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Beauty Therapist salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a beauty therapist is $61,300 per annum, before tax, up $13,000 since 2018.
- Pay is usually set by the award or an enterprise agreement, and where a salon runs a sales incentive, commission on skincare and retail can add to it.
- The setting matters as much as the job title: day spas, skin clinics and larger salons tend to pay above the award, while smaller salons often sit at it.
- Because clients book evenings, Saturdays and the weeks before Christmas, penalty rates can form a real part of weekly earnings.
The median salary rose by $13,000 between 2018 and 2024; the dashed line shows a projection to 2028 based on the real ABS Wage Price Index growth rate, not a role-specific forecast.
Roles that pay more than beauty therapist
The largest typical pay rise is $22,900 a year, moving into Store Manager.
- Store Manager+$22,900/yr
- Salon Manager+$3,700/yr
- Hairdresser+$1,600/yr
How to negotiate a higher beauty therapist salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time beauty therapist salary is $61,300; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Beauty Therapists are on the national skills shortage list, so employers are more likely to move on price to keep or attract someone in a role they're struggling to fill.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Hair and beauty services and Personal care services tend to command a premium over general beauty therapist experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Store Manager pays a typical $22,900 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Beauty Therapist salary questions
How much do beauty therapists earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a beauty therapist is $61,300 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is beauty therapist pay rising or falling?
The median beauty therapist salary is up $13,000 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than beauty therapist?
Store Manager pays a typical $22,900 a year more and draws on similar skills to beauty therapist.
Related salaries
- Store Manager salary
- Massage Therapist salary
- Makeup Artist salary
- Salon Manager salary
- Hairdresser salary
- Salon Assistant salary
Pay advice
- How to ask for a pay rise, and back it up with real numbersWhat national wage growth looks like right now, how to work out a figure for your own role, wording you can adapt for the conversation, and what to do if the answer is no.
- The average salary in Australia (2026)Full-time adults in Australia averaged $2,083.70 a week in May 2026. Several measures get called the average salary, and this explains which one fits your situation.
- Overtime pay, time in lieu and what your award saysOvertime rates come from your award or agreement, not one national rule. How rates work, what happens on a salary, and how time off in lieu works.