Through community, education, and opportunity, Adam Ross introduces a new way forward for estheticians.
Adam Ross has never shied away from shaking up the status quo. A decade after co-founding Heyday—the brand that brought facials out of the luxury spa and into everyday life—Ross is turning his attention to the professionals behind the service. Launching October 20th, The Esti Confidential is Ross’s new app-based membership platform—available on both Apple and Google—created exclusively for licensed estheticians.
“The esthetics category is unfortunately outdated when it comes to online tools and communities,” Ross says. “There’s nothing out there today to help estheticians stop guessing and start growing. This is about giving estheticians the tools, resources, and support they deserve.”
His mission is straightforward: to build a frictionless, safe space where estheticians can learn from one another, connect with brands, access training, and find the kind of business education that has long been absent from the profession. With a $10-a-month membership, The Esti Confidential will offer estheticians access to education, brand partnerships where they can get exclusive offers and savings, business tools, and a private forum for advice, troubleshooting, and peer-to-peer support. It’s a bold bet on a profession Ross describes as both passionate and underserved.
Below, in his first interview about The Esti Confidential, Ross talks candidly about the lessons he learned from Heyday, the gaps he sees in esthetics education, and why he believes now is the moment to build a platform “by estheticians, for estheticians.”
Mary Bemis: What did those early Heyday years teach you about estheticians?
Adam Ross, Founder & CEO, The Esti Confidential
Adam Ross: We launched in June 2015, literally ten years ago now—we always prided ourselves on being an employer of choice for estheticians. A lot of companies use that as a buzzword, but for us it became a core focus. It wasn’t just about consistent financial pay. We wanted estheticians to earn money whether they were doing a facial or not, and to remove a lot of the issues that come with being an independent contractor or sole business owner. We went just as much into learning, growth, and training. For craft-based trades—and esthetics is certainly one—growth and development are as important as pay. It’s the chance to improve the craft they’re so passionate about.
MB: You’ve hired thousands of estheticians across the country. What gaps did you see in their education?
AR: Most state-certified courses are about the basics—sanitation, foundational skincare. But where’s the business 101 for estheticians? Where’s the advanced education? It’s just not there. And in 2025, that’s crazy. It should be seamless and frictionless for them to keep learning.
MB: Is that what sparked The Esti Confidential?
AR: Exactly. Not all estheticians want to work for a Heyday. I saw a number of estheticians who had a fantastic experience with us but wanted to go out and be their own solo entrepreneurs. Every year, I’d see five to 10 percent of our estheticians wanting to do that. Some keep a couple of days at Heyday for security, but there’s a trend toward independence and empowerment.The problem is: once they step outside of a structured system, they don’t have anywhere to go. They don’t know where to learn more about skincare or more about business. That’s the void The Esti Confidential will fill.
“There’s nothing out there today to help estheticians stop guessing and start growing. This is about giving estheticians the tools, resources, and support they deserve.”—Adam Ross
MB: You’ve said that the void for estheticians has been around for decades. When did this become so clear to you?
AR: Probably the 1990s. Facials became more accepted in the 1980s—a gold stamp on a skincare routine. But it was embraced by women who had the time and money, the 45- to 65- year-old demographic. The industry grew, but it stayed fragmented. There was no holistic approach to elevating and growing the craft of estheticians. Even today, in big resorts or multinational brands, there’s not much investment in the human behind the service. Too often it’s ‘our way or the highway’—here are the products, here’s the protocol. No training, no culture, no growth. Why should a consumer pay $260 or $400 for a facial in that setting if the esthetician isn’t engaged or supported? Ask anyone if they expect a good facial at a hotel spa—and if it’s worth the price—and most would say absolutely not. Compounding the problem is isolation. It’s quite a lonely profession. Many estheticians work independently without colleagues to lean on. If an esthetician in Texas has a question and doesn’t work at a spa, who do they go to?
MB: What will members find when they join?
AR: A safe space, a forum, just for licensed estheticians. They can ask questions, share advice, troubleshoot client cases, talk business, talk products. There will be courses, workshops, and direct brand access—including Image Skincare, Naturopathica, Environ, Alchimie Forever, One Love Organics, and Mowellens. They’ll save money, learn, and feel connected. The numbers back this up. From a survey we did this spring, 63 percent of estheticians said they don’t know where to go for answers. Only 8 percent said their initial product training was sufficient. That tells me everything.
MB: Where do you see the most interest coming from?
AR: That’s a really good question. Ideally from both groups—those who work for existing multi-door brands like the Heydays of the world, and the indie estheticians who will feel like they have a partner helping them grow in their career.
MB: How do you expect industry groups to respond?
AR: Some will welcome me. Some will feel threatened. Why? Because I’m shaking up the status quo and disrupting their potential membership revenue or revenue from very outdated training courses.
MB: And the launch?
AR: October 20th. Four of us are on the launch team. We’ll grow as we need to. I want this to evolve by listening to the community. At the end of the day, it’s about helping estheticians be the best version of themselves.
MB: So, how do estheticians join?
AR: It’s simple. Go to esticonfidential.com. In the coming days we’ll be updating the landing page. You’ll be able to download the app from the Apple or Google store in 30
seconds.
MB: What does success look like to you?
AR: I’m less focused on numbers than on engagement. I want this to be one of the top apps that estheticians use every day. Down the road, I’d love for online courses and community to evolve into in-person gatherings—maybe an annual convention. But it’s about listening to the community and growing together. At the end of the day, this will shake the tree—and that should be a good thing for estheticians. That’s all that matters.
Ross speaks with urgency, conviction, and more than a decade of hard-won insight. If Heyday opened the doors of facials to clients everywhere, The Esti Confidential opens the doors of possibility to estheticians themselves. Whether embraced or resisted, his new platform places estheticians at the center of the conversation—where, he insists, they have always belonged.
Mary Bemis
Mary Bemis is Founder & Editorial Director of InsidersGuidetoSpas.com. An advocate for all things spa, Mary forged a vocabulary for spa reportage that is widely used by those who cover the issues today. Recently honored as a Top 30 Influential Voice Transforming Wellness by Medika Life, Mary is an inaugural honoree of Folio’s Top Women in Media Award. Her spa media roots run deep—in 1997, she launched American Spa magazine, in 2007, she co-founded Organic Spa magazine, and in between serving on the ISPA and NYSPA Board of Directors, she was on the launch teams of Luxury SpaFinder and New Beauty magazines. Named a "Wonder Woman of Wellness" by American Spa magazine, Mary was honored by the International Spa Association with the distinguished ISPA Dedicated Contributor Award. She is a special advisor to the non-profit Global Wellness Day.
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