esthetician

front desk receptionist

salon manager

lead receptionist

operations manager

Face Foundrie

I had the opportunity to work at this company during a period of significant change, and my initial impression was quite positive. The workplace was aesthetically pleasing and had a modern feel, contributing to a welcoming atmosphere. The fact that my coworkers were around the same age as me fostered a sense of camaraderie, and the clients I interacted with were consistently kind and pleasant.

However, challenges arose during the launch of a new service menu. The transition brought about confusion due to frequent changes in protocols and the need to rapidly adapt to new product lines within a limited timeframe. Unfortunately, the management's communication regarding work protocols was not as clear as needed. This became evident when I faced repercussions for not adhering to protocols that were not adequately explained to me.

Despite these challenges, I recognized that as a recent graduate in the field, I was willing to compromise on the pay in exchange for the valuable experience and knowledge I gained. However, the demanding schedule, which included working 5-6 days a week, often on weekends, proved to be overwhelming, especially as I was still in the early stages of building my clientele.

Moreover, there were instances where my requested days off were not honored, adding to the inflexibility of the schedule. While I am grateful for the experience I gained, I believe that addressing management issues and improving team communication is crucial for creating a more positive and efficient work environment. Without a well-functioning team and attentive management, the overall potential of the workplace may not be fully realized. I remain optimistic that these aspects will be looked into to enhance the overall experience for future employees.


During my time here, I experienced a work environment that was often marked by drama, unsupportive, and at times, outright disrespectful, particularly in terms of communication from leadership.

There was no PTO or benefits offered, although they were promised, and requesting time off requires an excessive amount of advance notice (often months), even for simple schedule adjustments. Taking a sick day or needing time for a personal emergency was met with judgment or passive-aggressive responses. In some cases, employees received unprofessional or disrespectful messages simply for calling out sick or needing time to deal with personal matters. This created an environment where people felt guilty or anxious just for taking care of their health or well-being.

Management promotes the idea of being a close, supportive team, but in reality, there was little flexibility or genuine care for employee needs. The culture was heavily profit-driven, with constant pressure to improve numbers, often at the expense of basic workplace respect for clients and support. Compensation was low, raises were minimal (if any), and the commission structure offered little real opportunity for growth.

Communication from management was inconsistent, and concerns were rarely addressed directly. Issues were often minimized, ignored, or smoothed over rather than resolved. Instead of being transparent, leadership tended to avoid accountability and only became involved after conflict had already escalated — often due to their own actions or lack of presence.

Turnover was high, and it was common to see employees leave or be fired without their concerns ever being acknowledged. Clients often complained that sales were being pushed too hard and were picking up on the profit expectations. If you’re considering this job, I’d strongly suggest asking how many people have left recently and what the company is doing to improve retention and morale.

I initially started at FACE FOUNDRIÉ because I wanted to hone in on my skills as an AP Esthetician. This is by far one of the WORST companies I have ever worked for. There are no realistic benefits given (no PTO [unless you count 2 days per YEAR that don't roll over], low hourly pay, low commission, tips are okay but not guaranteed, etc.). 
As someone who chose this field for their career, it is genuinely so frustrating to see how little this company actually cares for its employees or its customers. The protocols for all facials are nothing short of terrible. They try to shove in as many things as possible into a 40 minute period that make ZERO sense. I understand the need to introduce new product lines to your clientele, but doing it at the expense of their skin (which often times they are coming in to FIX) is simply pathetic. 
The lack of training and communication when it comes to an entire menu overhaul is appalling. Again, each facial is anywhere from 40 to 50 minutes. There are so many steps shoved into each facial that it makes it nearly impossible to finish on time without feeling like you just slathered product all over your client's face and told them to have a nice day. 
Management is an absolute clown show. I have never met management more selfish and money hungry in my entire life. Having to BEG the owners to get the pay you deserve for the amount of work required to perform this job adequately is nightmare fuel. There is no room for growth at this company unless you want to sacrifice your paycheck. Not to mention the manager ALWAYS comes in with an attitude and wonders why the team doesn't want to speak to her. 
TLDR: I would STRONGLY advise you to do your research on this company and look literally anywhere else for employment. 

The environment was unstable: new policies were constantly introduced without explanation, and expectations shifted weekly. Management communication was poor and dismissive. The assistant manager and lead esthetician, who were supposed to be supportive resources, often talked down to you or made you feel stupid for asking questions, creating a discouraging atmosphere.

Even as a top-performing esthetician, your hours were frequently cut (sometimes multiple times in one week) even if you had clients scheduled. There was also a serious issue where clients were repeatedly being reassigned to one specific esthetician without consent. Five estheticians came forward to management about this, and only then did it stop, no explanation or accountability was ever provided.

