(Right) Students learn hydrotherapy, skin care, massages and more at Blossom Kocchar’s Pivot Point Aesthetics and Spa School; ( Above right) Course fees range between Rs 34,000 and Rs 2.38 lakh at the Ananda Spa Institute in Hyderabad;

There’s a spa boom or isn’t there? But where do all these spas get their masseurs and therapists who know their jobs really well? For a spa to succeed, the therapists must get their healing touch right. “The therapist is not only the lifeline of any spa but also its underlying essence,” says Neelam Khanna of Ananda Spa Institute in Hyderabad.

That’s where spa training institutes come into the picture. They are catering to the giant demand from the ever-burgeoning spa industry, reckoned to be growing at 30 per cent to 35 per cent annually. As a result, the demand for therapists is running into thousands every year. “The biggest drawback is the lack of training. Spas are poaching people or employing unqualified people who are not even fit to touch people,” says Shekhar Harish who runs R3 Natural Training, a spa training institute in Delhi.

Most are tying up with foreign institutes to offer just the right touch of learning to their students. Says beauty entrepreneur Blossom Kochhar, who also runs a spa school: “I believe spa education is a science. In fact, it’s not only restricted to the use of massages and oils, but also related to employing one’s knowledge about physiology, dietetics and nutrition.”

What are the rewards on offer for those who join the spa industry? On average a new therapist can expect to start at around Rs 8,000 or Rs 9,000 and even their helpers could earn around Rs 5,000.

Let’s take a look at the spa schools that have come up around the country.

Ananda Spa Institute

At Oriental Spa Academy students get onsite training when they help set up new spas

Ananda, the idyllic resort in the Himalayas is one of the big names of the Indian spa industry. The Ananda Spa Institute in Hyderabad’s Gachi Bowli spread over 22,000sq ft is an entirely different institution — but it does look like a spa destination.

The institute offers seven courses and enrolls students in January, May and August. Course fees vary between Rs 34,000 and Rs 2.38 lakh. An eight-month ASI Spa Diploma course costs Rs 2.38 lakh, and a six-month holistic diploma course is Rs 1.7 lakh. A three-month beauty/aesthetic treatment is for Rs 85000, and a three-month body treatments/ therapies course costs Rs 85,000. A seven-week spa management diploma course comes at Rs 51,000. An 11-week course in anatomy, physiology and body massage is for Rs 34,000 and a 13-week diploma in Ayurveda is for Rs 90,000.

“Every course offered here has been devised by the best in the field with an eye to detail and students are taught by experts,” says Khanna.

And where do the students go after they’ve finished their course? Says Khanna: “We ourselves have a huge requirement, plus we have been approached by a number of organisations in the hospitality sector.”

Oriental Spa Academy

R3 trains therapists specifically for hospitality and spa groups

The Oriental Spa Academy, in Jaipur, has a tie-up with the Lanna Thai Spa Academy in Bangkok and it offers students the opportunity to do most of their course in India and then top it with a few weeks in Thailand. It is owned by Cambay Resort which runs resorts around India and it started last year with 12 students. It’s now upping the numbers but limiting it to about 40 students per batch.

The institute’s syllabus has been approved and structured by the Lanna Thai Spa Academy (registered with the Thai Ministry of Education and a member of the Thai Spa Association, an international body regulating the industry). It is also accredited with the prestigious Confederation of International Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology (CIBTAC), an internationally recognised agency.

From a seven-day refresher course for professionals, to three-month course for therapists, or even one month course for spa managers and developers, the course fees vary between Rs 8,000 (for three-days) to Rs 84,000 for three months depending on the course. The trainers here are sent to Thailand every six months to update their skills. The institute conducts an annual refresher course too for in-house trainers with trainers from Thailand.

Since the institute also helps to set up spas, students get onsite training at new projects. “The trainees are involved in setting up of the spa menu, designing the place and even giving technical support. This lets them get a grip of how things work,” says Smita Rajawad, the institute’s principal. Candidates get a combined certificate at the end of the course from the Orient Spa Academy and the Lanna Spa Academy. Says Rajawad: “We impart international standard training and they can directly join any five-star property and need no further training.”

