Virginia Law

Part V. Esthetics Schools

18VAC41-70-170. (Repealed.)

Historical Notes

Derived from Virginia Register Volume 23, Issue 25, eff. September 20, 2007; repealed, Virginia Register Volume 33, Issue 8, February 1, 2017.

18VAC41-70-180. General requirements.

A. An esthetics school must:

1. Hold a school license for each and every location. Any suites or classrooms that are located in a different building or are further than 500 feet from the main office are considered a separate location and require the school hold an additional license.

2. Hold a spa license if the school receives compensation for services provided in its clinic.

3. Employ and ensure all training is conducted under the direct supervision of licensed and certified esthetics instructors or master esthetics instructors, respectively. A list of all certified instructors must be provided with the application for licensure.

a. Licensed and certified esthetics instructors and master esthetics instructors may also instruct a waxing program.

b. Licensed and certified master esthetics instructors may also instruct an esthetics program.

c. Any change in instructors must be reported to the board within 30 days of the change.

4. Develop individuals for entry-level competency in esthetics and master esthetics.

5. Submit curricula for board approval. All changes to curricula must be resubmitted and approved by the board.

a. Esthetician curricula must be based on a minimum of 600 clock or equivalent credit hours and must include performances in accordance with 18VAC41-70-200 A.

b. Master esthetician curricula must be based on a minimum of 600 clock or equivalent credit hours and must include performances in accordance with 18VAC41-70-200 B.

6. Inform the public that all services are performed by students if the school receives compensation for services provided in its clinic by posting a notice in the reception area of the spa in plain view of the public.

7. Conduct classroom instruction in an area separate from the clinic area where practical instruction is conducted and services are provided. A sketch of the school floor plan must be included in the application for licensure.

B. The theory portions of the curriculum may be offered online. Practical instruction must be obtained in a traditional brick-and-mortar classroom setting. Theory and practical training must be conducted in the same building, unless the school has board approval to offer the theory training online. Schools must utilize technologies and practices that are effective in verifying the identity of distance-learning students who participate in class or coursework (e.g., a secure login and passcode) while protecting student privacy. Educational technologies must be capable of monitoring a student's time and activities. The school must utilize a measure of competency (e.g., an examination) of the information the student is taught online, which must be completed in a traditional brick-and-mortar classroom.

Statutory Authority

§ 54.1-201 of the Code of Virginia.

Historical Notes

Derived from Virginia Register Volume 23, Issue 25, eff. September 20, 2007; amended, Virginia Register Volume 33, Issue 8, February 1, 2017; Volume 42, Issue 5, eff. December 1, 2025.

18VAC41-70-190. Curriculum and hours of instruction requirements.

A. Each esthetics school must submit with its application a curriculum, including a course syllabus, a detailed course content outline, a copy of any course text, a sample of five lesson plans, a sample of evaluation methods to be used, days and hours of instruction, program length, a sample of a final transcript, a breakdown of hours and performances for all courses to be taught that will lead to licensure, and a sample test of at least 25 questions that will be administered to students, including answer key.

B. The outline for esthetics must include the following:

1. Orientation and business topics - minimum of 25 hours of instruction.

a. School policies;

b. Management;

c. Sales, inventory, and retailing;

d. Taxes and payroll;

e. Insurance;

f. Client records and confidentiality; and

g. Professional ethics and practices.

2. Laws and regulations - minimum of 10 hours of instruction.

3. General sciences - minimum of 80 hours of instruction.

a. Bacteriology;

b. Microorganisms;

c. Infection control, disinfection, and sterilization;

d. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements;

e. Safety Data Sheet (SDS);

f. General procedures and safety measures;

g. Cosmetic chemistry;

h. Products and ingredients; and

i. Nutrition.

4. Applied sciences - minimum of 95 hours of instruction.

a. Anatomy and physiology;

b. Skin structure and function;

c. Skin types;

d. Skin conditions; and

e. Diseases and disorders of the skin.

5. Skin care - minimum of 255 hours of instruction.

a. Health screening;

b. Skin analysis and consultation;

c. Effleurage and related movements and manipulations of the face and body;

d. Cleansing procedures;

e. Masks;

f. Extraction techniques;

g. Machines, equipment, and electricity;

h. Manual facials and treatments;

i. Machine, electrical facials, and treatments; and

j. General procedures and safety measures.

6. Makeup - minimum of 65 hours of instruction.

a. Setup, supplies, and implements;

b. Color theory;

c. Consultation;

d. General and special occasion application;

e. Camouflage;

f. Application of false lashes and lash extensions;

g. Lash and tinting;

h. Lash perming;

i. Lightening of the hair on body, except scalp; and

j. General procedures and safety measures.

