Norbu Healing Arts Centre in Bhutan Starts its First Cosmetology Training in Thimphu.

Program aims to build skills and independence

Norbu Healing Arts Centre began its first cosmetology training course for differently abled people on September 22, 2025 in Thimphu enrolling 15 participants in a three-month
program aimed at boosting employment opportunities in Bhutan’s beauty and wellness
industry. Organized by the Ministry of Education and Skills Development and supported by the Asian Development Bank, the course provides free tuition, accommodation, and monthly allowance for the participants.

According to Sonam Deki, the lead instructor of the course, the program is aimed at imparting the
participants with necessary skills and confidence to build career on beauty and skin care. The
training will also boost employment opportunities in Bhutan’s beauty and wellness industry, she
added. The centre also has emphasised that the program reflects a broader effort to create
employment pathways for people with disabilities in Bhutan.

The training will cover essential beauty services such as skincare, salon techniques,
and haircut. Successful graduates will receive nationally recognized certificate, preparing them for
employment in salons, spas, and wellness centres across the country.

A trainee wearing a face mask and a light green uniform is combing a seated client's wet hair, sectioned and clipped, in a modern salon with mirrors and other clients in the background. — A trainee carefully combs a client’s sectioned wet hair during a haircut.

Norbu Healing Arts Centre has been providing massage therapy trainings for persons
with disabilities and it says that the new course represents its commitment to expanding vocational
opportunities that enables participants to stand on their own feet.