28 Issue 101 July 2012 InternatIonal therapIst www.fht.org.uk

A step back in timeAs the FHT celebrates its 50th anniversary we take a few

moments to reflect on how it all started

Widely considered as the ‘father of beauty therapy’, FHT’s founder, Wallace S

Sharps, had several careers before becoming a photographer and running a modelling agency in London during the 1950s.

Many of the models on the agency’s books, including Wendy Craig, wanted to learn how to apply make-up for the camera and also take care of their skin, as their careers depended on striking good looks and maintaining a youthful complexion. This, combined with a chance meeting with Helena Rubinstein, prompted a radical change in direction for Wallace Sharps.

Wallace Sharps met Rubinstein in 1955 while independent television was being launched in the UK. She was the owner of a successful cosmetics brand and beauty salon on Grafton Street, London, and passionately believed in the treatment of the ‘whole woman’, not just the application of cosmetics. This was advanced thinking

for its time, and having taken on board Rubinstein’s point that physical corrective

treatments were the future, Wallace Sharps set out to revolutionise the approach towards beauty treatment. He carried out extensive research and worked with medical consultants, providing him with the theory he needed to develop a scientifically orientated beauty routine, as well as equipment that would produce specific cosmetic results.

The next step was to train people in this innovative approach and create employment opportunities, so in 1962 he created the first beauty training school in the UK, Du Barry International. It wasn’t long before the

In 1970, Wallace sharps was appointed by government to be chairman of the beauty sub-committee of the statutory hairdressing and allied Industry training Board. the board had the legal power to place a charge on salons, rebated for employers providing their employees with appropriate training.

In 1972, the society joined City & Guilds as a corporate member and persuaded it to set up a Beauty therapy Certificate in 1974. Wallace sharps served on the working party and later, the beauty, hairdressing and personal services committee, for a continuous period of 22 years.

In 1980, Wallace sharps was the prime

mover towards the drive for standardisation of qualification in the therapy sector and became chair of the health and Beauty therapy training Board to devise nVQ/sVQ standards. this he did for many years, where he gave his time and expertise for free in what was a very difficult task.

In the late ’80s/early ’90s, he embraced the concept of holistic therapy as it complemented his original vision of treating the client as a ‘whole’ person. at this point, still director of VtCt, he widened the scope of training to include the new complementary and sports therapies, which he felt further fulfilled this aim.

Wallace Sharps: mover and shaker

the strict examinations taken by Du Barry students were the first of their kind, incorporating a scientific basis that moved away from the cosmetic sales that had so dominated beauty training up until this point. anatomy and physiology classes, taught by a nurse, became mandatory – while a&p is a standard part of any hands-on therapy qualification today, it was never previously considered necessary for beauty therapists.

FHT | History

1997 Fht announces its first email address to members. Back then, only a handful of emails were received each month. now the Fht responds to more than 5,400 queries via email every year.

1997 the advertising standards authority clamps down on claims made for anti-cellulite creams, saying it had yet to see scientific evidence that creams alone can reduce, shape or remove cellulite.

another arm of Beautishape International was the development of new products and equipment for physical corrective treatments. It was his research and work alongside medical consultants that gave Wallace sharps the theoretical knowledge required to develop items such as the super autoslim and electrovac and to bring high frequency and audio-sonic vibration into the beauty arena for cosmetic purposes.

It’s interesting to note that while the machines Wallace sharps developed were seen as new and innovative in the ’60s, often the underlying principle or concept had been around for many years, if not centuries. For instance, the vacuum cups of the super autoslim machine closely mirrored the cupping used in traditional Chinese Medicine, which – among other things – improves circulation to the area applied.

Wallace sharps toured his Beautishape products around the world, with the support of government initiatives that were keen to show off British businesses and innovations overseas. his equipment was perhaps best received in the Middle east. the boom in oil produced multi-millionaires in the arab states, whose wives often wanted to become more ‘Westernised’, which included having the latest beauty treatments. this meant having equipment in their homes or visiting luxury salons offering the latest treatments.

