Spas are luxurious places where a woman goes to feel pampered and beautiful. And usually drop a good chunk of coin--Americans spent over $200 billion on spa products and services in 2009. But are the results worth it? That's a question, among others, that Virginia was hoping to answer. Virginia (I’m withholding her last name so as not to blow her cover yet), a writer in upstate New York, recently enrolled in an aesthetics program to take a peek at the beauty industry from the inside out. She has a keen interest in the industry, the safety of its products, and the treatment of its workers. Virginia enrolled in the program part-time, which took about ten months to complete. She attended school four nights a week from 6pm until 10pm.Tuition for programs like this average around $8,000 to $12,000. She just finished and is currently waiting for paperwork to sit for the licensing exam.