
Travel Tuneups: Wellness Retreat in Portugal for a Healthier 2027
From restorative treatments to personalized fitness and nutrition, Longevity Senses Cascais offers three wellness getaways to help guests build healthier habits.
They travel coast-to-coast, living out of a suitcase packed with hot tools, brushes, products and more. They are the experts and educators who demonstrate new techniques, products and trends to audiences both nationally and internationally.

If you are graduating from cosmetology school and have an idea of what career you want to pursue, but you’re not exactly sure how to get there, FIRST CHAIR is doing a special feature series on the beauty industry’s most sought-after jobs. Stay tuned to this series as FIRST CHAIR’s Associate Editor Lauren Salapatek takes you on the personal journeys of some of the beauty industry’s leading figures and how they reached their dreams.
They travel coast-to-coast, living out of a suitcase packed with hot tools, brushes, products and more. They are the experts and educators who demonstrate new techniques, products and trends to audiences both nationally and internationally. They are the faces of beauty brands, performing in front of thousands on stage or in private classrooms. Who are they? Platform artists.
As the first story in FIRST CHAIR’s ongoing career feature series, you will quickly realize the career path for each of these highlighted platform artists wasn’t quick or easy. Each has a unique stage presence, and at the core of their jobs is a passion for teaching others. Besides promoting their company’s products and cutting/coloring/styling techniques, they are the figureheads for innovation in the beauty industry, and they inspire others to unleash their creativity.
Read their stories below.
Read More:
A Day In The Life: Lucie Doughty

From restorative treatments to personalized fitness and nutrition, Longevity Senses Cascais offers three wellness getaways to help guests build healthier habits.

YWCA Metropolitan Chicago and Ulta Beauty Charitable Foundation (UBCF) brought together 150 girls ages 9–14 for Pretty Empowered, a hands-on experience designed to build confidence and introduce girls to careers options.

Like many hairdressers, I saw opening a salon as the next logical step. But I also wanted my salon to be a little different, and needed to figure out ways to stand out in a sea of salons.

Powered by the brand’s Suite Relief Program, a North America initiative funds education and trade show access for students across cosmetology, barbering, esthetics, nail technology, and massage therapy.

What makes salon content worth a pause? Hairstylists Janelle Eyre, Sean Crutcher and Luis Rodriguez share how they show their work, earn guests’ trust and make posting feel manageable. You can get MORE from these artists in our upcoming webinar!

We learn some simple moves and strategies to keep the blood pumping through the muscles and limit posture problems from The Balanced Beauty Pro

Anny VanDriel, owner of Be Rosie Salon and creator of Pricing Isn’t Personal, volunteered to share a pricing presentation to beauty school students a year ago, and ended up learning more than she expected.

From the launch of the Ulta BeautyArtist Collective to the evolution of Trendspiration, celebrating stylists is what The Salon at Ulta Beauty does best.
Sponsored by Ulta Beauty

With more than four decades in the industry, hairdresser and MODE Education founder Stan Newton has built a career around the art and discipline of cutting hair, learning the rules so he can break them.

Beauty professionals should evaluate each service based on its popularity, profitability, and alignment with current trends. Conducting client surveys and analyzing booking data can provide insights into which services are in demand and which might be phased out.

LifeSpa leader Ali Yanez explains why strong mentorship, predictable income, meaningful recognition and the right work environment help beauty professionals build careers that last.

Whether a beauty professional chooses a commission salon, booth rental, salon suite or salon ownership, the common thread is having more choices than ever before.

Sport Clips Haircuts will host its inaugural "Level Up Live," a first-of-its-kind virtual event that combines live haircutting education, career inspiration, product knowledge, and employment opportunities for licensed stylists and cosmetology students nationwide.

Orthopedic PT reveals three daily exercises plus ergonomic advice that can help salon professionals avoid the aches and injuries caused by standing, bending and repetitive overhead work.

Four publications for beauty industry professionals to enhance their leadership skills, financial awareness, professional growth, and joy!

Salon suite pioneer Karen Kaminski argues that the next evolution of independent beauty businesses won't be defined by beautiful spaces alone, it will be driven by smarter systems that help professionals spend less time on administrative work and more time serving clients.

At a time when many LGBTQ+ people felt compelled to hide parts of themselves, Carlos Valenzuela found a career in beauty and a community that offered opportunity based on what you could do and how well you could do it.