Skilled spa therapists very much in demand
KOTA KINABALU: Long working hours are just one of the challenges faced by people who opt to become spa therapists, although the returns can be quite attractive.
Spa therapists often spent some 12 hours at their workplace to wait for clients to drop by, according to Excellence Skill Academy manager Stella Matuya.
“Sometimes, it is all about waiting, so the spa therapists must utilize their time wisely,” she said during the academy’s fifth graduation ceremony for the Yayasan Peneraju Pendidikan Bumiputera’s Iltizam Spa Therapists Skill Training Programme held at a resort near here recently.
She urged them to continuously strive to improve their skills in the field they had selected, citing that there was still a shortage of skilled spa therapists and that it was very much in demand.
She also reminded that their clients were the ones who paid for their income and urged them to constantly train to improve their skills in the trade.
Yayasan Peneraju’s Director (Benefits Recipients Administration Division) Kama Bistari Muhammad, meanwhile, told the graduates that they were among the 40,000 trainees under Yayasan Peneraju to receive its assistance to further their training.
He added that Yayasan Peneraju was involved in human capacity building and provided assistance for Bumiputeras to undergo skill training throughout the country.
A total of 38 trainees attended the graduation ceremony yesterday, accompanied by their parents and other family members at the event.
Excellence Skills Academy’s best student, Rozie David, has opted to continue working at the Legasi Spa in Pulau Pinang after graduating recently.
The sixth child out of 10 siblings, Rozie said that she could earn more than RM3,000 per month and was proud to be able to remit some of her earnings to her parents who both work as farmers in Kg Nupakan, Tambunan.
“We’re provided with a hostel and I also have my older sister working there so it is not that lonely being so far away from home,” she said.
She added that eventually, she hoped to return home to work and be closer to her family.
“The first few months were tough as I had to deal with home sickness. But I have my sister there. Anyway, my objective is to return home to work one day,” she said.
However, she also mentioned the hardships she faced to look for jobs in Sabah.
She also shared that one of the challenges working as a spa therapist was dealing with clients and their antics.
Fortunately, she said her employer allowed his staff to use their discretion and leave if the clients were behaving crudely towards them.
She expressed her keenest to train further in the field, and particularly in learning more about the lymphatic points of the human body.
“If I had the opportunity, I would like to further my studies in this line,” she said.
One of the employers who have been involved with the academy to provide on-the-job training for the trainee spa therapists is David Liew, the owner of 1Healthy Reflexology and Beauty Point.
He told the Borneo Post that he had been collaborating with the academy for 10 years and had preferred trainees who came from the academy due to their high sense of discipline.
“At the end of the day, it all comes down to being disciplined, and I am happy to note that the trainees who come from the academy possess this crucial element in their work culture,” he said.
He added that most of the trainees who underwent training at his centre had since graduated, but some decided to stay on to work for him.
Spa therapists in Sabah could fetch a minimum wage of RM2,000 per month, he said, citing that they could earn more if they wanted.
Trainee spa therapists at his centre get to hone their skills in providing reflexology and body massage treatments and beauty treatment.
Oscar Teh from Penang has also collaborated with the academy to train the latter’s trainee spa therapists.
According to Teh, there were huge demands for trained spa therapists in Penang and that spas were always on the lookout for spa therapy experts.
As with David, he also found the trainees from the academy highly disciplined and that he was contented with their work.
He was also happy that the academy carries out its monitoring work on all its trainees on a monthly basis.
“Stella conducts her monthly visits and is close to all her trainees. She monitors their achievements and addresses their problems, if any. We communicate with each other on how to address these issues,” he said.
He added that most of the trainees who underwent training at his centre opted to stay on working there.
“About 80 to 90 per cent of them stay on. But we’re still short of people,” he said.
Spa therapists in Penang earned between RM2,000 and RM6,000 per month, he said.