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Human services · Creating & Designing

Esthetician: what the job actually is

Facials, waxing, hair removal and skin treatments for clients, often in your own small business.

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Esthetician: quick facts

Esthetician salary in Ontario: the median pay is $19.00 an hour, according to Job Bank (reference period 2023-2024). Its three-year outlook in Ontario is limited. The job usually needs a shorter college programme or apprenticeship, or over six months of on-the-job training.

Median pay in Ontario
$19.00 an hour
Pay range (low to high)
$17.95 to $30.00 an hour
Job outlook, 2025-2027
Limited
People working in it in Ontario
26,100
Usually needs
Usually a shorter college programme or apprenticeship, or over six months of on-the-job training

Source: Job Bank wages (updated 19 November 2025) and job prospects (updated 10 December 2025), NOC 63211. Pay varies by region and experience.

The work

What this job actually is

  • Treating skin and body for appearance and comfort: facials, waxing, hair removal, nail care and similar services. It is personal service work, not medical care.
  • Job Bank groups estheticians with electrologists and related occupations. Electrolysis and some laser treatments are different skills from a facial, so find out which one a programme or employer means.
  • A big share of the work is self-employed, from a rented room in a salon to a home or mobile business. Job Bank says Ontario employment in this group is expected to stay relatively stable and rates the outlook Limited, which means a lot of people are chasing a modest number of openings.
  • The relationship is what keeps clients coming back. People book the same person for years because they trust them, so regulars are the business.
  • Job Bank says estheticians usually need certification from their school, and adherence to infection control procedures is mandatory.

A Tuesday

What a normal day looks like

Not a good day or a bad one. The ordinary version, which is what you would actually be living.

  1. 9:00 — Open the room. Fresh linens, products set out, tools cleaned and disinfected before the first client. This is the rule, and the health unit can inspect it.
  2. 9:30 — First client for a facial. A consultation about skin, allergies and what they want before you touch anything.
  3. 9:45 — Treatment. Cleansing, steaming, extractions, a mask. Your attention is on their skin and your tone is quiet.
  4. 10:45 — Wipe down, change the linens, disinfect the tools and record the visit.
  5. 11:15 — A waxing appointment. Quick, precise and the part of the job people dread most.
  6. 12:30 — Lunch, eaten standing up.
  7. 13:30 — A cancellation. You use the gap to text two clients and post to your page.
  8. 14:30 — A new client who wants something you do not offer. You say so, and you suggest someone who does.
  9. 16:00 — A regular, same service, and an hour of conversation that is not about skin.
  10. 17:30 — Laundry, restock, tomorrow's bookings, and your own back, which reminds you that you have been bent over a table all day.

Honestly

Who loves this, and who should not do it

The second list is the useful one. Nearly every careers page leaves it out, which is why nearly every careers page reads like an advert.

You may like this if
  • You like detail work done by hand, and you are patient with skin, tools and routines.
  • You enjoy one-on-one conversation and do not mind it being the main part of your day.
  • You want to build something of your own over time, like a client list that is yours.
  • You are comfortable with strict cleaning routines, because the rules exist to prevent infections.
  • You like helping people feel more comfortable in how they look, and you accept that it is a service, not a medical treatment.
You may hate this if
  • You need steady employment and a clear route to a raise. Job Bank rates the Ontario outlook Limited, openings are not expected to grow, and a big share of the work is self-employment where you pay your own way.
  • You do not like selling. If you are self-employed, you are also the marketer, and a quiet week is your problem.
  • You are bothered by close contact with skin, hair removal or the smell of products and wax.
  • Your back, neck or hands already complain. Treatments mean bending over a table and repetitive hand work for hours.
  • You dislike weekends and evenings. Clients book outside working hours, so those are your busiest times.
  • You do not like strict cleaning rules or inspections. Infection control is mandatory, and cutting corners can harm a client and your business.

The route in

How you actually get there in Ontario

  1. Finish high school

    Colleges list an Ontario Secondary School Diploma or mature student status plus Grade 12 English as admission requirements, and the requirements differ by school. Check the page of the programme you are looking at.

  2. Complete an esthetics programme

    Job Bank says estheticians usually require certification from an esthetician's educational or training institution. Conestoga College lists a two-year Ontario College Diploma with lab experience and field placements in local spas. Private career colleges also run programmes, so compare what each includes and whether it is approved.

  3. Know what is and is not regulated

    I could not find a provincial licensing body for estheticians in Ontario; Job Bank's Ontario page does not say that one exists. Hairstylist is a compulsory trade through Skilled Trades Ontario, and its scope covers hairstyling services, not esthetics. The premises where you work are regulated: Ontario's Personal Service Settings rules, which public health units enforce, cover infection prevention at places offering aesthetic services. Ask your programme and your local public health unit what applies to what you want to do.

  4. Work for someone, then decide

    Many people start in a spa or salon, build skills and clients, and then rent a room or open a small business. Starting an independent business also means notifying your public health unit and the municipality before you open.

Where this comes from: Job Bank — Esthetician requirements in Ontario · Conestoga College — Esthetician · Skilled Trades Ontario — Hairstylist · Halton Region — Personal service settings

The money

Esthetician salary in Ontario

Job Bank's own figures, quoted rather than summarised, with the period they describe — so you can tell how old they are and go and check them.

