I am a fairly new esthetician (1 year) and finally landed a job at a new wellness spa in January.  Business was booming after they did some internet deals, but once those deals expired, business pretty much tanked.  I turned down other jobs and dedicated my time to establishing myself at this spa.  I really like the owner and the other esthetician.  However, when we ran out of product, it would take weeks or even months to get more.  They promised to get PR packages out to the media, that never happened.  Not only were we unable to make money selling retail products, our back bar was pretty bare a lot of the time.  In six months, they changed skin care lines three times.  I would refer clients to Sephora or Walgreens to buy products since we had none on our shelves.  

The owner lost a lot of money with these internet deals and is under a lot of stress due to the slow business.  Since I was a contractor, I did not earn any money during my shifts if nobody came in.  Sometimes, I would commute to the spa for one treatment and earn $10 the entire day.  Obviously, this wasn't working out, but I was dedicated, positive, committed and available during my shifts.  I started looking for another job while continuing to work at this spa.  My clients are very happy with my services, I was slowly building a client base, I went to local establishments to advertise the spa, posted daily on Facebook, brought in many of my friends and their friends, etc.  I've spent many hours working with the owner and the other esthetician to come up with marketing strategies, specials, etc. that they appreciated.  I come from a career in advertising and marketing and brought a lot of my experience to the table.

The only times in six months that I had to reschedule an appointment was when I had a really bad cold, and when the fender fell off of my car and I could not get there in time for my client.  

Yesterday, I asked the spa manager to push back my one appointment by 15 minutes, because I was in a doctor's appointment that was running late.  I wanted to make sure the wax was at the right temperature and didn't want the client waiting while it heated up.  The spa manager was upset by my request, so I cancelled my doctor's appointment and arrived at the spa an hour early.  I waxed my client then stayed on site another 5 hours, hoping for another appointment that never happened.  

Today, the owner called and said "I heard about what happened yesterday."  I was confused and curious about what she was talking about.  She said the spa manager told her that I called earlier in the day and told her that I didn't want to come in.  I was floored because it was absolutely untrue.  There was no reason for her to say this.  I thought we had good communication and was not aware of any problems with this person.  She was annoyed that she had to call the client to change the appointment by 15 minutes, but I explained that I was willing to cancel my doctor's appointment to be there.  

The owner said that business is too slow for two estheticians, and if I am not happy, and I am not getting enough work, I should get another job that is closer to me.  She said that the spa is having a hard time and it doesn't make sense for me to commit to 24 hours a week when I'm only getting two or three clients a week.  I was basically laid-off, in a very cordial and fair way, but it was totally unexpected and unfortunate that I had to leave with this bad rumor about me "not wanting to come in".  

It was true that this was not working out, but not because I was a bad esthetician or not available.  The last thing I wanted was to end the business relationship on a sour note.  I know that it's a very stressful time for the owner, and she has a personal friendship with this spa manager outside of work.  I assume that the owner thinks that I am not telling the truth.  

There is a lot of gossip that happens there.  This is the first spa that I have worked at and I am having second thoughts about this career, because of the small work environment and a lot of miscommunication due to gossip, immaturity and assumptions.  I am a bit older and come from a corporate world.  This is new to me. I've managed to stay out of the gossip and keep to myself.  If I had a concern, I went to the owner and I thought we had a good dialogue.  

Sure, I was on my way out, but now I hate to leave my first esthetician job with this spa manager's lie on the owner's mind.  I want a good reference but now my time there is jaded by misinformation.  

The owner and I ended the conversation cordially.  I assured her that I was happy to have been there, she assured me that I was a great esthetician.  We both agreed that it didn't make sense for me to commute to a job and not get paid when we didn't have clients. 

Long story short: This has rocked my confidence in the industry.  If anyone has any advice  how to deal with this type of experience, I would greatly appreciate it.  At this point, I am so sad to give up on my passion and go back to the corporate world.  I am so fulfilled and happy to do esthetician work, and I do it well.  I really don't want to throw in the towel. I can't even pay rent for July because I have not made any money the past couple of months.  I put in so much energy, time and enthusiasm in to this place, only to have it end with them thinking that I didn't want to be there.  The bottom line is: I need to make ends meet and be in a safe work place where I can trust the people I am working with.

Thanks so much for any advice or encouragement.