There was intense sales pressure, with weekly numbers compared publicly and a strong push to make as much money off each client as possible. Even if you were the top-performing esthetician for months, there were no opportunities for advancement, just small prizes. The front desk staff often lacked professionalism and skincare knowledge, with minors being hired who sat on their phones and gave incorrect client advice. Even after concerns were raised, management ignored it, saying “they’re just young.” Overall, it was a toxic, unsupportive environment with no real investment in your growth.

I was initially excited to begin my career as a newly licensed esthetician with this company, especially because it was women-owned, which aligned with my values. However, I quickly realized that the management lacked professionalism and experience, and there was a noticeable focus on self-interest rather than employee or client well-being. I witnessed several instances where customers were treated and spoken to inappropriately, and the workplace environment was often plagued by unnecessary drama, frequently instigated by management. 

Unfortunately, employee concerns and feedback were disregarded, and the overall atmosphere felt disingenuous. Advancement opportunities were rare and typically only offered as a reaction to employees threatening to leave, rather than as a genuine effort to support growth. Training was inadequate, with limited opportunities to develop necessary skills, yet there was pressure to meet unrealistic sales and membership targets, sometimes at the expense of client honesty and satisfaction. The outward appearance of friendliness and professionalism often masked deeper issues within the organization.

Working at this company was one of the worst experiences of my life. The workplace environment was incredibly toxic, primarily due to the manager, who was a narcissist and constantly showed favoritism. It was clear that certain employees received preferential treatment, which created a lot of tension and resentment among the rest of the team.

The pay was incredibly low, and despite numerous promises of raises and career advancement, none of these promises were ever fulfilled. Management would dangle the prospect of growth and better pay to keep you motivated, but it was all just empty words. There was no real opportunity for professional development or advancement within the company.

Additionally, the company took advantage of employees' ambitions and dreams, using them for their own benefit without any intention of rewarding or acknowledging hard work. This led to a very demoralizing and frustrating work experience.

Overall, this job made me absolutely hate my life. The combination of a toxic manager, unfair treatment, poor pay, and false promises made this an unbearable place to work. I would strongly advise anyone considering a position here to look elsewhere.

If you have a genuine interest in improving people’s lives without questioning your morals do not work here. The working dynamics from owner to managers to estheticians to receptionists/social media personnel are unprofessional and severely lack effective communication and consideration. No matter your role at FACE FOUNDRIÉ - Chicagoland: esthetician, manger, receptionist, or social media crew you will be pushed to work past your limits, experience extreme favoritism, be reminded constantly to sell products/services even when they are not beneficial, have your concerns dismissed by every single level of management (including the owner), consistently pick up slack for others (with no managerial support), and scrape for work hours. 
This is a good place to work if you are not a hard worker, do not want to consistently positively impact the lives of others, and want to double check your wages once the paystub hits. 

I will never recommend you work for this company. First of all the pay is incredibly low compared to other spas and you are incredibly overworked for the compensation you are granted. The manager and owner get to work leisurely whenever they would like from home and are never accountable for any of the actions as there are no "higher ups" to go to. The communication is extremely poor between the company and the employees in regards to promotions, policies, and the tasks of day to day operations. This company is greedy and will take every penny they and leave you with nothing. They only care about themselves and will never listen to you as an employee, they check on their inadequate manager and that is all. You will not be valued as an employee here and will leave with no clients to take with you to other spas as they refuse to share where you go after you leave and do not allow you to reach out directly to your clients. I 100% recommend you start your career elsewhere. 

I've worked at a couple different locations due to me moving city's and both were very similar experiences. The work itself was great! Very easy days from start to finish. My clients were great and I built great relationships with them. However the management was very messy. Staff were always treated poorly and expected to do too much when it came to sales. The company only cares about how much money they are making and do not pay their staff enough. I started the job making $13.00 an hour and working there for three years ending at $14.30 an hour. I had an advanced degree and was making the same as new employees who were coming in with a basic degree. Poor work life balance. You will not get a weekend off and it's hard to get any days off even if you ask off 6 months in advance. I wanted to love working here but there was too much drama with the management so I ended up leaving.

This is a great job for entry level estheticians as bare minimum. 
-You don’t get commission for your services and only 2% for product sales. 
-You have to pay to park. 
-The booking fluctuate terribly where you will be cut from the day right before you go in or only show up for 2-3 appointments. This happens most days so it’s hard to depend on this for consistent income. 
-Management is very poor most of the time there is no manager available. 
-You are paid minimum wage on top of low commission. 
-This location runs through staff like a wild fire and has a hard time retaining other estheticians. 
-They depend on you to help with bookings but will not pay out for the services. 
-No PTO offered. 

I would not recommend this place to seasoned estheticians. This is good for people newly out of school because they will train you but it is not a long term job. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Esthetician 86 salaries reported	$25.52 per hour
Front desk receptionist 55 salaries reported	$18.57 per hour
Salon manager 9 salaries reported	$59,167 per year
Lead receptionist 13 salaries reported	$20.85 per hour
Operations manager 4 salaries reported	$65,000 per year

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