Beauty therapist

There was a time when if a bloke spoke about waxing, it meant he was giving the Holden a polish. These days, however, it might just mean he's off to visit the beautician. The rise and rise of the metrosexual male has meant a huge increase in the number of men seeking facial and skin advice.

The spike has had a knock-on effect within the industry, too, with increasing numbers of men wanting to work on the other side of the table.

Maureen Houssein-Mustafa, the founder of the Australasian College Broadway, says over the past two years there has been a spike in the number of men enrolled in beauty courses at the college.

And 30-year-old Danny Nguyen is one of them. He started out in fashion but soon discovered he was more suited to the beauty industry.

Nguyen worked in retail cosmetics at Myer and David Jones before deciding he wanted to hone his skills and is now studying a Diploma of Beauty at the college.
"I am very interested in skincare but I like all areas such as nails, make-up. The more experience you have, the more skills you have and the better it is and the more interesting,'' he says.

Many men might find studying in a class full of women a little intimidating but not Nguyen, who says he loves all the attention.

"I think more and more men are using a beauty service so if you are a male therapist maybe some men will feel more comfortable,'' he says. "Men are more into grooming nowadays and it is more acceptable. Brands such as Lancome and Shiseido are bringing out more men's products. If a salon has both male and female therapists, then the client has the ability to choose.''

Houssein-Mustafa says the college encourages men and at any one time they have at least two men studying the Diploma of Beauty.

"The men who have graduated and gone off and opened their own business are becoming superstars. Women love it,'' she says. "But to us, there is no male and female -- a professional is a professional.''

The college has courses in beauty, hair, nails and makeup, catering for everyone from school-leavers to mature-age students.

How to be...
a beauty therapist
You need to complete a diploma in beauty therapy. For further information, contact the Australasian College Broadway, 02 9211 2170 or australasiancollege.com.au

By Erica Watson, The Daily Telegraph, March 18 2006.