Sohum Spa Academy

Sohum Spa offers courses in spa therapy with a leaning towards naturopathic healing traditions

Sohum Spa, started in Mumbai three years ago but it’s now about to open its own spa academy in Mumbai. “So far, we’ve been training our in-house staff and now we want to expand it and take in to outsiders,” says Dr B. Rajesh Srinivas, president of Sohum Spas. The company runs five spas in Sun--Sands hotels in Goa, Shirdi, Pune, and Mumbai and a day spa in Pune. The academy will be operational in six months, in an existing spa owned by the group.

They hope to train students in spa therapies and practices from all over the world — with a leaning towards naturopathic healing traditions.

The trainers are accredited by CIDESCO (world’s most prestigious organisation in the field of beauty therapies) and are CIBTAC-qualified too, with over 10 years of work experience. The course will be for a minimum period of four to six months, further extendable by another six months. Students are guaranteed jobs upon completion.

Pivot Point Aesthetics and Spa School

Beauty entrepreneur Blossom Kochhar has gone one step further than the other spa institutes, to train spa staff too who assist the therapists. Says Kochhar: “There are nearly 100 well-appointed spas, in India today but hardly any qualified manpower. So we thought of training professionals who’d be well-versed in spa techniques and fill the demand-supply gap.”

She launched the school in affiliation with Pivot Point International (PPI) which has a network of 2,500 member schools in 52 countries. The 2,500sq ft institute is located in south Delhi.

In gruelling four-weeks to three-month courses, students learn all about hydrotherapy, skin-care, facial techniques, massage techniques, reflexology, aromatherapy and more. The institute has been certified by CIDESCO. There’s also a six-week course for spa helpers and a four-week spa management course.

The thrust here is on personal attention so there are only eight to 10 students per class. The fees range from Rs 15,000 to Rs 60,000, depending on the course. Spa workshops are also organised every fortnight. “We teach all the advanced and latest therapies at these workshops like crystal and hot stone therapies.” says Kochhar.

R3 Naturals Training

R3 Naturals Training offers 45-day courses in Ayurvedic, European and Oriental therapies

After running the Kerala Ayurvedic centre in Delhi for four years, Shekhar Harish took the plunge in the spa business and opened R3 Naturals Training in South Delhi’s East of Kailash. So far, the institute has churned out 80 therapists per year ever since it opened three years ago. Harish trains therapists specifically for hospitality and spa groups with which he has tie-ups. The trained therapists therefore, are recruited by organisations like The Oberoi Group, The Lalit, New Delhi, Club One Air and even BMS Spa in faraway Nigeria and Agra’s The Mughal Spa in Agra.

The institute offers 45-day ISO 9001-2000 certified courses in Ayurvedic, European and Oriental therapies. The institute focuses on personality development, client management, guest relations and the usage of spa equipment too. “Understanding these basics is mandatory for spa staff,” says Harish.

The classes are followed by extensive interactive sessions and guest lectures by senior spa managers, consultants and physiotherapists. The course takes place over six weeks and includes everything from personal grooming to Swedish massage, aromatherapy and reflexology.

Serena Spa Institute

Sohum Spa Academy is grooming students in spa therapies from all over the world

More than 270 therapists have passed out from Mangalore’s Serena Spa Institute, one of the country’s oldest training institutes of its kind. The institute is spread over 27,000sq ft and its courses are designed according to the guidelines of the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals, a constituent board of the Quality Council of India which monitors healthcare organisations.

Spa therapists can choose from a basic training course of three or six months, or an annual refresher course for professionals. The institute also runs a basic certificate course for four months which costs Rs 59,000 plus taxes.

Serena Spa is planning to open a brand new spa institute soon. “In the early years there was no (and still isn’t) systematic and uniform education of spa therapists in India and since Serena Spa’s concept is deeply rooted in Indian traditions, it became evident that the company needed its own high quality educational institution,” says Sabrina F. Britto, HR manager instrumental in setting up the institute.

Sansha Wellness Academy

When Sansha spa, a 15-year-old spa management company which runs more than 20 spas in the country, opens Sansha Wellness Academy next month in Noida, it hopes to set new standards in spa training.

Arpit Sharma, COO, of the academy says: “We intend to impart knowledge of various international spa therapies and spa management skills, drawing from the best global learning resources and practices.”

The institute built on a 10,000sq ft plot plans to charge Rs 1.20 lakh per student for a six-month course and it aims to ensure that they all get jobs. Students will be encouraged to do research on the latest trends in the industry. The academy will have its own placement cell.