The Salon Professional Academy (TSPA)

If you're looking to sign up for a beauty school program, you may have seen The Salon Professional Academy (TSPA) pop up more than once in your research. TSPA has schools across the United States and Canada, from California to New Jersey and Florida to Minnesota.

TSPA is recognized throughout the industry for its commitment to high-quality education and career-advancing skills. Beauty programs offered by TSPAs range across cosmetology, esthetics, and nail technology. The schools are exclusively partnered with the Redken 5th Avenue NYC brand.

Read on to learn more about The Salon Professional Academy, with information on how the brand started, the programs available, what TSPA students and graduates have to say about the school, and more.

The Salon Professional Academy (TSPA): An Overview

The Salon Professional Academy currently has 25 locations across the United States and Canada, with more opening soon (as of early 2023) in cities including Orlando, Harrisonburg, and Duluth. At each school, the Academy offers a wide variety of different beauty-based programs in topics such as:

  • Barbering/Barber Styling/Restricted Barber
  • Cosmetology
  • Esthetics
  • Master Esthetics
  • Facial/Skin Care Specialist
  • Full Specialist
  • Instructor Training
  • Massage Therapy
  • Nail Technician/Manicurist

The exact program names and curriculums vary by location to comply with local state laws and training regulations. However, wherever you're considering applying, you can expect to be taught many relevant topics and techniques alongside essential business skills, salon management, and customer relations training.

Some locations also offer extra training in specialist areas. For example, students can specialize in microdermabrasion at The Salon Professional Academy's Colorado Springs campus.

TSPA and Redken 5th Avenue NYC Partnership

TSPA is the only beauty school in the country to be partnered with Redken 5th Avenue NYC. It was granted exclusive use of the "Recognized by Redken for Excellence in Education" mark for its commitment to learning and desire to see students surpass their professional goals.

In addition, TSPA schools can earn Redken's "Diamond Academy" designation, which is awarded annually and must be earned based on each location's commitment to, and delivery of, Redken's protocols and standards.

Together, TSPA and Redken have developed a curriculum to teach students the necessary technical skills to pass their licensing exams and business, marketing, and guest-handling strategies. This approach means students are ready to work straight after graduation, giving them an advantage over students from other schools who may need additional training to get up to speed.

Redken also provides TSPA with other resources, including hundreds of thousands of scholarship dollars, annual SPEC National Student Competition sponsorship, and employment opportunities at Redken salons.

TSPA also partners with several other industry-leading brands, including Bare Minerals, Pureology, Dermalogica, OPI, Bioelements, CND, and MUD Makeup Designory.

As well as focusing on learning and career progression, the school is committed to charity work and goodwill events. Alongside dozens of local charities, TSPA supports two nationwide programs: "Beauty for The Battle" and "Trim Hunger."

Why Students Choose TSPA

Reviews for The Salon Professional Academy vary from location to location. Overall, students praise the balanced mixture of hands-on learning and classroom theory and the school's commitment to preparing them through career guidance. They also mention the available equipment range and the teachers' high skill levels.

An Altoona, Pennsylvania, campus student said, “Good combination of classroom and hands-on learning. Knowledgeable staff and administrative/directorial staff. State-of-the-art equipment along with new theories and trends taught as they’re available.”

A graduate of TSPA’s Huntsville, Alabama, location claims starting their beauty education at the school led to great career opportunities. "The school was excellent. It opened so many doors for me. When I graduated, I was able to get a job at the top salon in the state of Tennessee. That in itself set the bar for my career," they said.

Another Huntsville student enjoyed the range of guest speakers who visited the campus and the opportunity to practice on real paying customers. Their review says, "Great combination of textbook and hands-on learning. Real interaction with the public and salon setting. Guest speakers were available, and you learn a lot about different products to accomplish your art."

On Indeed, a St. Charles (St. Louis, Missouri, area) graduate shared how their program could have taught them more, but they overall enjoyed their time at the school and felt it was worthwhile.

"The program definitely teaches you the basics and prepares you for the exam. However, I feel like I could have also learned a lot more. I am constantly researching new things or things that just weren't covered enough or at all in the course. I, however, did make amazing relationships through the school and had a great experience. I also passed the first time with both sections of the test. So, again, they teach you what you NEED to know. You also get extra certifications that some programs don't offer which was a great plus, especially for job applications," they said.

TSPA Corporate History

TSPA's parent brand, The Salon Professional Education Company (SPEC), was founded more than 15 years ago with the goal of creating a new beauty school to produce highly trained graduates who are ready to launch straight into their careers.

The Academy's popular programs were quickly noticed by L'Oréal Professional's Products Division and led to the development of TSPA as Redken's exclusive beauty school partner. Later, SPEC was asked to replicate this approach with another brand—leading to the introduction of Elevate Salon Institute in association with L'Oréal Professionnel.

SPEC's leadership team comprises seasoned industry executives, educators, franchise experts, and business owners from many walks of life, giving the company a diverse and unique insight into the beauty school industry.

Unlike some other school groups, where every campus is owned and operated by one central company, each TSPA location is owned and run by individual franchisees.

