I had a great experience at Aesthetics Northwest Institute. The program offers a lot of flexibility, which allowed me to complete everything in a timely manner while staying on track with my goals. The program is primarily self-study, and I actually came to appreciate that. At first it can feel different from a traditional classroom, but it really teaches you to become independent. You're encouraged to research, problem-solve, and learn on your own rather than relying on someone to walk you through every step. I think that approach helped me retain the material better and built my confidence. Thanks to the education and preparation I received, I was able to pass both my practical and written licensing exams with flying colors. Overall, I'm grateful for my experience and would recommend Aesthetics Northwest Institute to anyone who is self-motivated and looking for a flexible esthetics program. read more

Do not go to school here, I could go on for hours about this but simply put - I taught myself the entire program. I graduated in 2026 and was very disappointed. Terrible sanitation procedures, students teaching each other, educators that sit in the office all day, they don't even teach you how to pick out products or tell you what you're putting on someone's face. They hardly prep your for state boards so I taught myself the entire test from videos online. All of the positive reviews are from clients who come in for services... not students who actually attended the school. They meet the absolute bare minimum for state requirements and somehow stay open. All they care about is your money and their reputation. read more

This happened to me last year but i feel it needs to be reiterated. When i was 17 and still in high school, i toured the place and was so excited. i went with my parents and had a great time. Went back to tour when i was 18 and had just graduated high school. mind you...never once was it mentioned that there was any age requirement or anything like that. after we sit down with Vincent the owner, he tells us he usually doesn't accept anyone under 21... but with my parents support, great transcripts and gpa he said he would make an exception. we realized we had to move things around with my college fund so the school would accept it and we would go in the following week to do all the paperwork. a few days later, Vincent calls my parents (not me) and lets them know they are actually rejecting my application because "they aren't comfortable" with me not being 21. I was obviously very upset because i had been dreaming of going to that school for the previous 2 years and without any actual good explanation on why i wasn't accepted was upsetting, especially after they agreed to an exception. We also found out Vincent's mother is the teacher there. Anyways, i try calling over and over and emailing Vincent to talk about it and after almost a month, he answered my calls. I told him i don't appreciate being ignored for weeks after being rejected with no reasoning. i told him if i had known or my parents have known that i wasn't going to be accepted due to my age, i would have applied to another school. (this is about mid summer at this point, so past most school acceptance deadlines) and he said "you could have been looking at other options instead if constantly trying to contact me" i was beyond upset and i still managed to go to another school where i was accepted, top of my class, passed my exams with great scores, got a job and am now co manager of a salon. After the fact, i found out through previous students that they do not teach sanitation and encourage students to reuse disposables on clients. Please please reconsider other beauty schools for either your education or services because it's obvious they are not concerned about health, safety or legality of their practices. read more

This is an awful school. They do not prepare you for the practicals like other schools do. They are cheap and you pay for what you get. Other schools such as Evergreen and Aveda focus the last 3 months of school on building your kit and testing. The lady in charge of the demos is very random and loses focus during the "demo" if you can call it that. I am not sure how they are getting away with having a master esthetics or combo because they do NOT have a medical director. It is a state requirement that you need one if you offer these programs. Also, please do not choose this school if you are someone who needs more hands on because the spa is very small and not very well known. If you are lucky you will get a client once a week. Please do not choose this school if you require or would like support after you are done with your hours: help with your kit or having any meaningful practice. read more

Had a miserable experience there. I scheduled a facial and had a discussion with reception to ensure I was getting what I wanted. The student and trained did not consult with me about anything so I assumed they knew what I had scheduled. It became apparent that I was not getting what I had scheduled. I was told if I wanted that facial I would have to rebook. I did and the same thing happened the second time. Only the second time I confirmed with the same student that I wanted the facial I scheduled. She agreed and then started to give me a different facial and lied to me. Again I was told I'd have to reschedule to get he facial I wanted. Horrible place! read more

I came in for a facial by Natalie Tordillos, this was the best, most relaxing and fun facial experience I've had. I love coming to her, she's super gentle and makes sure your comfortable throughout the time your there. She always got me with the high frequency and everytime i leave my face feels so rejuvenated and soft! Would highly recommend, going to keep coming back for Natalie to get my face right again!! read more

Aesthetics Northwest Institute - Glowing - Day Spas Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

