A combination of industry training, hard work and enthusiasm is paying off for spa attendant Gracie Wilson who has taken her love for skincare into an exciting career in the beauty industry.
Gracie is a valued member of the Si! Spa at The Gailes team, where she was recognised as Outstanding Performer of the Year at this year’s SimpsInns ‘Oscars’, a celebration of excellence across the SimpsInns group.
This ambitious 18-year-old from Saltcoats began working as a member of The Gailes Hotel & Spa’s events team on a part-time basis after leaving Auchenharvie Academy. She was keen to work in the beauty industry and a career advisor suggested signing up for Ayrshire College’s accredited short beauty courses. This appealed as the courses offer industry standard practical training, combining studying on campus and online. The 18-week full-time courses are accredited by the Confederation of International Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology (CIBTAC) and most students who meet the eligibility criteria will receive full funding.
Gracie decided to begin with the Body Massage Technician short course and this helped her to secure a spa attendant role at The Gailes Hotel’s award-winning Si! Spa. As part of her in-house training programme, she then went on to complete a Facial Therapy Technician short course - also at Ayrshire College - alongside bespoke training on ishga and ESPA treatments.
The spa attendant’s role involves practical tasks like clearing lockers, laundry and assisting therapists with room turn-arounds, all of which are geared to teach junior members of the team about the operations of the spa from the ground up. Attendants also assist at reception and with show-arounds, which allows them to gain a working knowledge of products and treatment lists by answering enquiries from customers.
Gracie said: “I moved from the hotel to working at Si! Spa last April and I’ve already completed all my ishga training - including advanced treatments like pre-natal and deep tissue massage - as well as my ESPA Essentials training. The courses I did at Ayrshire College were a great way to learn the basics and helped a lot with what I was doing at the spa. I also got introduced to Abbie [Malone, who began working as a spa attendant in March 2024] when we were at college and we became friends when we both started working here.
“I love working in the spa and getting to personalise each guest’s experience when they come here. My sisters live in Melbourne in Australia and I’ve been lucky enough to visit them a few times. I would like to follow them out there one day and work in a spa there.”
Angela Sheridan, Head of Learning & Skills: Hair, Beauty, Complementary Therapies and Make-Up Artistry, said: “At Ayrshire College, we are constantly evaluating and evolving the type of courses we offer to best meet our students’ needs. Recently we’ve been seeing learners move away from traditional, longer HNC/HND courses, towards more flexible, skills-focused hair and beauty short courses.
“We have a great relationship with Si! Spa and this partnership has been integral to the success of our short courses programme, which bridges the gap between education and employment. These courses give learners the chance to earn while they learn and build real-world industry experience, in this case, at one of the top spas in Ayrshire. Gracie's journey illustrates how well our students develop job-ready skills to meet their own career aspirations alongside the recruitment needs of the spa industry.”
Alyson Shaw, Spa Manager at Si! Spa, oversees Spa therapist and team development and is a certified Train the Trainer for ishga, ESPA, The Light Salon and Mii.
She said: “There is so much to learn due to the wide range of treatments that we offer at Si! Spa, where we are continuously upskilling our team on new techniques and protocols. We deliver training for all levels of experience within the industry.
“For our trainee therapists, I offer a mentorship style training, allowing us to drip-feed product information alongside their spa attendant role and their treatment training. I deliver the training in bite-sized chunks, catered to each employee’s learning style and at a pace that suit them. Doing this way creates a more inclusive learning environment for our trainees.”
Si! Spa, which currently employs 23 therapists and 2 senior therapists, works closely with Ayrshire College to support its ongoing recruitment needs, this includes attending events, facilitating work placements and student visits. Recruitment will also commence soon for the new Si! Spa at The Waterside, a luxury seafront spa opening at The Waterside Hotel in West Kilbride later this year.
Rebecca Simpson, Spa & Leisure Manager at Si! Spa, added: “We have a great working relationship with Ayrshire College and some of our most recent recruits have come from connections we have made there. We participated in the Beyond the Surface recruitment event at their Kilmarnock campus, which was showcasing the different pathways their courses can lead to. The students were keen and engaged which led to two new recruits and three joining us on a student work placement.
“Abbie was recruited from student placement the previous year, and another recruit Lauren Lynch had already qualified in facials via a short course at Ayrshire College and was due to start the massage course when we took her on. We gained funding through Ayrshire Growth Deal to support Lauren with the massage technician course.
“Gracie is keen, willing to learn and has a genuine passion for the industry. She’s the perfect example of what we look for in Si! Spa therapists. We are lucky to have her as part of our team and we can’t wait to see her progression in the industry.”