I was already working at the front desk at Ashka Salon Spa when I started to near the end of my cosmetology program. I needed to consider if it would be a good fit for me as a stylist. One of the many reasons I decided to begin my career with Ashka Salon Spa was their intensive salon assistant training program. There are two major parts to the New Talent Training Program here: classes twice a week with our Training Manager, and following our mentors.

Classes in the Salon Assistant Training Program

At Ashka Salon Spa, the assistants are lucky enough to take classes twice a week. They are usually with Evelyn, our Training Manager, Jozie, our General Manager, or Lisa, our Owner. We cover most services that we provide. They range from hair cutting to make up, and even eyebrow waxing. It is great being able to meet so often to talk about different subjects. We also usually have “homework” that we need to do on our mannequin. Our mannequins, also known as doll heads, have real hair to be able to duplicate working with real clients as closely as possible.  It typically takes about a year to get through the entire program.

“I think my favorite part of training is watching the “ah hah” moments… the dots connect and the light bulbs come on. It’s very rewarding as an educator to watch everything come together.” -Evelyn, Training Manager

Mentors in the Salon Assistant Training Program

Courtney, Christine, and Lisa are the three Master Mentor Stylists are the salon currently. I went through my program working with Courtney but throughout the year I also had a few instances where I worked with the other mentors. I think it is extremely important to assist a successful stylist when you are first starting out. You see what works for them and what doesn’t. While I don’t do everything that my mentors did exactly, it definitely helped to form my own techniques.

While following your mentor, you are interacting with their guests and see what they like. You also are able to how a seasoned hair stylist faces challenges. This all helps to improve technique.

Next time you are in the salon, take a look around and find some of our assistants. We are extremely proud to have them as a part of our team. I am ecstatic to see their career flourish!

Until Next Time,

Josie 🙂