There are three pathways to opening a SPEC school: options for existing independent beauty schools that want to join the group, opening a brand-new school as a franchise business opportunity, and opening a TSPA school to support an existing salon.

Once they've joined the SPEC family, TSPA schools can expect a wide variety of resources and assistance from SPEC, including turnkey systems, ongoing training and support, professional marketing, promotions, and social media expertise. In exchange, all TSPA franchise locations must meet the high standards set by SPEC. So as a student, you can rest because your education is in good hands and overseen by the franchisor to be consistent with TSPA brand standards.

The Salon Professional Academy Locations

4925 University Drive Suite 134
Huntsville, AL 35816

Programs:
Cosmetology

13125 Highway 107
Sherwood, AR 72120

Programs:
Cosmetology, Cosmetology Cosmetology Teacher Training, Esthetics, Nail Technology

1600 Saratoga Avenue Suite 103
San Jose, CA 95129

Programs:
Cosmetology, Esthetics

4388 Austin Bluffs Parkway
Colorado Springs, CO 80918

Programs:
Cosmetology, Esthetics, Nail Technology, Barbering

90 K Street Northeast Suite 103
Washington, DC 20002

Programs:
Cosmetology, Cosmetology Cosmetology Teacher Training, Esthetics

14610 South Military Trail
Delray Beach, FL 33484

(580) 584-3103
Programs:
Cosmetology, Massage Therapy, Barbering

1388 Colonial Boulevard
Fort Myers, FL 33907

Programs:
Cosmetology, Esthetics

1700 West New Haven Avenue Suite 540A
Melbourne, FL 32904

(713) 721-0000
Programs:
Cosmetology, Esthetics, Massage Therapy, Barbering

1350 College Square Mall
Cedar Falls, IA 50613

Programs:
Barbering

120 Holly Street
Nampa, ID 83686

Programs:
Cosmetology, Cosmetology Cosmetology Teacher Training, Esthetics, Nail Technology

16108 Illinois Route 59 Unit 200
Plainfield, IL 60586

Programs:
Cosmetology

5545 Vogel Road
Evansville, IN 47715

Programs:
Cosmetology, Esthetics, Nail Technology

10264 Coldwater Road
Fort Wayne, IN 46825

Programs:
Cosmetology, Cosmetology Cosmetology Teacher Training, Esthetics, Nail Technology

1416 West Columbia Avenue
Battle Creek, MI 49015

Programs:
Cosmetology, Cosmetology Cosmetology Teacher Training, Esthetics, Massage Therapy

2975 West Shore Drive
Holland, MI 49424

Programs:
Cosmetology, Cosmetology Cosmetology Teacher Training, Esthetics

3000 White Bear Avenue
Maplewood, MN 55109

(281) 440-8383
Programs:
Cosmetology, Esthetics

3141 West Clay Street
St. Charles, MO 63301

(708) 832-0000
Programs:
Cosmetology

4377 15th Avenue South
Fargo, ND 58103

Programs:
Cosmetology, Esthetics, Nail Technology, Massage Therapy

4741 U.S. Route 9
Howell, NJ 7731

(732) 845-6289
Programs:
Cosmetology, Cosmetology Cosmetology Teacher Training, Esthetics, Nail Technology, Makeup Artistry, Barbering

2309 Eggert Road
Tonawanda, NY 14150

(716) 833-8772
Programs:
Cosmetology, Esthetics, Nail Technology, Barbering

415 D Orchard Avenue
Altoona, PA 16601

Programs:
Cosmetology, Cosmetology Cosmetology Teacher Training, Esthetics, Nail Technology

130 West Main Street Suite 106
Collegeville, PA 19426

(201) 766-2355
Programs:
Cosmetology, Cosmetology Cosmetology Teacher Training, Esthetics, Nail Technology

937 East North Street
Rapid City, SD 57701

Programs:
Cosmetology, Cosmetology Cosmetology Teacher Training, Esthetics, Nail Technology

2710 Old Lebanon Road Suite 6
Nashville, TN 37214

(904) 388-4606
Programs:
Cosmetology

901 IH 35 Suite 102
Georgetown, TX 78626

Programs:
Cosmetology

2440 South Stemmons Freeway Suite B
Lewisville, TX 75067

(601) 371-0226
Programs:
Cosmetology, Esthetics

16640 San Pedro Avenue
San Antonio, TX 78332

Programs:
Cosmetology, Esthetics

601 TX-110 North
Whitehouse, TX 75791

(508) 528-5400
Programs:
Cosmetology, Cosmetology Cosmetology Teacher Training, Esthetics

3355 West College Avenue
Appleton, WI 54914

Programs:
Cosmetology, Esthetics

3701 80th Street Suite B
Kenosha, WI 53142

(863) 499-2700
Programs:
Cosmetology, Cosmetology Cosmetology Teacher Training, Esthetics, Nail Technology

566 Theater Road
Onalaska, WI 54650

Programs:
Cosmetology, Esthetics, Nail Technology, Massage Therapy, Makeup Artistry