Modern Salon - February 2009 - (Page 48)

ASK THE EXPERTS The Right Advice From opening a medi spa to becoming a Hollywood hair artist, this month’s experts share their experience and expertise. Q. How do I go from day spa to medi spa? A. Rocco Altobelli owns several salons and spas throughout the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and is an internationally recognized hair stylist and educator. He also manufactures his own product line and has a thriving private label business. Never content to rest on his laurels, Altobelli’s latest venture is the creation of a medical beauty division. “I saw a large gray area between beauty and medical services where salon professionals were often performing procedures for which they were not adequately trained,” says Altobelli. “At the same time, many physicians don’t have time in their practice to perform services that veer more to the cosmetic.” The obvious conclusion was to partner with a physician. Altobelli brought in Dr. Edward Szachowicz, one of the area’s leading plastic and facial surgeons to advise him on the purchase of medically endorsed laser equipment and to oversee his training program. “Education and training is the primary investment, after equipment, when opening a medical spa,” says Altobelli. As medical advisor, Dr. Szachowicz supervises a six-month training program that includes advanced theory, handson training and an apprenticeship, as well as current industry knowledge and trends, and he will continue to provide ongoing education. “This training exceeds any current industry standards,” says Altobelli, noting that laser training in schools can be as little as one week and training from laser manufacturers is often only ROCCO ALTOBELLI two or three days. “Providing this level of training is crucial to expanding into the medical spa business and doing it correctly,” he says. Once the training is in place, modifications are fairly simple. “A light room for the service is the primary addition as well as a secure storage area for the equipment and client records. Every medical spa procedure requires a consultation and brief medical history, so you must have a separate reception area for these clients. Medi spa client files are confidential and fall under federal medical privacy regulations, so you will need a separate storage area for them. We offer photo pneumatic treatments for acne, permanent hair reduction, deep pore purification and skin rejuvenation. All these services include before and after photography, so you must have a private photography room as well.” Altobelli’s medical spa opened in late October and his client base was ready for the new facility. He suggests first introducing these services at an existing location, if possible. “It’s also necessary to cross train your stylists and nail techs (think age spots on hands) so they are prepared to refer clients for the proper medical skin care treatments,” he adds. —Jan Hillenmeyer Q. How do you break into Hollywood and/or fashion hairdressing? CLICK! To read more Ask the Experts questions and answers, visit modernsalon.com. FEBRUARY 2009 author of Shortcuts to a Successful Career as a Hairstylist or Make-Up Artist for the Fashion and Entertainment Industry (www. shortcutsthebook.com) Diana Schmidtke gives us the scoop: “It may seem like the entertainment and fashion industries are similar, but the career path for each one is completely different. In the beginning, a career in fashion requires a completely different path than the path of a film and television hair stylist. Eventually, these two industries will cross over for a successful hair stylist. In both fields you must be an educated artist and live in a city with the right resources. “For a fashion career, living in a DIANA SCHMIDTKE city that can provide you with modeling agency contacts is key. You will need to work with photographers and models to build up your portfolio. An artist’s portfolio is the most important tool for the freelancer. “For a career in film and television, you also need to build a portfolio. Amateur photography is acceptable to show your work, but your range will have to be even more diverse. You will want to showcase your skills not only in beauty hair styling but also on period and character hair, and wigs. “Once you have a portfolio full of 15-20 pictures that best showcase your work, you can begin shopping yourself to the hair and make-up artist agencies. Present yourself as an assistant, first. If you walk into an agency and show them your portfolio and say you want to be a signed artist with them with no previous high-fashion and film experience, they will most likely say no. An agency only immediately takes on artists who have experience in the industry. Go to www.celestineagency.com to view the portfolios of some of the professionals in the fashion industry. “The bottom line: It all starts with having a beautiful portfolio. Then you need to contact people who have the power to hire you. You will also need to start looking at fashion magazines differently. Each page tells a story, and ultimately that is what you will have to do through hair and make-up.” —Alicia Marantz Liotta A. Freelance Hollywood and fashion hair stylist and 48 www.modernsalon.com http://www.shortcutsthebook.com http://www.shortcutsthebook.com http://www.celestineagency.com http://www.modernsalon.com http://www.modernsalon.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Modern Salon - February 2009

Modern Salon - February 2009 Contents Behind the Cover Notebook Contributors Modernsalon.com New - Now - Next Hollywood Connection Modern Portfolio Modern Reports Modern Business Ask the Experts Process Prism Some Like It Hot Modern News The Goods Personal Style

Modern Salon - February 2009

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.