Pros- -Cheapest school in the area -Really flexible on when u show up and for how long Cons- -There is no classes being taught, it's all self learn from a book -Lots of time you killing, either watching youtube, playing computer games, or even just plain napping -No explanation on make up application even though it's a huge part of the test -They do not teach Brazilians of any kind, no matter what vince(in charge of admin and enrollment) says -They dont even show you a bikini line, but they will book you one, and you just have to wing it or ask for help from another student -Everything is filthy and dusty, no cleaning ever gets done (one time I was cleaning in the wax room just out of sheer embarrassment, and one of the containers holding products had a little wax on the bottom and a dead spider was stuck in it) -They tell you to never throw away sponges, that you can reuse them -They will tell you, you can double dip your wax sticks on any area of the body beside underarm and bikini, which is so unsanitary its unbelievable -When you first get here, joanne(owner/instructor) will tell you, you get two sets of sponges. One for at home and one for at school and those will be the sponges you use on yourself the whole time your here, if you ask for more shes ok but next time I will have to charge you. -They dont show you how to clean any facial equipment, students have to learn from other students. -The soap labelled detergent is clearly the same soap as the hand soap right next to it, and it's even watered down usually -when it comes time to make or to get a testing kit for your practical, they offer no help or advice -No student is happy here, when clients ask how we like it, we all lie through our teeth read more

See all

Had a great facial today at this school. I chose to have the anti-aging facial, and my skin feels soft, plump and hydrated. The experience was very relaxing. I highly recommend Mireya, her massage skills are great! read more

I have gone and had three different facials by Zena Orozco. Both her and her instructors are great. I always get positive comments and compliments of how my face looks so young and hydrated. The lymphatic drainage facial was my believer. I came into the Institute all puffy and came out glowing and noticeable less swollen!! read more

At Aesthetics Northwest Institute Shahma, is fabulous instructor. She goes above and beyond to share her deep knowledge and understanding of the industry. Shahma takes pride in her work and makes sure that her integrity is imparted during her instruction. I learned a lot from her, and I would highly recommend prospective students to choose her as your instructor. You won't regret it, and neither will your clients. read more

Had a two hour facial by Cassidy, which was pure bliss. My skin feels amazing. Her massage techniques were amazing. If you want a facial/massage, I would highly recommend Cassidy. read more

I had a facial with Denise Dalbey-Kipp. She is a wonderful aesthetician! She does a wonderful facial and gives you her undivided attention. She makes suggestions for helpful products and does a wonderful job. This is a wonderful school with great instructors. I have been going there for over 10 years and would highly recommend this terrific school! Letitia Fong read more

i came in to get my first facial by this young lady names Sierra. she took her time and she made my skin look better than ever. i don't trust anyone else to do my facials but her ! so talented ! i left feeling great and glowing! 10/10 you should book with her. read more

Ashley S. is an amazing aesthetician. Wow! What a fantastic experience. She did a skin analysis, and recommended the perfect facial and massage to match my skin type. Ashley made me feel very comfortable, relaxed and my skin was glowing after the treatment. I can't wait to go back for my next treatment. 5 stars!! read more

I recently was services at Aesthetics Northwest Institute and received a Keratolyse peel treatment (3 series service). my Esthetician was Tiana. She is AMAZING! She is extremely professional, communicates thoroughly, knowledgeable and very sweet. The treatment performed has removed my dark spots, evened out my skin tone & my face is much brighter. I'll be back to see Tiana for my regular scheduled facials. Tiana is my go-to esthetician. I recommend checking her out. ASAP! read more

Great service, knowledgable staff, relaxing, fabulous products! I've been a customer for years and have been using their skincare line and makeup for as long as I can remember. I get complements on my skin all of the time. The owner is a wealth of information. I love giving gift certificates from there to friends and family! A great way to take a friend to catch up and relax. read more

