Week 1...

For your first week beauty and massage students will be all together to learn elemis deep tissue massage. This massage is really simple once you get the hang of it, just make lots of notes and practice. I used to practice on my pillow at the ymca.

Your first week properly starts on the Tuesday. You will have to do a presentation about yourself to Debbie who is high up at Steiner. From this moment on, the Steiner staff will be looking at you and judging your abilities to see what ship you will be suited on, so make sure you are yourself but be confident, loud and clear. Try and make people laugh, add personality and move around a tad. You will be doing so much public speaking so show that you can do it.

Like I said your first week will be body treatments so try to learn the body products as you will have a test on the products and then a practical exam on the Saturday on the massage, so take notes. For elemis treatments you will have to take your shoes and pop socks off, and always wash and sanitize yours and the client's hands to perform a safe working treatment.

The massage consists of:

• Welcome Touch (this is a foot cleansing ritual using heated mitts and lime essential oil. This relaxes the client and introduces them to your touch)
• Body Brushing (you use a body brush and tea tree SOS spray and brush the clients front body, then turn them over and brush the back of their body. This helps to improve skin tone and texture, remove dead skin cells, increase cell renewal and helps the skin to absorb oils)
• Abdominal Breathing (you tell your client to breathe in through their nose and exhale through their mouths. You place your hands on the client's chakaras. This will relax the client and give them the best out of the treatment)
• Back Massage (you will use your forearms and do Lomi Lomi movements)
• Back of Leg Massage (you will use your forearms again)
• Front of Leg Massage (you have to use forearms again but this is freestyle so you don't have to learn any specific moves. Just do your normal routine but with forearms)
• Arm Massage (this is the same as front of legs, you have to use forearms but it is freestyle)
• Decollete Massage (this is very easy just lots of repetitive movements)
• Scalp Massage (Optional) (this again is very easy, you should get a handout to follow but it is just repeating movements slowly)
• Ring Tingsha Bells (start at feet, ring once and move bells to client's ears without knocking them again)

This may seem really complicated but I can assure you that it will come so easily after time and practice. You will also learn the trolley and bed set up in this week. From the above list you wont be learning it all in a day, you will do it bit by bit. If you don't understand something ask, or get your trainer to demonstrate it again.

On the Saturday you will have an exam but it won't be super intense. You have one trainer observing 25-20 girls so they won't be watching your every move, but don't take that advice as you can slack because you can't. If you fail the exam you will have to re-do the first week again and become a week behind.

After the exam, on Sunday you will leanr a new treatment. This one you have to make notes on as that Sunday might be the only time you ever do the treatment. The treatment is the Aroma Spa Ocean Wrap Seaweed Massage. This is a long treatment which is super luxurious for guest's.

You do the same welcome touch, body brushing and abdominal breathing as in the massage. You then mix a seaweed mask with 150ml of hot water and 50ml of cold water. You then apply with one hand holding the bowl and one hand applying the product over your clients body. Be quick as your client is hardly wearing anything and they will be cold. Use off product and cover as much as their skin as possible. You then wrap them up in foil and clean yours hands, and perform a scalp massage. You will then have to escort your client to the shower where they can rinse it off. I warn you now that the showers at training are super cold and spurt out like crazy. They come back in and you wrap them up in a dry foil wrap (basically the first wrap puts the seaweed mask into the skin and the dry foil wrap draws out the toxins and impurities) followed by a foot massage. Again the client will have to rinse this off. Afterwards the client gets to choose between a 25 minutes back, neck and shoulder massage or a 50 minute full body massage.

I know again that sounds long and complicated but this treatment is very fun, just don't get the mask on your uniforms as the mask stains.

On the Sunday you will also be told what you will be specialising in for the next couple of weeks. If your massage then you stay as massage. If your a beauty therapist you could be either doing elemis facials, la therpaie (facial electricals) or Inothermie (body electricals). If you struggle with what is given to you, you can ask to change but you will be behind.

My next post will explain about the next few weeks you will have at training. Sorry for a lengthy and detailed post again.

Thanks so much for reading

Meg Rose

xxx

First Day Of Training...

Your first day of training at Steiner may be scary or nerve-wrecking, but I can assure you the first day is the easiest thing you will do. I would say it can be a bit boring at times on the first day. This first day is your medical exam and I can't stress enough for you to have the money you need in CASH! You don't want to be causing complications on the first day.

You have to be up super early on your first Monday (you will get told this when you check in at the YMCA), for me it was 4.45am/5am. I had to be down in the reception area at 6.15am ready to leave for 6.30am. I wanted to give myself enough time to get ready, but over training you will learn to do your makeup in 10 minutes and hair super quickly, as you want the most amount of sleep you can get.

You will then walk to the bus station (I just followed everyone else) to catch a coach which took us to the doctors place. It was very weird. It was a converted garage and it had 2 cars inside. Make sure you have water with you as you are asked for a wee sample (they provided the pots and there are toilets there) before you go in to see the doctor.

