Our Diploma in Spa Therapies

One of our newer courses at the National School of Aesthetics is our Diploma in Spa Therapies.  Both the industry and students indicated they wanted a course to build upon their beauty therapy skills.  In addition, there was a need for a strong course focusing on spa therapies not only in the South Island but also in New Zealand; this course needed to be comparable to “meaty” spa courses overseas.

Taking into account the needs of students and the industry, we started to form a moderately good-sized course to follow-on from the Diploma in Beauty Therapy and Applied Aesthetics.  Industry indicated they wanted another diploma-level course.  In order to do this, we needed to have at least 120 credits (1200 hours) in total, 72 of which had to be at level 5 or above as equivalent to the National Qualifications Framework.

Bearing this in mind, we approached the course to teach a wide range of skills based on adapting massage techniques and movements to various treatments.  This would mean the course could be made to accept qualified massage therapists into it as well.

Our Diploma in Spa Therapies became New Zealand’s most comprehensive NZQA-Approved spa therapies course once the New Zealand Qualifications Authority approved it.  This record still stands to today, and it ensure students have a well-rounded grounding in various treatments to be able to perform confidently in a spa setting.

Here are ten reasons to consider our Diploma in Spa Therapies over any others:

1. NZQA-Approved.  This means it has been independently verified “that a course is based on clear and consistent aims, content, outcomes and assessment practices which meet the necessary criteria and requirements.” (NZQA Web site)
2. New Zealand’s most comprehensive spa therapies course.  This gives you more skills to attract more clients for more services and more opportunities for employment.  As a diploma-level course, this also helps meet Government’s goals of having more people holding higher-level qualifications to enable New Zealand’s economy to prosper.
3. Purpose-built premises.  We specifically designed both wet and dry practical rooms with specialised equipment for the spa therapy course.
4. Industry leaders.  We’ve been leaders in beauty therapy, nail technology and spa therapies training for 25 years, and continue to lead with high-quality, outcomes-focused, industry-preferred training.
5. An experienced tutor.  Angela Graham, our spa therapies tutor, has worked in the beauty and spa industries for nearly a decade both here and overseas, and, in her time, has worked for one of the UK’s top award-winning clinics, Zen Lifestyle, and was a finalist for the UK Body Therapist of the Year.  She also taught in the UK with one of Scotland’s oldest and well-known beauty therapy colleges, Mary Reid International School of Beauty, before returning to New Zealand to teach for us.
6. Small class sizes.  We take 10 students per class with, in most practical situations, 5 working on the other 5.  This is amongst the smallest class sizes in our field in New Zealand.
7. Approved for student loans and allowances.  If you meet StudyLink criteria, you may be eligible for a student loan and/or student allowance.
8. Industry-recognised international qualifications available.  You can select ITEC or CIDESCO international qualifications to allow you to travel within New Zealand and overseas.
9. Access to interviews to work on the cruise ships.  We have a strong working relationship with Steiner, the world’s largest single recruiter of spa therapists for cruise ships and land-based spas.  They even come and hold presentations and interview on our campus.
10. Get ahead of the pack.  Graduating from our Diploma in Spa Therapies will give you more skills and more employ-ability over other candidates.

We have plenty of information listed on our Web site and specifically on our Diploma in Spa Therapies Web page, but, as always, if you would like further information on our courses or us, feel free to contact us during our office hours, and one of us will endeavour to assist you as best as we can.

Scott Fack is the Director of Operations for The National School of Aesthetics, the South Island’s leading beauty therapy, nail technology and spa therapies training provider.