We students were stuck in a classroom for a month (some of us longer) with no instruction whatsoever. With the occasional "Read chapter _____ and work in your work book." Or it would be a video from the late 80's to early 90's. Videos that are way out of date that no one should learn from in this day and age. The school is disgustingly dirty (if you don't believe me, i have pictures to prove how unsanitary this place really is.) -The facial beds have a sheet on the bed itself, then a brown blanket on top of that, then another sheet on top of the brown blanket. The first time the sheet on the very bottom and the brown blankets were taken off of the bed was when they "remodeled" the school. There were yellow and brown rings to make the outline of the bed. Which would be bodily fluids from clients over the years. -Since this school is so cheap in their supplies for its students, they told us it was okay to "double dip" our waxing sticks. Any normal person would know, that's not okay. They told us that the wax was hot enough to kill any bacteria so it was okay. Can the wax get hot enough to burn hair? Apparently not since there were numerous times in which we would wax a clients face and have a pubic hair be in the wax. The owner and one of the instructors, JoAnn, has been a cosmetologist since the Dark Ages. She's full of knowledge and know how. If only she would share it. And if only she wasnt so stuck in the past to learn new ways to do things. The only times we had "theory" (which is a requirement each month that they just tell the state we do) was when a student would get so fed up with not learning anything and complain to JoAnn. JoAnn would then put together a packet of material that either she wrote herself, or has had for 10's of years. The material would be on things we didn't need to know about. Half the time she wouldn't even get through the packet because she would start rambling on about something completely off topic. JoAnn is almost 80 years old, I believe, so it's understandable that she can't remember what she's talking about. If you ever go in to get a facial, and JoAnn tells you that you have an Essential Fatty Acid Deficiency, please laugh in her face. According to The Merk Manual for Health Care Professionals, "Essential fatty acid (EFA) deficiency is rare, occurring most often in infants fed diets deficient in EFAs. Signs include scaly dermatitis, alopecia, thrombocytopenia, and, in children, intellectual disability. Diagnosis is clinical. Dietary replenishment of EFAs reverses the deficiency." So, unless you brought your infant in to get a facial, you won't see this. Teresa. Teresa is the other instructor and in my opinion holds the whole school together. You can tell that she gets really stressed out sometimes because it seems like everything rests on her shoulders and she has to get permission on everything from JoAnn. She atleast tries to better her education and get with the times. She's very soft spoken and sarcastic. Teresa, if you read this, you can do so much better than that school. You have so much potential to be a great instructor and you're being held back by JoAnn and Vince. Thank you for everything. Now, let's get to the worst person in the whole school. Vincent. Vincent is the "admin" person. He answers the phone, scams you out of your money, makes promises he can't keep, schedules appointment and overbooks everyone, and refuses to give you paperwork. My father and I sat down with Vincent before I signed up for the school, asked him questions like "Do you place students after they graduate" to which he replied "OH YES! We have an excellent placement program!" If the placement program is the unemployment line, then he kept his promise. I had to ask him several times for my log in to sign up for my licensing tests, which he didn't get to until the week I graduated, and he didn't log my hours for another two weeks after I graduated so I couldn't sign up for my tests. The esthetics course has a kit that you pay $800 dollars for. The kit consists of tweezers. We had a student who was pregnant the whole time she was at school, which Vince would book so much that she didn't have time to eat lunch. SHE WAS PREGNANT. The first person you talk to before going to the school, is Vince, who has really bad like Rosacea or Psoriasis on his face. His mother is JoAnn. She says she can fix everyone's skin but she can't fix her own sons? Seems legit. He shakes really bad too so we can't read his handwriting, EVER. I have no training on any of the basics, because they play favorites. JoAnn told me I was unreliable so I wasn't booked for clients, so I didn't get training on most of the things we should've been taught, and now its next to impossible for me to get a job. The one thing I can thank Aesthetics Northwest for is all the free time I had to catch up on my TV shows. read more

If I could give zero stars, I would. Some how, this company is making it so the negative reviews don't affect their over all rating. Please read all of the other reviews before making your poor decision to go or attend here. Honestly, I'm not sure how this place is even still in business... They are extremely unsanitary and just plain dirty. The owners/instructors are just rude and pretentious. And very lazy. They are completely satisfied with getting by on the absolute bare minimum when it comes to health, sanitation, and education. I could go on for days about this place, but I'm not even going to waste my time on this joke of an establishment. Just know, you've been warned. read more

Went here for a facial. It was so relaxing! The woman who did mine was so professional, I could tell she was really good at this. It's very quiet and they turn the lights low so you can really relax. I may have taken a little nap! Everything smelled good and the treatment included creams and lotions and a real mild exfoliator. My skin glowed when she was finished. This is a teaching facility with students and they need practice so please help them by scheduling a facial! You won't regret it. read more

The services here are exceptional!! Students are professional and come from professional back grounds with a passion for Esthetic's. Took a friend for facials last week that were wonderful. I hadn't been in for awhile and didn't know what type of facial to ask for. After the staff talked with me and looked at my skin the facial they recommended was perfect. The end result was beyond what I expected. The staff is so knowledgeable and the service was better than what I've had at Spa's. The students love the owner and their instructors and sing their praises of the program. The person who did my facial is even planning on going through the Masters Program after finishing the first program which I thought said a lot about the school. It was the perfect birthday present. I'll be giving gift certificates for friends in the future and going more often myself. Do yourself a favor and go have a facial here. read more

