Gould's Academy Bartlett Campus

Gould's began in 1932, when Sam Gould opened a small hair salon. The business later grew into a company of salons and day spas run by David and Philip Gould, and it added the academy, a cosmetology school. The company reports more than 450 employees. The academy is owned and operated by P & D, LLC, and describes itself as the region's premier cosmetology school.

The academy runs two campuses. Ridgeway (Park Place), at 1203 Ridgeway Rd in Memphis, is 18,000 square feet with seven classrooms, a facial room with ten facial tables, five manicure tables and a student salon with forty workstations and ten hooded dryers. Bartlett, at 8000 US Highway 64 in Bartlett, is also 18,000 square feet, with eight classrooms, a facial room with eight facial tables, fifteen manicure tables and a student salon with fifty-six workstations and eighteen shampoo bowls. Both campuses have spa manicure and pedicure areas with four spa pedicure chairs, a student store, a student break area and ADA-compliant access.

Because all services are performed by students, appointments follow the student schedule. Daytime student services run Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 3:00, and evening services run Monday to Thursday, 5:30 to 10:00. Guest services hours are Monday to Friday, 9:30 am to 2:30 pm and 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm. Every Wednesday, patrons 62 and over receive 10% off any service. Corrections need to be booked within one week of the original service. Children may enter the student salon only when they are receiving a service.

Cosmetology is the largest program, roughly 1,500 hours that can be finished in about twelve months to two years depending on the class schedule. It moves through three levels, from 360 hours of Level 1 instruction and 300 additional hours in Level 2 to Level 3, where students work on real clients in the student salon. The curriculum covers hair design, color, straightening, chemical services, manicures, pedicures and skincare, and it prepares students for the Tennessee and Mississippi state board licensing exams. Day and evening classes are available, full-time or part-time. Tuition makes up about 85% of the program cost, with books, supplies and uniforms covering about 15%.

The academy also offers a 600-hour nail technology program, a 1,500-hour barbering course, an esthetics program, a 650-contact-hour massage therapy program completed over 22 weeks, and a 300-hour instructor program for students preparing to teach. The nail program does not accept transfer hours and includes guest artists who visit regularly. Students may qualify for financing, including through the U.S. Department of Education, and financial aid officers help with options and paperwork.

Students learn by doing: classroom theory comes first, then supervised practice, and finally work on paying clients on the student salon or spa floor.

Working salon and spa floors with student-run stations, facial and manicure rooms, and spa pedicure chairs.