While exhibiting his Beautishape equipment at a business exhibition in Finland, prince philip, who was on tour, took a great interest in the Beautishape steam and sauna Bath, and requested one for the palace. as a thank you, he gave Wallace sharps a wooden sauna that

had been presented to edward VII, which was eventually given to the science Museum and is now in storage.

When princess Diana and prince Charles were setting up home in Kensington palace, they too requested a Beautishape steam and sauna Bath. When it was suggested to Wallace sharps this would make a wonderful gift for the newlyweds, he made it quite clear they would be getting an invoice as they could afford the purchase – a story that will no doubt make those who knew Wallace sharps smile.

the Beautishape brand of equipment did extremely well in the ’60s and ’70s, but eventually started to suffer in the 1980s as manufacturing in the UK became too expensive and a number of the companies Wallace sharps had worked with went out of business.

l Vibro-Belt treatment, steam Bath, body massage and shower – 2gns. Course of six – 10gns.

l steam Bath, full body massage by hand with essential oils, cologne vapour rub and shower – 2gns.

Course of six – 10gns.l specialised bust correction

treatments – consultation and diagnosis, 2gns; treatment 3gns; course of six, £15.15

l epilation - Complete legs (ankles to thighs) – 1½gns

l Full massage of face, neck

and shoulders, face mask and make-up – 1½gns

l Manicure with hand and arm massage – 10/6d

In today’s money, one guinea (gn) would be worth about £17, when the average salary was around £700 a year.

Beauty with BeautishapeBeautishape International was part of the Du Barry Group, owned by Wallace sharps in the 1960s.

the Beautishape Clinic, based at Du Barry house in James street, london, employed Du Barry graduates; highly skilled beauty therapists who could provide clients with the latest beauty therapy treatments, tailored to meet their needs. the clinic also provided Du Barry students with the opportunity to work on members of the public, in real salon conditions (similar to many arrangements in colleges today).

certificate and periodic newsletters that were hand-typed and printed on coloured paper using a mimeograph machine. They also had to abide by the first Code of Ethics produced for beauty therapists by Wallace Sharps, printed in 1962 (to see a revised 1968 copy, visit www.fht.org.uk/kt/1968codeofethics )

Initially, membership was only available to Du Barry graduates, but this changed when the society established an examination system (based upon the syllabi taught at Du Barry) and rolled this out to other training schools and technical colleges.

By 1964 Wallace Sharps had coined the

www.fht.org.uk InternatIonal therapIst Issue 101 July 2012 29

History | FHT

InternatIonal therapIst www.fht.org.uk

school attracted an overwhelming number of applicants, not just from the UK but also overseas, as training of this standard simply wasn’t available anywhere else in the world.

At the time, there were fewer than 40

beauty salons in Britain, with most selling cosmetics and simple facial treatments. The benefits of offering more advanced, holistic treatments, which went beyond applying products to the skin and body, was a concept that had to be regularly explained, and so it wasn’t just therapists that needed to be educated in this new approach to beauty – it was also employers and the public.

In the same year – 1962 – Wallace Sharps founded the FHT’s predecessor, the Society of Beauticians, which was the first international membership organisation for beauty therapists. Members received a society badge,

the motto of the society of Beauticians, founded in 1962, was ‘pulchritudo per sapientiam’, which means ‘Beauty created through knowledge’.

Some treatment prices at the Beautishape Clinic:

1998 new statutory regulation requires all newly qualified osteopaths to register by law. existing osteopaths have two years to join the UK register, held by the General osteopathic society.

1999Fht organises a training congress for its members – the first in many years – with more than 30 speakers, free demonstrations from leading companies, and a ’40s-themed student make-up competition.

FHT | History

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30 Issue 101 July 2012 InternatIonal therapIst www.fht.org.uk

term beauty therapist to distinguish between society members who were performing remedial treatments, and women applying or selling cosmetics, who were generally referred to as beauticians. This, along with incorporating the Association of Beauty Teachers and Finnish Sauna Society, resulted in the society changing its name in 1970 to the Society of Health and Beauty Therapists.

