Poway Academy of Beauty and Spa Boasts New Makeover

With food and gas prices at an all-time high and unemployment rates at a staggering 6 percent, it's easy to see why women (and men) are cutting back on the luxury of trips to lavish San Diego salons and spas.

Many are now crossing their monthly facial and pedicure off of the to-do list without leaving the house. But there are ways to indulge in beauty services without breaking the bank account.

Formerly known as The Poway Academy of Hair Design, The Academy of Beauty & Spa in Poway just received a $ 2.5 million makeover to ensure clients are fully pampered, at a fraction of the price.

"We wanted to reinvent beauty education," says President Lynelle Lynch. "The Academy is set up like a 5-star salon. Our students learn the most sophisticated techniques such as European facials, hot stone massages, Sassoon haircuts and eyelash extensions."

One would never know by looking at the outside of the school, located at 13266 Poway Rd. in a Poway shopping center, that the inside features all of the elements of a posh San Diego day spa. Bamboo adorned-walls, dark wood, a wall fountain, and small stones create tranquility and bring a sense of nature to the space.

The spa features a massage room with 20 beds and boasts a Vichy shower, a water-based massage machine that pours warm water on pampered patrons. Guests can receive a spa pedicure featuring Creative Nail products for only $20 with top-sanitary conditions other salons don't promise. Hot stone massage and paraffin wax dip are just a couple of the extras options available with a spa manicure at The Academy of Beauty & Spa in Poway.

The hair salon sector has students practicing on mannequin heads like at any beauty school but the ambiance of the academy overshadows its hair academia aesthetics. Down-tempo electronic music and burgundy-metallic chairs give the academy a hip vibe. Long vertical mirrors in front of every back to back station gives an open space feel and allow clients to peek at the back of their work-in-progress 'dos.

With a student coloring and cutting hair, it may take a little longer but with prices at a fraction of the cost, it may be worth the wait.

"We use the Sassoon cutting system," Artistic Director Diego Raviglione says. "Every other system takes from that one so we wanted to go straight to the source."

The Academy of Beauty & Spa is the only school in San Diego and only one of six schools in the nation to offer the Sassoon Academy School Connection Program.

Customers can also get make-up touches or makeovers from students who are trained under the Make-Up Designory (MUD) curriculum and use mineral-based La Bella Donna products. The Academy also has La Bella Donna make-up for sale along with numerous other beauty brands, including Eufora, an aloe-based hair care system out of North County San Diego.

Last month the Poway Academy of Beauty & Spa celebrated their grand re-opening with a fundraiser that donated all the proceeds to Becky's House, a domestic violence survivor safe house. They also celebrated their prestigious award as trade publication First Chair's "School of the Year."

"Our whole goal is to make this the best school," Raviglione says. "This is one of the only [beauty] schools with an artistic director. It enables us to produce collections that stand on their own."

Raviglione implements programs that go beyond preparing students to pass the state exam.

His hair masterpieces have been published in a number of women's magazines including Elle and Marie Claire and have been featured at events such as LA Fashion Week and Lollapalooza concert. With his experience, Raviglione heads a program called the Master Artistic Team. M.A.T members receive training and inspiration from Raviglione while participating in semi-annual trend collections, fashion shows, and local designer advertising campaigns and editorial shoots. They take trips to LA to visit art museums for inspiration and create hair art pieces that adorn the Academy walls.

The school also has high expectations for the other instructors they hire. "The instructors we bring on board know the industry," Raviglione says. "We don't have instructors who have just worked in schools doing roller sets. We take on people who are highly skilled and really know the industry."

Find more of the best San Diego spas, salons, and academies in our San Diego beauty directory here.