Last Monday, November 16, Northwest-Shoals Community College celebrated the grand opening of the Salon and Spa Management on the Muscle Shoals campus.
The community was invited to join instructors, students and NW-SCC personnel for the open house and ribbon cutting and to tour the new spacious 8,844-square-foot building which features training labs for cosmetology, nail technology, esthetics and, in the future, therapeutic massage.
The new building that doubles as a storm shelter for 195 people will allow students to train in an environment similar to a modern salon and spa.
“We want to reflect the market and the technology in the industry,” said NW-SCC president Dr. Humphrey Lee at the grand opening press conference. “We want you [students] to get the very best out of your education.”
The original building that housed the Salon and Spa program was built in the mid-1960s and was approximately 4,000 square feet. However, the aging building was not providing enough room for all its students. According to NW-SCC, the college has seen a 22-percent increase in enrollment for the Salon and Spa management program over the past year.
One of those students is Lesli Fuller, a 2010 graduate of Russellville High School who is pursuing an Associate’s degree in Cosmetology from NW-SCC. Fuller has spent the past two years at NW-SCC taking her basic courses, but she is excited about taking classes in the new building.
“The new building will make me feel like I am an actual beautician in a salon,” said Fuller. “It will allow me to understand the full effect of what I will be doing in my career.”
However, the growth of the program is just a reflection of the growth in the industry. According to Larry Bowser, the general manager of the Marriott Shoals Hotel and Spa in Florence, the spa and wellness industry has grown into a 16 billion dollar industry that rose steadily even during the market crash. Much of the credit for the growing industry demands is because of the older generations.
“As the Baby Boomers continue to age and take advantage of these wellness and anti-aging opportunities,” said Bowser, “and as Millennials who are now in college and moving to develop in the industry, the future looks very bright for the industry. This program will be a great resource to keep up the growing demands of personnel.”
The opening of the Salon and Spa Management building is just one renovation that NW-SCC has made over the years to allow students to be prepared for local industry demands. In 2014, the college opened the Injection Molding Technology Center and the Automotive Service Technology Training Center.
