No one wants to grow old – and the key to remaining young rests in the hands of licensed aestheticians. As an aesthetician, you will get to immerse yourself in the world of beauty, fashion, and wellness, learning the science, art, and theory behind maintaining the most beautiful, healthy skin.
Your skin care specialist career starts with becoming licensed as an aesthetician through the Maine Barbering and Cosmetology Licensing Board.
For a quick guide on how to become a licensed aesthetician in Maine, follow these easy steps:
Step 1. Graduate from a 600-Hour Aesthetician Training Program
Enrolling in an aesthetician school in Maine is your first step toward becoming licensed. Aesthetician schooling offers a fun, fast, and flexible way to gain the practical skills and scientific knowledge you’ll need to become one of Maine’s most sought-after skin care specialists.
You will take courses that include such subjects as:
- Beautifying Skin
- Massaging Skin
- Cleansing Procedures
- Stimulating Skin and Circulation
- Toning
- Cosmetic Preparations
- Lotions, Tonics, Creams, Antiseptics and Clays
- Electricity
- Makeup Application
- Hair Removal and Eyebrows
The Board requires that you complete an esthetician training program of at least six hundred (600) hours of; however, you don’t have to stop there! Beauty schools often offer advanced courses that can prepare you for licensing in other related areas such as cosmetology and nail technology, as well as for esthetician instructor licensing. Make sure to check with your school about which advanced courses are offered and when they are available.
Step 2. Pass the National Written and Practical Exams Provided by D.L. Roope
Your Maine licensing exams are provided through a testing service called D.L. Roope Administrations, Inc. However, the actual exams you will be taking are created by The National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology (NIC). NIC provides two exams for your license: the written exam and the practical exam.
Written Exam
The written exam is a computer-based, ninety (90) minute exam that you can read more on in the Candidate Information Bulletin. This exam will cover the following topics:
- Bacteriology and Microbiology
- Infection Control
- Disorders of the Skin
- Product Knowledge and Application
- Cleansing, Steaming, and Exfoliation Procedures
- Chemical and Physical Exfoliation
- Hair and Skin Growth
- Skin Inflammation and Pigmentation
- Skin Analysis, Consultation, Documentation, and Treatment
- Face and Body Treatments
- Body Wraps
- Aromatherapy
- Scrubs
- Lymphatic Drainage
- Hydrotherapy
- Massaging
Practical Exam
For the practical exam, which will take about three (3) hours, you will need to come to a testing clinic with your own supply kit and mannequins, and you will need to perform the following aesthetician services:
- Set up and Client Protection
- Cleansing and Steaming the Face
- Massaging the Face
- Manual Extraction on the Forehead
- Hair Removal of Eyebrows
- Facial Mask
- Facial Makeup
- Candidate Summary and Cleanup
Check out the Exam Frequently Asked Questions for any information not provided in the two guides.
Step 3. Submit an Application for Initial Licensure by Examination or Endorsement
If you are applying for a Maine license based on your education and exam experience, which is the most common way, then you will submit an application for licensure based on examination. However, if you have ever held an esthetician license in another state, and worked as an active, licensed aesthetician, you will need to submit an application by endorsement.
