By: Nayeli Esquilin, PAC Pulse Reporter
With 26 hair stations, 16 nail stations, and an esthetics room fully equipped for whatever assignment students are learning for the day, Palo Alto’s Cosmetology Program offers a wide variety of services for the PAC community at reasonable prices. Different skin types are warmly welcomed to PAC’s esthetician program for class demonstrations and practical exams. “We can cater to everybody’s skin type, which is good!” said Jeanne Gacer. “Even though it’s a small studio, we’re still able to cater to everyone.” With outside help, these up-and-coming estheticians learn how to care and provide the best service for customers in their future career paths.
A variety of techniques allows students in the program and volunteers to get the best out of the experience. “We do Microdermabrasion, which is a more intense exfoliation of the skin. We go in there and remove the dead skin, top layer of skin cells, so it’s more smoother,” said Allora Garcia. “We also offer oxygen-infusion, which is a fan favorite of all of our clients. And, of course, we have the basic facial. We also have superficial chemical peels, which is just a light chemical peel- not like the ones you see on the internet where you’re gonna be a snake. And we have LED therapy. Your time visiting our students will not only leave you and your skin feeling great, it’ll also allow your tech to see where they can improve or what they need to work on.”
Rest assured that you’re in safe hands when you come to visit the estheticians in the cosmetology program. Many of them have a deep passion for skin care and want to start their own businesses to help others better understand their skin. “I’ve always liked esthetics ever since I was young. It’s a whole little journey, you find little things here and there and end up just becoming obsessed with it. I always liked helping my friends with eczema and my mom, who has more mature skin. I always liked to help them to see what is good for them and I would always do research. I realized this was something I was super passionate about so why don’t I just go into this?” said Garcia. Through experience, these techs have honed in what they want to focus on after receiving their certifications. “Once I’m licensed, I would love to work at a Med Spa,” said Karina Covarrubias, “so I hope to go that route and do more advanced treatments.” The great thing about esthetics is that it’s more than just the health of your facial skin. “I plan on opening my own studio,” said Gacer. “I’m in the works of practicing more on people, so I’ll lashes(eyelash extensions) on my family members and that’s been helping me with my technique so when I’m ready to open my own studio, I’ll be set.” “I do want to get into Med Spa, so working with a dermatologist or a physician, because I do want to do more advanced stuff that will show results, more so than the experience,” says Garcia.
The dedicated students and staff want to assure their customers with a great and beneficial experience so many others can feel fresh faced and new. Each new customer is a new lesson for the techs because, after all, no two faces are the same. ““There hasn’t been much visibility with our program, so what we’ve been trying to do is promote ourselves on social media,” said Karina Covarrubias. “We even go around with flyers all around campus and hand them out, and we also send out emails for discounted services.” Whether you need your skin to look great for a photoshoot, family wedding, date, or a self-care touch up, don’t hesitate to visit the department at San Jacinto Hall (SANJAC 225). “We’re over here hidden but we have good prices and good treatments available for everybody” said Covarrubias.
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