This part is one of the worst bits. You have to sit and wait in the room until your name is called and then go in to one of the rooms. You can weighed, measured, asked questions and some other little tests. After this you go through to another room and get your blood taken. I really don't want to worry anyone but I wish I had brought pain killers as my arm ached afterwards. It wasn't like I was in pain but it was like a constant dull ache. (please don't be scared). You then go in groups of 4 in a taxi to the nearest hospital to get your chest x-ray done. You then wait for the taxi man to come back and collect you, to drive you to the training academy. You then have to go to the conference room and hand in paperwork and little pieces like that. You then go into a little office and try on uniform sizes and collect your uniforms. When trying on the uniform keep in mind that you will be doing alot of massage and lunging movements so I went for a bigger size as my size didn't have my moveability. Then its lunch :)

After lunch it is mainly just presentations, meeting a few members of staff, and you also will get the opportunity to ask whatever questions you would like. You then get directions to the bus stop and you get to go back to the YMCA early.

I would then have dinner, relax and revise a little on body products and ingredients as the next few weeks will test your knowledge and abilities.

I really hope you enjoyed reading this and thank you if you made it to the end.

Thanks for watching

Meg Rose

xxx

The YMCA...

During training you will be staying in the Watford YMCA. Many people give bad reviews of this accommodation but its free and you get a free meal everyday. I honestly liked the YMCA. It wasn't fancy or amazing but it was what you need from a living space.

Firstly I'm going to talk about when you first arrive at the YMCA. You go into the reception and fill in a form, hand in your photos and then get given a key. This key will have a room number and a letter on it. Mine was '3053B' the 3 meant level 3 and the B meant bed B. All beds have letters and you are assigned a bed which i very fair. After you get given your key you will need to go in the lift and find your room. There may or may not be girls in the room but they should be expecting you so don't be too nervous. I would then find your bed, and get a bit settled. Unpack a little get out some toiletries, make your bed etc. Make it into as much of your space as you can.

On level 2 there is a computer room, wifi and a community are. There is also the canteen where you can get your dinner from everyday. To do this you walk in and in the queue on the wall is a sanitizer pump and a scanner. You need your room key for food, as on the other side of your number is a bar code. You scan this and a slip for food prints out. In the canteen there is also salad and jacket potato sheets where you can book them. You have to do this either the night before or on the morning of the day you want them.

In the YMCA there are 3 iron and boards and you can collect them at any time from reception but you can only use them in the hallways of your floor. You will usually find that in the mornings someone will get an ironing board and every girl will use it.

There are only 3/4 washing machines available for Steiner girls. You have to book them on the morning you want them and you do this at 7am at reception. Its first come first serve so if you get down there and there are already 4 people wanting machines you wont get one. I usually went down half ready at 6.50 to get them. If you cant get one then you can wash your stuff by hand in your sink.

That's all I have to say about the basics of the YMCA. I'm now going to shortly tell you about the area it is located in.

Literally as soon as you walk out of the YMCA you are in the town centre. There is every shop you can think of and a massive shopping centre. This is a massive bonus. At the end of the high-street there are clubs and bars which are really good to go to. Me and my friends went out to celebrate when we passed exams etc. Our favourite bar was Lloyd's Bar. You have a curfew so make sure you remember this and don'

t get drunk if your going to the academy the next day. The bus stop is directly outside also and the bus journey is around 30 minutes. The YMCA is also very close to 2 tube stations - 'Watford Junction' and 'Watford High Street'.

I really enjoyed staying at the YMCA, I don't have much negatives to say just apart from i wish there was more washing machines but its not a big issue as i had a sink in my room.

Thanks For Reading

Meg Rose

xxx

Preparing For Training - Part 2...

This is the second blog post about how to prepare for training. The last post focussed more on what to do and here I'm going to list a few of the essentials that you need to bring with you for training and life on board. Please don't think that this list is what you have to follow this is just what I took/wish i had taken with me. I didn't take any winter clothing but you may get a ship that goes to Alaska, so just be prepared for that. I'm going to bullet point this list as I feel like it will be easier to read and to understand:

• A Good Suitcase - They do say to get a fold-able one which I did but lots of girls didn't get one of those. It's up to you what case you bring. It's also vital that you stick to the 23kg limit. You might buy more stuff in London so to make sure you aren't worrying I would go to training with 19/20kg.
• Swimwear - Most of the ships go to hot countries so your going to need a good variety of swimwear. I got mine from primark or sainburys nothing fancy as I'm sure I will be buying more whilst I'm out there. I have just got 4 bikinis and 1 cut out swimsuit.
• Formal Dresses - I would take at least 2 formal maxi dresses for gala/formal nights on the ship. I just had 2 cheap plain ones which I can jazz up with jewellery if I want to. What you also need to keep in mind is the weight as really nice and embellished dresses can be very heavy.
• Glasses/Contacts - If your like me and blind then you need make sure your glasses are in a good condition and if you want to buy spare pairs then you have time to. I didn't have enough money to do this but I have loads of contact lenses to take with me. I'm also taking my prescription with me so if I come across a glasses shop I can get some new glasses.