Worst customer service ever!! I paid $3000 just to enroll in their esthetics program and later realized it was going to cost too much in daycare and withdrew. It has now been 6 weeks and have yet to receive a refund. Their horrible at returning phone calls and avoid you like the plague. I'm now attending Bellevue Beauty College. I'm so glad that I decided to switch. The schedule is so much better and their customer and client relations is stellar!!! I wish I would've known before hand how horrible it would be to work with the people at Aesthetics NW or I wouldn't have even walked in the door. read more

My daughter went to this school and didn't have a whole lot of good to say about it. However, that is not why I am writing this review. I have been recently doing my daughter's taxes and have discovered that even though Aesthetics Northwest is an accredited institution, they are not registered with the US Department of Education, and therefore don't send out IRS Form 1098T so you can't use your tuition paid here as a tax deduction on your tax return. That means about 500 dollars that we don't get back this year because of this. I have verified this with the IRS itself. read more

Please, please do not go here. This place needs to go out of business. I attended this school, and it was one of the worst experiences of my life. I originally chose this school because of its flexibility and small class size, but I kicked myself so hard for not choosing elsewhere. The owners, Vince and Joanne (mother son duo) are just terrible people. They are money hungry and could care less about you or your education. They give you some books and then it's up to you. Teresa, the educator is a very sweet woman and is the glue to the whole place. She deserves better and needs to get away from the school and away from Vince. There is no financial aid, and you do not get what you payed for. You're promised a big out, but all you get is a cheap lab coat and a pair of tweezers (if you're lucky). This place has no cleanliness standards. There are stains on the ceilings for the clients to stare at while receiving a treatment, mold growing on the windowsill, and they tell you to not change the barbicide ( probably costs too much and they want to pocket your money). I could go on and on about how bad this place is. please, save your money and time and go somewhere else where they care about you. read more

If I could give zero stars I would. I went to this school for both programs. I was shocked at their practices, cleanlyness, school policys, and overall misrepresentation of what they promise to teach. I was completely mislead and did not get the education that I was told I would receive. I completed the nail tech program but dropped out of the esthetic program because I wasn't learning. I had to transfere to another school to complete my education and so that I could feel confident to get a job. After comparing the 2 programs I feel like I was robbed. ANW promised in their tours that they will teach but they do not. Their practices are not up to standard. One example is that they require students to double dip into the wax pots which is unsanitary. My main complaint is that they take students money but they do not teach. The first day they gave me books to read and from that day through my entire program all I did was sit in the lunch room with other students and pass time while clocked in to get my hours. The competency sheets we filed out and we're forged by the instructors saying we completed services we never did nor were ever taught so we could graduate. They promised me that I would get many hands on experiences with clients but I rarely got the chance. If I did it was only for pedicures or practicing on myself. Most of the students time were spent watching TV. Some girls would clock in and take off on personal trips and be gone for hours. When I approached them to ask when I would have a lecture like they promised or have theory they told me that me reading my book was considered theory. In my entire program we never had a lecture. But in the tour they said that I would. Trays with disinfectant for sterilizing wasn't changed but once a month maybe less to save money. The supplies they proved was minimal and I spent my own money bringing my own supplies to do services, that they made money on by charged clients for. When there was an inspection they asked for a few students to stay in the wax room and do services so it never got inspected. There was only one instructor for the school that did both programs which made learning unavailable. There was also the owner of the school and her son but they did not want to be bothered and most of the time they had their doors closed. It was very unprofessional and they were rude and not approachable. Every student walked on eggshells in fear they would loose their money and not graduate. In the tour they told me there would be homework and projects to help us learn which we never did. One example was to help us write a business plan. Towards the end I asked when this was going to happen and they blew me off and told me what chapter to read and that I could do it on my own if I chose. They also said we would have many guest speakers and business reps that would visit to speak and teach on products and knowlege. When this never happened I asked and they said in the future they would contact me to come back if they could schedule it after I graduate. That never happened. I was also promised some sort of certificate of completion from their school and on the last week I asked about it and Vincent was rude and told me if he had time he would mail it to me. I never recieved anything. Do no waste your money going to the school. You will not feel confident when you graduate to go out and get a job. This school is a scam. read more

I can't speak to the training at this school. My complaint is with the way they treat former students. Trying to get a copy of transcripts from Vince Munro has been a nightmare. Unprofessional is the kindest word I can think of. Don't expect anything from this place once you've paid your money and walked out the door. Stay away from this place. read more