7. Body and other treatments - minimum of 20 hours of instruction.

a. Body treatments;

b. Body wraps;

c. Body masks;

d. Body scrubs;

e. Aromatherapy; and

f. General procedures and safety measures.

8. Hair removal - minimum of 50 hours of instruction.

a. Types of hair removal;

b. Wax types;

c. Tweezing;

d. Chemical hair removal;

e. Mechanical hair removal; and

f. General procedures and safety measures.

C. The outline for master esthetics must include the following:

1. Orientation, advanced business subjects, and infection control - minimum of 45 hours of instruction.

a. School policies and procedures;

b. Professional ethics and practices;

c. Ethics and professional conduct;

d. Insurance and liability issues;

e. Confidentiality and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 Privacy Rule (HIPAA);

f. Client records and documentation;

g. Microbiology and bacteriology;

h. Infection control, disinfection, and sterilization;

i. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA);

j. Safety Data Sheet (SDS); and

k. Personal protective equipment.

2. State laws, rules, and regulations - minimum of 10 hours of instruction.

3. Advanced anatomy and physiology - minimum of 65 hours of instruction.

a. Advanced anatomy and physiology;

b. Advanced skin structure and functions;

c. Advanced skin typing and conditions;

d. Advanced disease and disorders;

e. Advanced cosmetic ingredients;

f. Pharmacology; and

g. Advanced homecare.

4. Advanced skin care and advanced modalities - minimum of 90 hours of instruction.

a. Introduction to microdermabrasion and dermaplaning;

b. Indications and contraindications for crystal microdermabrasion;

c. General procedures and safety measures for crystal microdermabrasion;

d. Indications and contraindications for crystal-free microdermabrasion and dermaplaning;

e. General procedures and safety measures for crystal-free microdermabrasion and dermaplaning;

f. Equipment safety: crystal and crystal-free microdermabrasion and dermaplaning;

g. Waste disposal, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA);

h. Introduction to microdermabrasion techniques and proper protocols;

i. Machine parts, operation, protocols, care, waste disposal, and safety;

j. Practical application and consultation for crystal microdermabrasion;

k. Practical application and consultation for crystal-free microdermabrasion and dermaplaning; and

l. Pretreatment and posttreatment for microdermabrasion.

5. Advanced procedures and chemical exfoliation - minimum of 270 hours of instruction.

a. Advanced skin analysis and consultation and health screening and documentation;

b. Advanced procedures, light treatments, light-emitting diode (LED), intense pulsed light (IPL) device;

c. Advanced manual, machine, and electric treatments, microcurrent, and ultrasound;

d. Introduction to chemical exfoliation and peels of the epidermis;

e. Fundamentals of skin care associated with chemical exfoliation and peels and wound healing;

f. Pretreatment and posttreatment for chemical exfoliation and peels;

g. Assessing suitability and predicting chemical exfoliation efficacy;

h. General practical application and consultation protocols;

i. Practical application and consultation for enzymes, herbal exfoliations, and vitamin-based peels;

j. Indications and contraindications for enzymes, herbal exfoliations, and vitamin-based peels;

k. General procedures and safety measures for enzymes, herbal exfoliations, and vitamin-based peels;

l. Pretreatments and posttreatments for enzymes, herbal exfoliations, and vitamin-based peels;

m. Practical application and consultation for alpha hydroxy peels;

n. Indications and contraindications for alpha hydroxy peels;

o. General procedures and safety measures for alpha hydroxy peels;

p. Pretreatment and posttreatment for alpha hydroxy peels;

q. Practical application and consultation for beta hydroxy peels;

r. Indications and contraindications for beta hydroxy peels;

s. General procedures and safety measures for beta hydroxy peels;

t. Pretreatment and posttreatment for beta hydroxy peels;

u. Practical application and consultation for Jessner and Modified Jessner peels;

v. Indications and contraindications for Jessner and Modified Jessner peels;

w. General procedures and safety measures for Jessner and Modified Jessner peels;

x. Pretreatment and posttreatment for Jessner and Modified Jessner peels;

y. Practical application and consultation for trichloracetic acid peels;

z. Indications and contraindications for trichloracetic acid peels;

aa. General procedures and safety measures for trichloracetic acid peels; and

bb. Pretreatment and posttreatment for trichloracetic acid peels.

6. Lymphatic drainage - minimum of 120 hours of instruction.

a. Introduction to lymphatic drainage;

b. Tissues and organs of the lymphatic system;

c. Functions of the lymphatic system;

d. Immunity;

e. Etiology of edema;

f. Indications and contraindications for lymphatic drainage;

g. Lymphatic drainage manipulations and movements;

h. Face and neck treatment sequence;

i. Lymphatic drainage on the trunk and upper extremities;

j. Lymphatic drainage on the trunk and lower extremities;

k. Cellulite;

l. Using lymphatic drainage with other treatments; and

m. Machine-aided lymphatic drainage.

