The Bali International Spa Academy (BISA) is launching a licensing programme for those interested in opening or expanding an internationally-accredited spa or massage school.

Penny Ellis, founder of BISA, said the move was driven by a strong interest from the industry to learn to replicate BISA’s spa, massage, aesthetics and wellness education programme. The training school is a Confederation of International Beauty Therapy And Cosmetology (CIBTAC)-endorsed training provider, and has won numerous awards, including CIBTAC Centre of the Year in 2014 and 2015.

“We’ve been getting steady requests for years,” Ellis told Spa Opportunities. “We’re very confident that it’s going to go quite well.”

Ellis said she’s spent the past 18 months developing the programme, which she hopes will be the “gold standard for the industry,” and has had requests from India, China, Mauritius and Africa.

Ellis explained: “The demand for well-trained spa therapists far outstrips the current supply, and so more schools of an international standard are necessary to sustain the sector’s estimated 10 per cent annual growth rate.”

The basic two-year licensing programme starts at US$9,000 (€8,029; £5,712) and involves up to three students spending two months of intensive training at the school. There, they will learn how to train the BISA way, which involves starting the day with yoga and meditation, followed by hands-on training.

Subjects include training the trainer, anatomy and physiology, traditional Balinese treatments, body scrubs and wraps, Swedish massage, warm stone massage, aromatherapy massage, waxing, manicure and pedicure, facial, cream bath hair treatment, spa therapy and advanced therapist training.

“It’s a huge amount of hands-on compared to usual schools, so they can learn very, very quickly, and learn to a high level very, very quickly,” said Ellis.

Licensees will also receive advisory support, including visits from Ellis four times a year, and access to BISA’s school operations manual. Exams will follow the BISA format, and BISA will issue certificates directly from its head office after students pass exams.

Schools can also choose to add on specialised courses such as Ayurvedic programmes, maternity programmes, career development programmes, or two holistic programmes, for an extra fee, and BISA will send a trainer to the school for two-week modules. Ellis said that any size school can participate in the programme.

“We’re trying to be as flexible as we can be so we can tailor-make it for whatever people want,” said Ellis.