John Grieco
November 7, 2026
Every haircut, beard trim, manicure, facial, and massage sold in the Las Vegas Valley is performed by someone holding a Nevada license. That is true in a Strip resort spa and in the barbershop down the street, and every one of those licenses started in a classroom.
Classrooms at the Academy of Hair Design are as diverse as the industry they feed. About 4 in 10 are Hispanic, and roughly 1 in 6 is Black, and they learn the trade on real clients, with neighbors coming in for haircuts, color, facials, and nail services performed under licensed supervision. Nationally, 43% of barbers are Hispanic, and 29% are Black, each more than double their share of the overall workforce, and two-thirds of manicurists and pedicurists are Asian. Many of our graduates go on to build loyal clientele, rent their own suites, and open their own shops.
Las Vegas depends on that work. More than 350,000 Nevadans work in hospitality, and in 2023, Nevada ranked first among the states for its concentration of skincare specialists, at more than twice the national rate. Resort spas and neighborhood salons cannot open without licensed staff, and much of that staff trains in local schools like the Academy of Hair Design. Close those schools, and the visitor economy loses the pipeline that keeps it running.