I am a recent graduate from ANW and I have to say that I definitely DO NOT recommend this school! All of the bad reviews are true and all of the good ones have been fabricated by the staff at the school. I only wish I had read the reviews before I gave them my money and signed up. Unfortunately, I didn't. So, if you read this and still choose to go there then don't say you weren't warned. In the bluntest of terms this school will NOT teach you anything and it is appallingly unsanitary. I can't believe that it hasn't been shut down. Lets discuss the sanitation first. The instructors make you double dip in the wax pot to save on tongue depressors. Why is this gross? Well, the wax we use on the face is the same wax we use on bikini's, so on more than one occasion, I was doing a face wax and had a big pubic hair sitting in the wax that I had put on someones face. More than once! which means this isn't just a one time fluke! Want pubic hair on your face? then come here for a wax. They are extremely cheap with everything to the extent that they won't give us paper towels in the break room so when we wash our hands, we have to dry them on our pants or on a dirty dish rag. The disinfectant never gets changed and usually dries up before it gets filled, so all of the instruments we use that come in contact with bodily fluids and could potentially spread disease are not being properly sanitized. They keep the sponges, that we use in the facials, and re-use them. FYI, this is supposed to be a disposable item because there is no way to effectively sanitize them, it would be like sanitizing a q-tip and re-using it. Shoot! I probably just gave them an idea. HELLO Dept. of Health!!! Where are you guys? Now lets talk about the education. When I was looking at the school, I was given a packet that said all of the things I would learn if I came here. Every question that I asked Vince he said 'yes', 'yes', 'yes' to. I was so excited at how thorough my training would be. However, once I started, I had one class on what the rules of the school are and one class going over the packet of what I would be learning here. After that I was left to watch some VHS tapes(yes, VHS) and then shuffled from the classroom to the back room which they call 'the student lounge/break room'. This lounge is where I, and all of the other students, stayed for the remainder of our term here. We only got to practice when the school had paying clients come in. I learned more from You Tube and the other students than I ever learned from the instructors. They also have us doing eyelash tints and I read the side of the tint one time and it is printed in clear lettering 'not to be used for eyelashes or eyebrows'. When I asked the instructor about it, she said that that was why it wasn't on our monthly sheet of requirements. ??? We also supposed to learn makeup application. When I asked about having a makeup class, I was told 'well you put your makeup on in the morning, so you already know how to do it'. I can't stress enough that there is 0 education happening here. There is 0 class. There is 0 help. Do not support this place by coming here and giving them your money and if you work for the Dept. of Licensing or Dept. of Health, do your job and shut this place down! read more

Miss this operation terribly!! Always got waxing done here- legs, brows, armpits, facials, and lash tinting- even though you rotate through students (they have to graduate!), the job is well-done- which speaks well for the instruction and supervision given here. This school is one of the few that teaches the most current techniques, eyelash tinting, and threading!! Since we've moved away (down south to Portland area), I can't locate a remotely comparable school!! (Way behind down here- good grief.) One suggestion: these are students. As a client, don't be shy, and tell them exactly what you want and how you want it. Me- for example- I have very light hair and am not easy to process. I let them know about it and they learn very quick! The students typically have higher-end jobs waiting for them, such as cruise ships, spas, corporates gigs, etc.). When I'm back up to visit, I will definitely stop in! read more

I had a wonderful European Facial at Aesthetics Northwest Institute today and I was thrilled with my experience. My esthetician in training, Erin, was very professional and had clearly been trained very well. Overall I had an excellent experience at Aesthetics Northwest and I would recommend it to a friend! read more

Would have given them more stars for cheap facials that are worth the money, but they have some issues and it depends if you are viewing this as a customer or a student. Customers: You are working with students so you never know what you'll get. Students: They falsely advertise they "teach" students when in reality this is a self taught program. They occasionally do lectures when pressured. They are also not honest to prospective students, so be careful about believing what they say during your tour. There is no consistency among the teachers. You are on your own with a book for the most part. Staff is very lazy in terms of teaching students, however some are nice. Joanne's son runs the business office and is a total prima donna who has occasional fits. It's shameful. I don't think he could actually get a job anywhere else, so he's kinda stuck there working for his mommy. He's quite creepy and I avoid him at all costs. Other then that if you want cheap services and you are ok with working with someone who is learning then I would come here. This is not luxury services by any means, so if you can ignore the issues you are good to go. As a student, unless you are self motivated, can learn from a book (or other students) and are independent then you'll be fine. If you want to be taught and learn from actual classes/instructors...do not come here! read more