• Shoes - I personally am not big on shoes, but I have never bought so many in my life. I would say the essentials are the uniform shoes which you have to buy (when you get your uniform for your ship then you get told what shoes you need), basic flats i have got some black ones, I've got a pair of boots but I'm going to wear them on the plane as they are really heavy, sandals, flip flops, converse dupes (as I can't afford normal converse), pumps from primark and I can't forget some fluffy slippers.

• New Clothes - Only if you need to! I had no colour in my wardrobe and hardly any summer clothing so I did buy a lot of clothes. Bright tops, patterned bottoms, dresses, kimonos etc. I would just say to make sure you have a good variety of clothing and take things that you can mix and match so you have lots of different outfits to choose from.
• Toiletries - I wouldn't have too many toiletries in your case for your ship. I just got loads of mini things from primark. I got body wash, hairspray, deodorant, mouth wash, toothpaste, moisturiser and 'time of the month' things. Just take enough with you for a little while on the ship as you can still buy it all when you are on there. For training I would stock up and take lots with you maybe a months worth as it will save you having to buy lots as usually when you get back to the YMCA the shops are all shut.

• Makeup - Steiner are very big on makeup. Make sure you have complexion items such as foundations, bb creams or tinted moisturiser and please bring blush and lipstick with you as they love love love lipstick and blush. I just use natural collection blushes as they are only £2 but they are really good and I love the new Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipsticks/Stains. They come in so many colours and stay on like a dream. I am obsessed with makeup so I have got lots with me (around 4kg worth) just take with you everything you think you will need and bring items that will last.

• Coats - It's up to you whether you take a coat or not. I didn't bring a winter coat as I hoped I would get a hot country. I did however buy a really good raincoat. Not one of those poncho looking ones that can look awful, but I bought one from Next and it looks good and is water proof (plus its lightweight which is a bonus). You don't have to bring one but you have to think about training as well. Its in England and depending on what time of year you do training then you may need a winter or rain coat.
• Umbrella - This is not really for your ships but for training as England has a habit of changing weather quickly I always have one in my handbag just in case it rains.
• Medication - Make sure you have all your prescribed medications that you need and also sea sickness tablets, painkillers, the pill etc. I keep mine all in one of my small handbags so I dont lose them and so the tablets don't get squashed.
• Smart Wear - For your first day of training and when you got to join your ship you need to be in smart clothing. This is where you make your first impressions so make sure you look amazing, have makeup one and hair up in a neat bun.
• Plug Converters - Most of the plug sockets in the UK use 3 pins but on the ships as they are American they probably have 2 pins so I have got some converters to take with me so I can actually charge my things up.
• iPad/Tablet - I would highly recommend this as you don't want to be using your 3G by accident on the ship as that will cost a bomb. I got a Samsung tablet that can only use WiFi for Skype calls home. I thought this would be easier as I will know for certain that I won't be charged anything extra.
• Clear Plastic Bag - This is for training and I've also heard for on-board as well. You are asked to buy a clear handbag to bring all your things in on your first week as they like to see what you have. You can usually get these from boots or superdrug.

• Stationary - You need to ensure you have pens and notepads but I would highly suggest to have some coloured pens or highlighters as this may help you learn the routines and products.
• Food - For training I would bring as much food as you want. Crisps, snacks, chocolates etc. There is no fridge so you will probably be buying your lunch everyday but if you can save yourself money by buying bulk from poundland with crisps etc then go for it. If you don't fancy taking loads of food with you then there is a poundland right outside the YMCA.
• Washing Powder/Liquid - In the YMCA you have to do your own washing so you need to have your own washing powder or liquid. Also sometimes you can't get the washing machines as there is a limited number and they have to be booked so you will have to wash your clothes in the sink in your room.
• Toilet Roll - This may seem silly but if you share a toilet then the toilet roll will run out quickly. I shared mine with about 20 girls and the cleaners did change the rolls but occasionally I would go into the toilet and there would be none left. I would just bring around 2 rolls.
• Pop Socks - In training you HAVE to wear pop socks all the time. You can get them any where but they are the ones that are long nude socks that go over your knees.

• White Shoes - I would personally just go into primark and get whatever white shoes there are (that are practical of course).
• Towels - You are not provided with your own towel for showering with so you have to bring your own with you.

• Hair Supply's - Bring lots of doughnuts, hair ties and bobby pins and your hair has to look immaculate everyday.
• Foot Spray - This may sound weird but once you start with Steiner there is a saying of 'Steiner Feet' as most of the girls feet smelt due to the combination of pop socks and cheap shoes. You don't need this but you might want it just in case.

Sorry if this was another lengthy blog post but again I wanted to put as much information I can think of in my blog.

Thanks For Reading

Meg Rose

xxx