In mid-September 1939, The Pantagraph ran a photo essay on the University School of Beauty Culture, located at 417 North Main Street in downtown Bloomington. Unfortunately, reporter John Temple did not include any names with the caption for this or the dozen other photos included in the spread.
Temple did interview one student, though he did not include her name. "Yeah (pardon me, we can't use slang), yes, studying to be a beauty operator is sort of like studying medicine," the anonymous student told The Pantagraph. "You have to know lots of things besides how to give facials or permanents. We even study anatomy."
The student also said that the six-month course of study cost $87.50 in cash or $100 if paying in installments ($87.50 would be the equivalent of about $1,500 today, adjusted for inflation).
The University School of Beauty Culture had opened a year or two earlier before this photo feature, and would remain in business at the same location into the early 1980s.
Today, the main tenant at 417 North Main Street is Schertz's MusiCenteR.