D. A licensed esthetics school with an approved esthetics program may conduct an assessment of a transfer student's competence in esthetics and, based on the assessment, give credit toward the requirements specified in subsection B of this section and 18VAC41-70-200 A. A licensed esthetics school with an approved master esthetics program may conduct an assessment of a transfer student's competence in master esthetics and, based on the assessment, give credit toward the requirements specified in subsection C of this section and 18VAC41-70-200 B.

The school must make the assessment based on a review of the student's transcript, documentation of hours and performances provided to the student by the school from where the student is transferring, and the successful completion of a competency examination administered by the school. The school may also request a copy of a catalog or bulletin giving the full course description when making the evaluation. The number of credit hours awarded must not exceed the actual hours of instruction verified on the transcript or the number of hours specified in the board-approved curriculum for a specific topic.

Statutory Authority

§ 54.1-201 of the Code of Virginia.

Historical Notes

Derived from Virginia Register Volume 23, Issue 25, eff. September 20, 2007; amended, Virginia Register Volume 38, Issue 11, eff. March 7, 2022; Volume 42, Issue 5, eff. December 1, 2025.

18VAC41-70-200. Practical performance requirements.

A. The curriculum for estheticians must include the following minimum practical performances:

B. The curriculum for master estheticians must include the following minimum performances:

Statutory Authority

§ 54.1-201 of the Code of Virginia.

Historical Notes

Derived from Virginia Register Volume 23, Issue 25, eff. September 20, 2007; amended, Virginia Register Volume 42, Issue 5, eff. December 1, 2025.

18VAC41-70-210. (Repealed.)

Historical Notes

Derived from Virginia Register Volume 23, Issue 25, eff. September 20, 2007; repealed, Virginia Register Volume 42, Issue 5, eff. December 1, 2025.

18VAC41-70-220. (Repealed.)

Historical Notes

Derived from Virginia Register Volume 23, Issue 25, eff. September 20, 2007; repealed, Virginia Register Volume 33, Issue 8, February 1, 2017.

18VAC41-70-230. Records.

A. Schools must maintain on the premises of each school and available for inspection by the board or any of its agents the following records for the period of a student's enrollment through five years after the student's completion of the curriculum, termination, or withdrawal:

1. Enrollment application containing the student's signature and a two-inch by two-inch color head and shoulders photograph of the student;

2. Daily record of attendance containing the student's signature;

3. Student clock hours containing the student's signature and method of calculation;

4. Practical performance completion sheets containing the student's signature;

5. Final transcript;

6. Course descriptions; and

7. All other relevant documents that account for a student's accrued clock hours and practical applications.

B. Schools must produce to the board or any of its agents, within 10 days of the request, any document, book, or record concerning any student, or for which the licensee is required to maintain records, for inspection and copying by the board or its agents. The board may extend such timeframe upon a showing of extenuating circumstances prohibiting delivery within such 10-day period.

C. Schools must, within 21 days upon receipt of a written request from a student, provide documentation of hours and performances completed by the student as required to be maintained by subsection A of this section.

D. Prior to a school changing ownership or a school closing, the school is required to provide to current students documentation of hours and performances completed.

Statutory Authority

§ 54.1-201 of the Code of Virginia.

Historical Notes

Derived from Virginia Register Volume 23, Issue 25, eff. September 20, 2007; amended, Virginia Register Volume 33, Issue 8, February 1, 2017; Volume 42, Issue 5, eff. December 1, 2025.

18VAC41-70-240. Reporting.

A. Each school must provide student rosters to the board quarterly, no later than January 15, April 15, July 15, and October 15 of every year.

1. Each school must provide a roster of all enrolled students and a roster of students who attended in the preceding six months prior to the reporting deadline.

2. Students who are enrolled but have not begun classes must be included in the report.

B. Rosters must be submitted via a secure link provided by the board on the board-supplied document, which will include the student's full name, date of birth, program type, date enrolled, the total number of hours to date, and the date completed, terminated, or withdrawn.

C. Schools with no students enrolled, but with the intention of operating, must submit a report to that effect.

D. Schools with no students enrolled that no longer wish to operate should terminate the license in accordance with this chapter.

Statutory Authority

§ 54.1-201 of the Code of Virginia.

Historical Notes

Derived from Virginia Register Volume 23, Issue 25, eff. September 20, 2007; amended, Virginia Register Volume 33, Issue 8, February 1, 2017; Volume 42, Issue 5, eff. December 1, 2025.