Students at LCBT now offer a full “drop-in” service to the public in Soho. The College has two luxurious salons where students can perfect their skills on real customers.

It's not everyday that we can treat ourselves to luxuriously priced beauty treatments, especially nearing the end of the month when we're watching our bank balances. Thankfully, you won't need spend a fortune on facials and pedicures if you visit the London College of Beauty Therapy (LCBT). I recently discovered that inside the college, you can book yourself in for top of the range treatments at a fraction of the expected cost. The college salon is one of London's best kept secrets!

LCBT invests in DermaGenesis M1 Microdermabrasion machines. Microdermabrasion is a core part of the curriculum for students so high quality machines are essential for training. LCBT programme manager Rochelle Saneria said: “It is important that we train and develop our students to the highest standards possible before graduating."

Plenty of head-down, hard work has paid off for students of the London College of Beauty Therapy and the seriously studious were out in force at the college’s Annual Student Award Ceremony. Eileen Cavalier, principal and founder of the college, hosted an afternoon that recognised dedication to the college and professional attitude towards studies. Winners were handed trophies, certificates and gifts from sponsors Sally Hansen, Eillison’s and Su-do.

We’re always on the look-out for cheap thrills so LCBT’s salon price list is music to our ears. All sounds like a right bargain to us - pampering without bank-breaking.

Eileen Cavalier believes a high standard of education is available for all. Her new college facilities reflect her determination to provide a broad training portfolio.

Watching her vision come together, Eileen has made the best use of all the available space, incorporating first-class facilities to reflect both educational skills and those found in the workplace to ensure the seamless transition for students from college to market place.

LCBT was developed to meet the needs of the beauty industry in a way that existing education did not. Since its opening, the college has made huge advances in teaching methods, which have resulted in incredible success rates.

The newly introduced BTEC in Retail Beauty Consultancy qualification is without doubt the most important beauty consultant training initiative ever launched. The fully funded course has been designed to take consultants to a new level of professionalism allowing them to enhance their sales performance and achieve national recognition for their skills. The qualification has the inbuilt flexibility to be tailored to meet individual company needs.

I have really enjoyed my time at LCBT. Getting this award means a lot to me, it’s brilliant to be recognised for putting in the effort. I can’t wait to get stuck into my new job and career.

(Karl was the first male to win LCBT’s Student of the Year Award. After leaving the College, he joined the fabulous beauty retail SpaceNK).