Examination
To complete the application for your Maine aesthetician license, just follow these simple steps:
- Fill Out Completely the License by Exam Application
- Submit proof that you are at least seventeen (17) years of age and have completed tenth (10th) grade
- Submit affidavit of hours or transcripts from aesthetician school supervisor
- Attach official exam results
- Submit $41.00 application fee
Endorsement
If you are applying for a license by endorsement, you will need to be at least seventeen (17) years old and have completed tenth (10th) grade, and follow these steps:
- Submit Application for License by Endorsement
- Submit proof of age and high school completion
- Submit your original verification of your license from the state in which you currently hold a license
- Attach verification of your professional education hours
- Attach verification of passing scores from a state level written and practical exam
- Provide your current license status
- Submit proof of professional working hours
You may submit all application materials to the Maine Board at the following address:
Department of Professional and Financial Regulation
Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation
35 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333
Step 4. Begin a Career as a Licensed Aesthetician in Maine and Renew your License Annually
Congratulations! You are now licensed to work in Maine as an aesthetician. You can now choose to look at full-service salons where you can work as the resident aesthetician. Along with traditional settings like salons and spas, your aesthetician license will allow you to apply for any of these jobs:
- Makeup Artist
- Fashion or Bridal Makeup Artist
- Skin Care Product Representative
- Aesthetician in a Medical Office or Dermatology Office
- Beauty Consultant
- Makeup Consultant in Department Stores
- Product Sales
- Waxing Specialist
- Esthetician at hotels or resorts
There are many ways to advance your career. If you would like to apply to be licensed as an aesthetics instructor, you must complete the following requirements:
- Have completed at least fifteen hundred (1500) hours of experience within three (3) years
- Take an aesthetician instructor course of at least one thousand (1000) hours no less than six (6) months before submitting license application
Once you are eligible, you may fill out the application to become an aesthetics instructor! Even further, you can consider working to establish, own, and manage your own salon or spa! All you will need to do is the following:
- Submit Directions to Establishment
- Create Floor Plan
- Conduct Electrical Inspection
- Conduct Plumbing Inspection
- Test Water Supply
Once you are eligible, submit the establishment application and open your own salon or spa!
You will need to renew your license every year on October 31st. If you do not renew, you risk losing your license and having to go through a reinstatement process. In order to renew, complete the following steps:
- Fill out the online renewal application
- Pay annual renewal fee of $20.00
After you submit the online renewal application, the Department will review and approve your submission.
Esthetician Salaries and Job Prospects in Maine
Maine features an array of world-class spas, full-service salons, and luxury resorts scattered throughout its gorgeous coastline. But estheticians also come here for the money. As of 2018 the greater Portland-South Portland area was the third highest paying metro area in the country for skincare specialists.
And even with the job market for estheticians here only expected to rise slightly in the coming years, when you look at normal workforce changes like retirement coupled with the modest growth expected, it still means about 20 positions will be opening up each and every year during the ten-year period leading up to 2026. New esthetics program graduates that choose to stick around can certainly find their niche here, and they’ll make some serious scratch when they do.
Base Pay… Plus Tips, Commissions on Products and Services You Sell, and More…
High-end skincare specialists in Maine make over $20k more than the national average. That’s impressive all by itself, but when you consider that estheticians at all skill levels can dramatically increase how much they make by earning commissions on the products and services they sell, take home pay can be downright comfortable. By having a steady stream of satisfied clients and by becoming an expert in product demos, retail sales, and high-demand services like microdermabrasion, you’ll find the services and products almost sell themselves.
Tips alone can add an additional 20% to your baseline. Use public platforms like social media to start getting the recognition you need to attract the kind of upscale clientele that is accustomed to paying for skincare treatments.
In Maine, the base hourly wage and salary for estheticians at different types of spas and with different levels of experience looks like this:
Hourly Wage
- Low-End: $9.62
- Mid-Range: $14.32
- High-End: $39.59
Annual Salary
- Low-End: $20,020
- Mid-Range: $29,780
- High-End: $82,350
Before you accept any job, consider the pros and cons of the arrangement. You may like the reliability of working for a set hourly rate, or maybe you’re only interested in a full-time salaried position. Even if the base wage seems low, it often comes with the financial incentives of a high commission rate.
On the other hand, you might prefer to rent a booth or space at a local salon so you can be your boss, build your own list of loyal clients and control the price of the services you provide. If you’ve got a mind for business, this is the arrangement that could work best for you. This set-up means you’ll be a business owner using space in someone else’s spa or salon, paying them a fee, but then keeping all your profits. Who knows – it could even lead to you owning a spa of your own one day.
