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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.
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.