Until 1975, the society operated as what was effectively an examining/awarding body and a membership association. It was then decided that two independent organisations could better focus on their specifi c aims and objectives, without compromise or a confl ict of interests. On the membership side, the society was joined by the Health and Beauty Employers Federation and was renamed as the International Federation of Health and Beauty Therapists. The examining body was split off as a trust under the title of the International Health and Beauty Council (IHBC), which would later become a charity,

called the Vocational Training Charitable Trust (VTCT).

Although a self-confessed workaholic, as the demand for Wallace Sharps’ expertise and time continued to grow, his daughter Jackie Palmer joined the federation in

1988 to help carry some of the load. Her key objective was to continue representing and supporting the federation’s professional therapist members (and later, students) by developing the range of information, services and insurance they required to maintain high standards in practice.

Until Jackie took over the federation, everything relating to membership could fi t into a single desk drawer. This included a box containing hand-written cards for each member (less than a thousand), with each card showing the member’s contact details on one side, and whether they had paid that year’s membership fees on the other.

With the continuing support of Wallace Sharps as President, Jackie otherwise ran the federation as a one-woman-band from a spare bedroom in her house, until she went on maternity leave and a temporary member of staff was brought on board to pick up the mantle. When Jackie returned to work, she found suitable business premises in Southampton, and it was there she nurtured and grew the association, with more staff coming on board as extra support was required and new membership services developed. It wasn’t until 1993 that the

Lights, camera, action!as the man behind radical changes in the beauty and health sector, Wallace sharps was often approached by the media for comments and interviews, and even appeared on tV’s Whicker’s World programme.

other noteworthy media moments included appearing on southern television to comment on the start of the topless sunbathing craze in st tropez; being approached by Watchdog to take part in an investigation into cellulite creams; and having articles published in titles such as the Daily Mail and in a very early issue of Vogue’s health, slimming and Beauty magazine.

federation became known as the Federation of Holistic Therapists. As the popularity and demand for qualifi cations in complementary and sports therapies started to peak, the scope of membership was widened and the association’s name changed to better refl ect the therapists it was now supporting and representing. Members who wanted to offer a truly holistic approach by offering clients a range of therapies now had the advantage of being able to stay with just one association for all the information, support and insurance they required, for a fi xed annual fee.

Wallace Sharps remained President of FHT until he passed away in 2005 at the age of

Top: Mr Sharps on Southern TV, above: with interviewer Alan Whicker

‘ Happy 50th anniversary to FHT, of which I have been a member since 1989. So what makes a therapist stay with one association forever? A sense of belonging, professionalism and

member bene� ts. FHT is the largest professional association in the UK, priding itself on keeping up with trends but maintaining the highest possible standards and I am truly honoured to be a

member of this wonderful association. ’tina reid, FFht, former Fht Vice-president

‘ It’s so exciting that FHT is celebrating 50 wonderful years. Talk about positive role models – you have set the standard for education throughout the UK for all areas of beauty and

complementary healthcare. Congratulations on achieving a milestone that many never reach. ’angela Mahandru, former Fht Vice-president,

editor of Choice health and Wellbeing

78, just as he had started work on a book about the history of beauty therapy. It is an incredible shame so much knowledge and history died along with our founder, but we would like to extend our thanks to the Sharps family, Shirley Sell, and everyone else who has helped us to capture at least some of the past on these pages. This includes many therapy veterans who have remained loyal members of the FHT, a number of whom have contributed to this issue of IT.

And fi nally, a special thanks to FHT’s former chief executive and editor, Jackie Palmer, who has been so generous with her time and support this year, providing us with information, not to mention wonderful photographs, for our 50th celebrations.

Top: Mr Sharps on Southern TV, above:

Jackie Palmer

1999 Fht publishes the fi rst edition of the essential Business Guide for therapists. the guide is updated and published for a further seven consecutive years, until much of the information contained can be easily accessed from various online sources.

1999 skilltherapY, which promotes and develops competitions within the therapy sector, looks to nominate a beauty therapy competitor and

technical expert to UK skills for the 35th World skills Competition. this is the fi rst time beauty therapy featured in the event.