Portland is the Place to Be for Anybody in the Skincare Trade
The Portland area is hands-down the best place for high-paying esthetician jobs in Maine. In fact, this metro district offers double or even triple the salary found in other major cities in the state:
Portland-South Portland-Biddeford
- Low-End: $24,340
- Mid-Range: $44,670
- High-End: $94,240
2017 salary data provided by the U.S. Department of Labor-Sponsored resource CareerOneStop – https://www.careeronestop.org/ExploreCareers/Plan/salaries.aspx. State and MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) data includes estheticians at all levels of education and experience. This data does not represent starting salaries. Employment conditions in your area may vary.
2016 job growth data provided by the U.S. Department of Labor-Sponsored resource Projections Central – https://projectionscentral.com/Projections/LongTerm.
All data accessed June 2019.
5 Notable Esthetician Programs in Maine
Maine isn’t home to a lot of beauty academies with esthetics programs, but the two schools that made our list are both first-rate! With so few schools of esthiology here, we looked across the border into New Hampshire and Vermont to provide you with a full list of esthetics programs to consider. A relatively high average tuition rate of $10,921 is more than recouped with the professional skin care education available to esthetics students in Maine.
Here you’ll find our selection of the top schools in and around Maine that offer full esthetics programs with curriculum that meet state licensing requirements.
- Tuition: $13,600
- Kit Cost: $2,250
Another Aveda option is just over the border in Vermont. The Williston Aveda Institute has the same great skin care product line and emphasis on natural and holistic esthetics, but also incorporates a degree of community service into their program to help teach students the value of giving back. In addition to learning physiology, kinesiology, and body systems, students here are given a practical course of instruction in business basics. The broad network of Aveda salons means that graduates always have a leg up in the job hunt after completing their coursework.
- Tuition: $9,500
- Kit Cost: $1,500
- Program Length: 4 months
Aveda is a big name in skin care all over the country, so it’s no surprise that their only Maine location hits the top spot among the schools located in-state! Capilo’s esthetics course provides extensive instruction and practical experience in makeup, waxing, and body treatments, all conducted in a top-notch facility with more than 30,000 square feet of modern, clean classroom space, including a 300-seat auditorium! The school offers scholarships and has a lower than average tuition rate, which explains another key advantage– most students graduate carrying almost no outstanding student loan debt!
- Tuition: $10,481
- Kit Cost: Included in tuition
- Program Length: 6 months
The Laird Institute is also across the border in New Hampshire, but it made our list all the same: 100 percent graduate on time, getting out into the job market quickly and ready to advance. A career services section helps place graduates in positions and a strong business skills education prepares them to practice independently and also makes them valuable to potential employers. Laird’s has a modern, calm, welcoming salon for students to practice in. The school comes in with a below-average tuition rate, and most students here graduate owing very little loan debt.
- Tuition: $11,477
- Kit Cost: $1,566
- Program Length: 5 months
Michael’s is actually next door to Maine, in Bedford, New Hampshire, but esthetics students might find it well worth the trip—Michael’s is a Paul Mitchell partner school, with all the advantages that come with a big name, national brand: Top-notch training facilities, more than a million dollars in available scholarships, and acceptance of VA benefits are all part of the package.
But Michael’s also comes with community service in mind. Students participate in fundraisers and philanthropic activities, supporting charities such as Habitat for Humanity, the Morris Animal Foundation, and Breast Cancer Awareness. Students accrue very little debt in this program and have a great chance to pay it off quickly after they graduate, since the 86 percent job placement rate is the best on our list!
- Tuition: $9,550
- Kit Cost: $649
- Program Length: 7 months
More than half of STI’s students graduate on time from the 7-month program, each of them fully capable of practicing independently or stepping into a management position at any salon or spa in the state, courtesy of the first-rate business education the school provides. But it’s not all about finance and operations at STI. Instructors emphasize the importance of healthy skin to both physical and mental well-being. STI’s esthetics graduates leave poised to deliver expertise to customers in proper use of skin care products and oh so much more. Career assistance is available through the institute to help graduates land on their feet. The tuition rate is also lower than the state average, making Spa Tech a great value for Maine esthetics students!