Cosmetology & Spa Academy

What Cosmetology & Spa Academy does

Cosmetology & Spa Academy (CSA) is a privately held, for-profit beauty school operating four campuses across Illinois — Crystal Lake (700 E Terra Cotta Ave), Elgin (609 S Randall Rd), Rockford (657 Highgrove Pl), and Schaumburg (142 E Golf Rd). Founded with campuses established in 1998 and operating for over 30 years, CSA delivers state-licensed training in four programs: Barber, Cosmetology, Esthetics, and Beauty Instructor, with the Esthetics track covering advanced modalities such as microcurrent, LED light therapy, chemical peels, and microneedling. The school serves individual students ranging from recent high school graduates to adult career changers, marketing itself as a 12–18 month alternative to a four-year degree. Operations are owner-led (Owner "Ned") with 11–50 employees, and instruction is delivered in fully equipped on-site classrooms and student-run clinic facilities.

Name

Cosmetology & Spa Academy

Legal name

Cosmetology & Spa Academy

Website

https://cosmetologyandspaacademy.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Privately held for-profit beauty school operating four Illinois campuses, delivering state-licensed training in cosmetology, barbering, esthetics, and beauty instruction for career seekers and career changers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Beauty & Cosmetology Education

NAICS

Cosmetology and Barber Schools (611511), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Cosmetology Schools & Programs (HSALANAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Barbering Schools & Programs (HSALANAD), Spa & Body Treatment Training (Body Wraps/Scrubs/Hydrotherapy) (HSALANAI), Continuing Education & License Exam Prep (CE/State Board Prep) (HSALANAL), Hair Styling & Cutting (EDAOALAB)

Keywords

• Cosmetology training
• Beauty school programs
• Esthetician education
• Barber career training
• Beauty instructor licensure

Headquarters

HQ city

Crystal Lake

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Primary revenue from tuition for cosmetology, barber, esthetics, and beauty instructor programs. Tuition ranges from $15,000 to $20,000 for complete programs including tuition, fees, professional beauty kits, textbooks, state board exam fees, and licensing costs.
2. Student Salon and Spa Services: Revenue from salon, spa, and barber services provided by students at reduced prices. Services include Day Spa, Salon, and Barber Studio services performed by students under instructor supervision.
3. Financial Aid and Payment Plans: Federal student aid including Pell Grants, student loans, work-study programs. Payment plans break tuition into manageable monthly installments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cosmetology & Spa Academy is a privately held beauty career training institution that delivers licensed programs in Barbering, Cosmetology, Esthetics, and Beauty Instruction across four Illinois campuses (Crystal Lake, Elgin, Rockford, Schaumburg). Programs combine classroom instruction with hands-on practice in on-site student salon, spa, and barber studio clinics where students serve real clients under instructor supervision. Tuition ranges from $15,000 to $20,000 and includes professional kits, textbooks, state board exam fees, and licensing costs, with federal financial aid and payment plans available.

Product overview

Cosmetology & Spa Academy is a beauty career training institution offering four main educational programs: Barber, Cosmetology, Esthetics, and Beauty Instructor programs. The academy operates as a unified educational platform with student-run clinic services (Day Spa, Salon, and Barber Studio) where students gain hands-on practical experience on real clients while receiving individualized attention from instructors. The institution has four campus locations in Illinois (Crystal Lake, Elgin, Rockford, and Schaumburg) and provides flexible scheduling options including full-time, part-time, and evening classes to accommodate diverse student needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Barber Program A career training program in barbering covering men's haircuts, hair color treatments, men's manicuring, and barbering techniques, designed for students pursuing licensure and a career in professional barbering.
• Cosmetology Program A comprehensive career training program that equips students with hands-on skills to perform hair, skin, and nail services on clients, covering cutting, coloring, chemical texturing, styling, makeup artistry, and skincare techniques.
• Esthetics Program A program that trains students to become licensed estheticians covering facials, waxing, makeup application, and advanced facial treatments including microcurrent, LED light therapy, chemical peels, and microneedling.
• Beauty Instructor Program A program providing 500 hours of classroom and practical training for licensed cosmetologists or estheticians seeking to become beauty instructors.
• Day Spa Services Hands-on spa services including facials, skin care treatments, and wellness services performed by students under instructor supervision and available to the public at reduced prices.
• Salon Services Full range of salon services including hair cutting, coloring, and styling performed by students gaining practical experience in a supervised clinic setting and available to the public at reduced prices.
• Barber Studio Services Men's grooming and barbering services including haircuts, shaves, and beard styling provided by barber program students under instructor oversight and available to the public at reduced prices.

Quantifiable outcome

• Job placement support provided even after graduation with resume assistance, interview prep, and job placement assistance
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• ProsperUminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partnership organization providing additional student support services and resources for beauty education programs.
• NACASminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Association of College Auxiliary Services supporting campus operations and student services at higher education institutions.
• AACScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmerican Association of Cosmetology Schools membership providing accreditation support, industry advocacy, resources, and networking for beauty schools.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Empire Beauty Schools: Empire Beauty Schools is the largest dedicated cosmetology and esthetics school chain in the United States, operating dozens of campuses. It competes directly with CSA on state-licensed cosmetology, esthetics, and instructor programs with a similar Title IV-dependent tuition model.
• Aveda Institutes: Aveda Institutes operate cosmetology and esthetics schools branded around the Aveda product line, often at higher tuition price points. They are direct peers as licensed beauty education providers emphasizing brand-aligned curriculum and student-run clinic services.
• Milan Institute: Milan Institute is a multi-campus private career school chain offering cosmetology and esthetics programs across several states. It is comparable to CSA as a regional for-profit chain with similar program mix and tuition-dependent revenue model.
• The Salon Professional Academy: The Salon Professional Academy (TSPA) is a network of franchise cosmetology and esthetics schools operating across multiple US states. It is a direct competitor operating the same student-salon clinic model with cosmetology, esthetics, and instructor programs.
• Paul Mitchell Schools: Paul Mitchell Schools is a national franchise network of cosmetology and barbering schools operating across the United States. It is a direct peer given its franchise-based multi-campus model, licensed cosmetology/barber curriculum, and similar Title IV-aided tuition structure.
• Tricoci University of Beauty Culture: Tricoci University of Beauty Culture is an Illinois-based cosmetology and barbering school chain headquartered in Chicago with multiple Illinois campuses. It is the most direct local competitor to CSA, offering overlapping cosmetology, barbering, esthetics, and instructor programs with comparable tuition pricing.

Broad incumbents

• Universal Technical Institute: Universal Technical Institute is a large publicly traded for-profit career education platform spanning trades and personal services. It is a broad incumbent comparable on the dimension of multi-campus private career college economics and Title IV funding exposure, though it is not a beauty specialist.

Others

• Pivot Point International: Pivot Point International provides cosmetology curriculum, educational resources, and tools to licensed beauty schools worldwide. It is an ecosystem/adjacent peer: while not a competing school, CSA graduates learn through Pivot Point-aligned curriculum in many beauty programs.
• American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS): AACS is the national membership association representing accredited cosmetology and barbering schools in the US. CSA is an AACS member, making it an ecosystem/adjacent peer for industry advocacy, accreditation standards, and shared services perspective.

Emerging players

• Gene Juarez Beauty School (GBS): Gene Juarez Beauty Schools operate cosmetology and esthetics programs in the Pacific Northwest under a regional salon brand. They are an emerging regional player with overlapping program mix and the same salon-integrated training model CSA uses.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/csacademy
• Xx.com/startbeautypath

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cosmetology & Spa Academy