$17.95
Low (hourly)
$19.00
Median (hourly)
$30.00
High (hourly)

Ontario, NOC 63211. Reference period 2023-2024, last updated by Job Bank on 19 November 2025. Wages vary a lot by region inside Ontario and by how long you have been doing it — the low figure is roughly where you start, not what the job is worth.

Source: Job Bank — Esthetician wages in Ontario

Where it is heading

The outlook for the next three years

Job Bank publishes a three-year outlook for every job in every province. It is the closest thing to an honest forecast, and it moves, so read it as a weather report rather than a verdict.

Ontario, 2025-2027

Limited2 out of 5 stars

  • Employment is expected to remain relatively stable.
  • Not many positions will become available due to retirements.
  • There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

What that rating means: how many openings Job Bank expects in Ontario for this kind of work against how many people are likely to be looking — not whether it is a good job. A “limited” rating means more competition for each opening; it does not close the door, and it can change before you are ready to walk through it.

26,100
people work in this job in Ontario
90%
are women (48% across all jobs)
51%
are self-employed (15% across all jobs)

Source: Job Bank — Estheticians, electrologists and related occupations job prospects in Ontario (NOC 63211). Outlook updated by Job Bank on 10 December 2025; read by us on 5 October 2026.

Before you leave school

Things you can do now

  • Take biology and chemistry if you can. Skin and products are both science.
  • Take a business or entrepreneurship course. A big share of the work is self-employed, and the business side decides how well it goes.
  • Practise on yourself and willing friends only at a level that is safe: nail care, simple skin routines, reading product labels. Do not try waxing or extractions on other people before you are trained.
  • Look at your local public health unit's page on personal service settings so you know the rules of the places where you may work.

Test it

Do this before you decide anything

Reading about a job tells you almost nothing. This is designed to be done alone, this week, for free.

Ask a salon what it takes and read the health rules

About 60 minutes
  1. Phone or visit one spa or salon during a quiet time and ask: what do you look for in a new esthetician, and do your estheticians rent a room or work as employees? Write down the answer.
  2. Read your local public health unit's page on personal service settings and note three things operators must do before and after every client.
  3. Search for a day-in-the-life video from a working esthetician and watch for the sequence: cleaning, consultation, treatment, cleaning. Note how much is not the treatment.
  4. Read the Conestoga College page, or another Ontario college programme, and write down what the field placement would involve and what you would pay for in time.

What it tells you. A yes is wanting to know more after the phone call and being fine with the cleaning and rules. That is a reason to look at programmes and talk to two more people in the field. A no is being put off by the self-employment, the cleaning routine or the limited job outlook; with a Limited rating from Job Bank, that is a reasonable response and not a failure.

Better than any article

Questions for somebody who does this job

Most people say yes to a teenager who asks good questions. These are the ones that get real answers rather than encouragement.

  1. “How long did it take to build a client list that paid the bills?”
  2. “Do estheticians here work as employees or rent their own rooms?”
  3. “What did your programme teach that you actually use, and what did you learn on the job?”
  4. “What does public health inspect, and how do you prepare?”
  5. “What is the hardest physical part of the work?”
  6. “What would you tell someone who is worried about getting enough clients?”

Could you own one of these?

The part other career sites never mention

Yes, and a lot of the work is self-employment: Job Bank shows a large share of this group are self-employed. Before you open you need to notify public health and your municipality about a personal service setting, keep records and follow infection control rules, and handle your own insurance, bookings and taxes. Start by renting a room or working for someone before investing in your own space.

Business 101 is free and teaches that part

Quick answers

Questions people ask about this job

How much does an esthetician make in Ontario?

The median pay for an esthetician in Ontario is $19.00 an hour, according to Job Bank (reference period 2023-2024, updated 19 November 2025). The range Job Bank publishes runs from $17.95 to $30.00 an hour. Pay varies by region, employer and experience.

What is the job outlook for an esthetician in Ontario?

Job Bank rates the employment outlook for this work in Ontario as limited for 2025-2027 (updated 10 December 2025). Employment is expected to remain relatively stable. Not many positions will become available due to retirements. There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation. A lower rating means more competition for each opening, not that no one is hiring.

What do you need to become an esthetician in Ontario?

Job Bank says this work usually needs a shorter college programme or apprenticeship, or over six months of on-the-job training. The usual route in Ontario, in order: Finish high school; Complete an esthetics programme; Know what is and is not regulated.

How many people work as an esthetician in Ontario, and how many are women?

Job Bank counts about 26,100 people working in this job in Ontario. 90% of them are women, compared with 48% across all jobs. That describes who does the work today, not who can.

Not sure this is the right list to be reading

Start from yourself, not from the job.

Future Finder is free, takes about ten minutes, needs no account and stores nothing. It will tell you which kinds of work you lean toward, and which of these pages are worth your time.

Try Future Finder — freeAll jobs

Parent of a teenager weighing this up? Career coaching for teens gets them talking to people who do the work, anywhere in Ontario.

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Wages and training requirements change. Every figure on this page is linked to the body that publishes it, and the review date above says when we last checked. If you find something out of date, tell us and we will fix it.