New esthetician course comes to Killington

By Katy Savage

Stafford Technical Center has a new satellite program in Killington.  

The tech center is renting space above Spa at the Woods on Woods Lane in Killington to offer an esthetician course for adults. 

The upstairs has been transformed to a classroom to offer training on  nails,cosmetology, facials and eventually massage. 

Charlene Palfey, who has been an esthetician and massage therapist at the Spa at the Woods for about 10 years, started the adult esthetician program at Stafford Technical Center in 2017.

“They just had cosmology at the time,” she said. “I knew there was a need for other services.”

The program outgrew the space at Stafford Tech last semester. 

“We had to scramble to get the rooms together,” she said.

That’s when  Perry Beede, the facilities director at the Woods and members of the board, allowed Palfey’s students to finish the semester up at the Woods. It worked well enough to make the program more permanent. In May, Stafford Technical Center signed a lease for the space. 

“It’s a spa environment that they could potentially work in, it’s a win-win,” said Beede, 40, who started working at The Woods when he was 18.

The yearlong course is offered three days a week. There are about 12 people in the program currently, ranging from recent high school graduates to 47 years old. 

“To be at The Woods, where they can see what real spa life is like, is amazing,” Palfey said. “I wanted to be away from all the mayhem. I thought it would be nice for them to be in a real environment.” 

Palfey got her interest in teaching after she completed an apprenticeship about five years ago. 

“It was a nightmare to get further education,” she said, explaining the quality of education was poor. She wanted to educate people the proper way. 

The Woods has 12 private treatment rooms, a fitness center, sauna, eucalyptus steam, an indoor pool and hot tub. It offers massage, facials, body treatments, acupuncture, and manicures and pedicures.  

 “I get to keep my hands in the field while teaching,” Palfey said.