is called The Forest City and is one of the best small cities in the country. It is a cultural center for the arts that is also a great location for anyone who loves the outdoors, good shopping and dining, or just a great base for exploring the beautiful coast, lakes or mountains of Maine and New Hampshire. With some of the best hiking, skiing, and water sports in the northeast, it lives up to its motto of "Maine, the way life should be."

Portland and the surrounding towns also have many options for the student who would like to relocate. With winter rentals in beach and lake cottages or hotels and many multi-family houses and apartments, there are many affordable and attractive places to stay. With an international airport, Portland bus service, interstate bus terminal and The Downeaster passenger train to Boston, it is an easily accessible place to live.

Our Portland location houses the cosmetology school as well as the corporate headquarters of the school. The main facility is located at 1041 Brighton Avenue just off the Maine Turnpike at exit 48. The cosmetology school was designed by Teresa Favazza and reflects the combination of style and elegance that comes from a leader in the field. 

Please call 207-772-2591 or use the to set up an interview  and get more information.

School Locations

Maine: Portland - Westbrook         Massachusetts: Ipswich - Plymouth - Westboro

Where you go to school is as important as what you are learning. The environment must be supportive of your education. For this reason our schools are located in comfortable, beautiful, easily accessible, and safe locations that offer plenty of free parking. You deserve nothing less. This is why we tend to be near the ocean or the country or in the better part of a city.   The seacoast is a beautiful area in all 4 seasons. It is particularly well suited for 3 of our school locations because it provides ample accommodations, a wide range of cuisine, and many outdoor activities. If you travel a distance or wish to relocate, there are many seasonal rentals available in incredible locations. Or if you live nearby, taking walks on beaches before or after class is a harmonious addition to the experience of learning to do work you love.

All three of our Massachusetts locations are far enough away from Boston to offer the benefits of the country and yet less than an hour from Boston for those who are looking for more cultural experiences. We really do enjoy the best of both worlds in these locations.

We know from experience that the quality of energy in a space is as critical as the physical facility. This is why we encourage everyone to visit all the schools they are considering to determine which school is best for them.

News and Updates

6/2006-7/2006 - All five locations go through NACCAS reaccreditation visits

All five locations received rave reviews from the NACCAS accreditation review teams, receiving a perfect review in all locations. This is almost unheard of in the industry. We are very proud of the diligence of our staff that has allowed us to achieve this level of excellence.

4/2006 - New 600 Hour Aesthetics Program in Westboro, MA  

The 600 hour Aesthetics Program has now been started in Westboro, MA. The program builds on the same concepts of the Maine 600 hour program and is a continuation of the first 300 hours of required material covered in the 300 hour Massachusetts program. This program can be taken as a continuing education class for people that have passed the MA state board exam for Aesthetics.

3/2006 - South Portland Massage School moves to larger facility at 100 Larrabee Rd. in Westbrook

We've expanded again! Due to extremely high demand for the massage and polarity programs offered at Headhunter, Spa Tech Institute™, the school has expanded into a 11,000 s.f. space at 100 Larrabee Rd. in Westbrook, ME. This location more than doubles our previous space and will allow the school to grow for years to come, while providing our students with a high quality setting that is consistent with the quality of the education that the institute is known for.

9/2005 - New 300 Hour Aesthetics Program in Westboro, MA  

The 300 hour Aesthetics Program to meet the Massachusetts requirements has now been started in Westboro, MA. The program, based on decades of spa experience and feedback from spas and salons throughout New England, teaches the latest techniques using the newest holistic and organic approaches to skin care.

4/2005 - New 600 Hour Aesthetics Program in Ipswich and Plymouth, MA  

The 600 hour Aesthetics Program has now been started in Ipswich, MA and Plymouth, MA. The program builds on the same concepts of the Maine 600 hour program and is a continuation of the first 300 hours of required material covered in the 300 hour Massachusetts program. This program can be taken as a continuing education class for people that have passed the MA state board exam for Aesthetics.

9/2004 - New 300 Hour Aesthetics Program in Ipswich and Plymouth, MA  

The 300 hour Aesthetics Program to meet the Massachusetts requirements has now been started in Ipswich, MA and Plymouth, MA. The program, based on decades of spa experience and feedback from spas and salons throughout New England, teaches the latest techniques using the newest holistic and organic approaches to skin care.

4/2004 - New 600 Hour Aesthetics Program in Portland, Maine  

The 600 hour Aesthetics Program started in Portland. The program, based on decades of spa experience and feedback from spas and salons throughout New England, teaches the latest techniques using the newest holistic and organic approaches to skin care.

8/2003 - Title IV approved for branch campuses

The Institute has received Title IV approval for the branch campuses located in Massachusetts as well as the South Portland branch campus. This allows students who qualify to receive Pell Grants, SEOG, Stafford Loans and many other sources of funding and scholarships that are not available to non-Title IV schools. This places the Institute in a small group of massage and polarity schools that qualify for financial aid.

7/2003 - The Institute receives provisional accreditation for branch campuses

Headhunter, Spa Tech Institute™ ,has received provisional accreditation for the branch campuses from NACCAS. This paves the way for the school to offer Title IV financing to students who qualify at its branch locations in Massachusetts.

