At New Beauty Company Aesthetics Academy, students won’t spend their days tucked inside a lecture hall.
Instead, they’ll be immersed in a working luxury med spa — surrounded by real clients, real treatments, and the tangible prospect of a new career.
The new St. Johns County venture opened in December inside New Beauty Company’s bustling med spa and is designed to venture well beyond the basic curriculum.
New Beauty Company Aesthetics Academy owner Recia Swanson and her husband, Dr. Terrell Swanson, with a patient.
The nine-week facial specialist program emphasizes hands-on training, advanced techniques, and business acumen.
“This can be a flexible career, but it’s not a casual one,” said owner Recia Swanson. “We want students to leave with skills that actually translate into work, whether that’s a job in a med spa or their own business further down the road.”
An esthetics career can offer a three- to four-day workweek and earning potential that exceeds $60,000 annually, Swanson noted.
But she said success hinges on training quality.
Treatment room at New Beauty Company.
A longtime former trauma and emergency nurse, Swanson enrolled in an esthetics school in 2022 and quickly noticed a gulf between what was taught and the actual skills med spas expect from new hires.
That gap, she said, planted the seed for the new academy.
“I wanted more hands-on experience and more exposure to how things really operate,” she said. “We’re offering an advanced course with opportunities to shadow estheticians.”
The academy’s facial specialist program includes 288 hours of instruction, exceeding Florida’s 220-hour licensing requirement. Swanson said the additional time allows instructors to focus less on rote learning and more on applied skills.
Students are able to observe working estheticians, sit in on consultations, and see how services are delivered in a professional setting — an experience Swanson believes makes graduates job-ready, not just test-ready.
Recia Swanson, found of New Beauty Company Aesthetics Academy, with her husband, Dr. Terrell Swanson.
New Beauty Company was founded by Swanson and her husband, Dr. Terrell Swanson, an emergency room physician who serves as the clinic’s medical director.
“This isn’t a national chain,” she said. “We’re a local, family-owned business, and our staff is like family.”
Lead instructor Taryn Shelby said the curriculum has been tailored to meet the expectations of a growing industry.
As part of tuition, students at New Beauty Academy earn certifications in chemical peels, dermaplaning, and microneedling — specialties that are often offered as separate, paid certifications elsewhere. The course will also provide hands-on HydraFacial demonstrations.
“Our goal is to include those advanced skills upfront,” Shelby said. “Students shouldn’t have to keep paying after graduation just to meet employer expectations.”
New Beauty Company’s patient lounge.
Enrollment is intentionally limited, and cohorts will be capped at eight students, allowing for more individualized instruction and mentorship.
The academy is aiming to attract a wide range of students, including young adults entering the workforce, career-changers, and parents returning to work as their children get older. Shelby said the field’s scheduling flexibility is a major draw for those balancing multiple responsibilities.
In the end, Swanson said the academy’s promise is simple: graduates leave with a state-ready license and the confidence to step into a med spa environment.
“This is serious training,” she said. “But it should also be exciting. The relationships students build here can be just as valuable as the skills they learn.”
