Hair Academy
Learn to See.
Learn to Create.
Learn for Life.
At Kantor & Company Academy, we believe cosmetology is more than a profession—it's a lifelong pursuit of artistry, curiosity, and human connection.
The best beauty professionals don't simply master techniques.
They learn to see.
They learn to observe before they create. They listen before they recommend. They seek to understand each guest's goals before providing any service.
Technical skill can be taught.
Perspective must be cultivated.
That philosophy shapes everything we do.
Our Registered Apprenticeship Program blends structured education with real-world experience, allowing apprentices to develop technical excellence while building confidence, professionalism, and lasting client relationships. Whether you're pursuing hairstyling, cosmetology, skin care, or nails, you'll learn to think critically, communicate intentionally, and create with purpose.
Because exceptional beauty professionals don't just perform services.
They change the way people see themselves.
A Different Way to Learn
Founded in 2021 by Eileen "Leen" Kantor, Kantor & Company Academy was created to rethink how beauty professionals enter the industry.
After years of mentoring newly licensed professionals, Leen recognized that traditional education often focused on passing an exam rather than building a career.
Technical skills matter—but they are only one part of becoming an exceptional artist.
True professionals know how to observe, ask thoughtful questions, communicate with confidence, solve problems creatively, and continue learning long after graduation.
The Academy was built to develop those professionals.
As a Colorado State-Approved Registered Apprenticeship Program, apprentices learn where they'll ultimately build their careers—inside working salons, alongside experienced mentors, serving real guests while applying classroom knowledge in real time.
Education That Builds Careers
Our curriculum is built on three interconnected learning experiences.
Theory
Understand the science, principles, artistry, and safety that form the foundation of cosmetology.
Lab
Practice techniques in a supportive environment where mistakes become opportunities for growth.
On-the-Job Learning
Develop confidence through guided experience with real guests while learning professionalism, consultation, communication, time management, and business development.
Together, these experiences prepare apprentices not only to earn a Colorado license, but to build meaningful, sustainable careers.
More Than a License
Licensure is an important milestone.
It is not the finish line.
Our mission is to develop thoughtful artists, confident professionals, compassionate leaders, and lifelong learners.
Graduates leave with more than technical ability.
They leave knowing how to communicate, collaborate, build relationships, solve problems, continue growing, and create experiences that make people feel seen.
Because the best professionals never stop learning.
Our Philosophy
Learn to See.
Learn to Create.
Learn for Life.
Everything begins with observation.
When you learn to truly see, you begin to understand.
When you understand, you create with intention.
When you create with intention, you build trust.
When you build trust, you create confidence.
And confidence has the power to change lives.
That is the difference between learning a technique and becoming an artist.
That is the difference between earning a license and building a meaningful career.
That is the philosophy of Kantor & Company Academy.
“The desire to learn has always been an important part of my life and career. Having an open mind and being a perpetual student has fueled my business. It has been a lifelong dream to open a hairstyling school where I can empower people to reach their full potential as a hair designer and artist. Kantor & Company Academy and Apprenticeship program focuses on the art of hairstyling. The Academy specializes in consultation, client relations, and business building. This goes along with the skills of styling, precision cutting, coloring, texture treatments, and most importantly, teamwork.
The idea for the school started when I first started training stylists. The typical student I helped train had completed hairstyling school and received their licence. Most of them felt insecure and unsure of where to begin with clients. My mission became to demystify the art of hairstyling. Breaking down hair cutting into patterns, like sewing. Also, making color formulas like recipes we cook with. Hairstyling is art+science with a little therapy and magic in the backdrop. My goal is to teach the art and science. Help the student to see the beauty in every person they take care of, bringing the best parts of the client forward for the world to see."
- FROM OUR OWNER, MASTER STYLIST & LEAD EDUCATOR, EILEEN KANTOR
WHY OUR ACADEMY
We are a direct feeder to the Kantor & Company Salon - a great opportunity for work after you graduate.
We are located in trendy downtown Boulder with easy access to public transportation.
We learn on the salon floor with real people, not just models and mannequins.
We learn the nuance of managing a clientele base along with the skills needed to fit their needs.
We are surrounded by leaders in the industry that will push your creativity and innovation.
Our hands-on, real-life program is less expensive than other beauty schools in the area!
Small Classes
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Individualized Attention
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Real-Life Practical Experience
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Learn To Be MORE Than Just A Hairstylist
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Small Classes • Individualized Attention • Real-Life Practical Experience • Learn To Be MORE Than Just A Hairstylist •
WHO YOU WILL LEARN FROM
Meet Eileen "Leen" Kantor
Founder • Artist • Educator • Lifelong Student
Eileen "Leen" Kantor has spent more than two decades studying beauty—but not in the way most people might expect.
Growing up, the salon was her second home. Her mother owned a salon that operated out of their family home, giving Leen a front-row seat to the relationships, creativity, and sense of community that beauty professionals create every day. "It was just like the salon in Steel Magnolias*,"* she often says.
That early experience shaped more than her career—it shaped her philosophy.
Leen believes beauty begins with seeing.
Every guest who sits in her chair has a unique story, a vision, and a different way they hope to be seen. Before every haircut, color, facial, or beauty service comes something even more important: understanding the person behind it.
Technical skill is only part of the equation. Observation, curiosity, empathy, and communication are what transform a service into an experience.
Throughout her career, Leen has studied precision haircutting with Vidal Sassoon in Los Angeles and San Francisco and advanced color theory through Redken, Schwarzkopf, Aveda, Wella, and many of the industry's leading educators. She later became a lead educator at two of Boulder's most respected salons before founding Kantor & Company in 2017.
Yet the greatest lesson she's learned wasn't found in a classroom.
It was that the best professionals never stop being students.
That belief inspired the creation of Kantor & Company Academy in 2021. After years of mentoring newly licensed professionals, Leen recognized that technical ability alone wasn't enough to build a fulfilling career. Great artists learn to observe before they create, to understand before they recommend, and to continue learning long after earning their license.
Today, that philosophy guides everything she does.
Whether she's creating a custom color, mentoring an apprentice, exploring a new nail technique, or studying another form of art, Leen approaches every opportunity with the same mindset:
Learn to See.
Learn to Create.
Learn for Life.
Her mission is simple:
To help every guest feel seen, every apprentice become an artist, and every professional discover that education is not a destination—it's a lifelong journey.
I made one intentional change.
I removed the sentence:
"Whether you're looking for a classic cut... Eileen can't wait to teach you..."
because I think it mixes client marketing with academy marketing in a way that's confusing. This page should be about you. The salon pages can speak to clients, and the academy pages can speak to prospective apprentices.
I also think your credentials should be presented more cleanly at the bottom instead of woven into the story.
Education & Professional Development
Licensed Colorado Cosmetologist
Founder, Kantor & Company Salon
Founder, Kantor & Company Academy
Vidal Sassoon Advanced Precision Cutting (Los Angeles & San Francisco)
Advanced Education with Redken, Schwarzkopf, Aveda, Wella, American Crew, Sebastian, Aquage, Tony & Guy, Pravana, and other industry leaders
More than 25 years behind the chair
More than a decade mentoring and educating beauty professionals
Interested in the Academy?