3/2003 - Portland massage school moves to larger facility at South Portland, Sable Oaks Golf Club

Due to extremely high demand for the massage and polarity programs offered at Headhunter, Spa Tech Institute™ , the schoolhas expanded into a 5000 s.f. space on the second and third floor of the Sable Oaks Golf Club. This location gives the school a high quality setting that is consistent with the quality of the education that the institute is known for. Additionally, the high end clientele associated with the golf club will allow the students to develop the communication skills needed to have a successful practice.

9/2002 - Three additional branches opened in Massachusetts

Headhunter, Spa Tech Institute™ has opened 3 branches in Ipswich, Plymouth and Westboro Massachusetts. These locations are offering Holistic Massage, Therapeutic Massage and Polarity Therapy training in 6 and 12 month programs. The curriculum was developed by PRI Education Development Company who also oversees the implementation of the training as well as the development of the instructional staff.

2/2002 -  Polarity Career Program provisionally approved by NACCAS accreditation

Headhunter, Spa Tech Institute™ has received provisional approval to add the Polarity Therapy Career Program. This program of 656 clock hours meets the American Polarity Therapy Association Standards for Practice for registration as a Registered Polarity Practitioner upon graduation. This is the highest level of Polarity Practitioner registration available.

This unique program was originally developed by Nancy Risley, RPP in 1987 to meet the new standards of practice. The program includes the advance energy clearing techniques known as RYSE that were developed by Nancy starting in 1986. The program will start in November of 2002.

11/2001 -  Financial Aid Available for Massage Programs for Students that Qualify

Headhunter, Spa Tech Institute™ has received approval to participate in the Title IV funding program for the Holistic Massage Career Program and the Therapeutic Massage Career Program. This means that financial aid in the form of PELL Grants, SEOG, STAFFORD Loans and other programs are now available for students who qualify. This is the first massage program to qualify for Title IV financial aid in the state of Maine. This will present a major advantage for people who have wanted to study massage but were unable to participate due to lack of financial aid.

9/2001 - Addition of Holistic Massage and Therapeutic Massage Career Programs

Headhunter, Spa Tech Institute™ is pleased to announce the addition of the Holistic Massage and Therapeutic Massage Programs created by Nancy Risley, Founder of the Polarity Realization Institute and author of RYSE, Tools for Life.

With the addition of these programs the Institute is responding to the shifting needs of the salon and spa industry as the line between the health and image management industry blurs. The understanding that beauty starts from within as well as the importance of appearance in today's media savvy culture has created an ever increasing need for massage therapists. Additionally the medical profession is referring an increasing number of patients to spas and salons for pre and post-operative care.

We are very excited to be participating in this developing industry that is creating opportunities for our graduates from both disciplines.

School Owner

The school is owned by Career Management Systems, Inc. a school development company owned by Kris Stecker. Kris has been in the educational industry since 1986. Prior to this he has worked in many fields including being a polarity instructor and practitioner, musician and engineer in recording, software development, quality assurance and product development.

With a passion for improving the community through excellent career training that gives graduates both technical and life skills to be successful, Kris challenges the employees to exceed the expectations of the students and the public that come to the schools for services. His years as a Quality Assurance Engineer drives the school to prepare students to develop the professional attitude and commitment to excellence that makes the schools graduates valuable contributors to the success of the businesses that employ them.

He was one of the original members of the American Polarity Therapy Association's Standards Committee that developed the first standards for Polarity Therapy. Kris has produced and performed on 15 CD's used in the RYSE® and RYSE® Practitioner Training educational programs developed by his wife, Nancy Risley.

Message from the owner - Kris Stecker

Thank you for visiting our school web site to learn more about who we are.

There are a few simple keys to success in life: Look good, feel good and have a good attitude. The last one is much easier to do if you look and feel your best. And for anyone who has suffered through someone having a bad hair day can testify, nothing goes right when you don't look good.

We are blessed with the best job in the world: We get to teach people in a career that they love at the same time we teach them to look and feel their best. Our graduates are changing people's lives. The number of makeover shows and related beauty shows are a testament to the power that appearance plays in everyday life. Beautiful people that are well groomed and healthy make more money and are generally more successful in all aspects of life. This has been statistically proven.

As a consumer, you are faced with a difficult situation. Education is a very lucrative field and has attracted extremely aggressive companies who spend more on marketing and sales than they do on education. Your challenge is to get beyond the hype and discover the schools that can provide you with a truly superior education. We provide some pointers to help point you in your search.

The foundation of any school is the quality of instructors and curriculum. All schools claim to have the best so it is very difficult for the consumer to At Spa Tech Institute we place a very high value on our teachers, both individually and as a team. We pay our teachers more than any other school and give them teacher training provided by Clear Point Education that is unique in the industry. It teaches empowerment, learning styles and teaching techniques based on over 25 years of training adult students. When you meet our teachers and see them working with the students in the cosmetology clinic you will see why our students excel. They are simply an excellent group of teachers.

One of our other goals is to teach our students life skills and communication skills that prepare them for a professional environment that is above the current industry standard. We believe that through teaching the students to handle themselves as mature professionals, conducting themselves with courtesy and confidence, they will influence any salon or spa they where they work.

I look forward to meeting our students and helping them discover their dreams.

Kris Stecker