Nail Tech Training in Colorado Springs, Colorado: Licensing, Costs and Programs
Last reviewed 25 September 2026Sublime Professional is an online-only academy -- we have no campus in Colorado. This guide covers Colorado's own licensing route, Colorado Springs training options and typical pay, plus where an online course like ours fits alongside them.
How to Become a Nail Technician in Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado licenses nail technicians through the Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure, part of the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA). The requirement is 600 contact hours (20 credit hours) covering manicuring and pedicuring, artificial nails, laws and rules, management, and disinfection and safe work practices, followed by the state's written and practical exams. School approval itself is issued separately, by the Colorado Department of Higher Education's Division of Private Occupational Schools (CDHE/DPOS).
| Requirement | Colorado rule |
|---|---|
| Training hours | 600 contact hours (20 credit hours) |
| Curriculum split | Manicuring and pedicuring, artificial nails, laws and rules, management, disinfection and safe work practices |
| Exams | Written and practical |
| Application/exam fees | Not published by the board -- confirm directly |
| Governing body | DORA, Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure |
Source: 4 CCR 731-1, Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure rule, sos.state.co.us, read 2026-08-29 and re-confirmed 2026-09-25. Colorado's own application pages do not publish a numeric fee -- we are not printing one we could not verify. Rules change -- confirm the current requirement directly with DORA's Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure before you rely on it.
State-Approved Nail Schools Near Colorado Springs
Colorado's Department of Higher Education (CDHE), Division of Private Occupational Schools, publishes the state's own rosters of approved schools by program category. In the "Manicuring" category -- the state's specific nail-technician program list, five schools statewide -- one is in Colorado Springs:
| School | Location | Category |
|---|---|---|
| International Salon and Spa Academy | 5707 N. Academy Boulevard, Colorado Springs, CO 80918 | Manicuring (CDHE-approved) |
A handful of other Colorado Springs schools appear on CDHE's broader "Cosmetology-related" roster (which also covers barbering, esthetics and hairstyling) but their individual program approvals do not confirm a manicuring/nail-technician program specifically, so we have not listed them as nail schools here. You can check any school's exact program approval yourself on CDHE's Division of Private Occupational Schools pages. Community-college programs are approved separately, by the Colorado Community College System, and are not on this roster.
Source: CDHE, "Active Schools by Category" and in-state school roster (cdhe.colorado.gov), roster dated 4/6/2026 (in-state list) and checked 25 September 2026. School-approval status, tuition and program details change -- confirm directly with CDHE and with the school before enrolling or paying tuition. Sublime Professional is not on this list and is not CDHE-approved.
What Nail Tech Training Typically Costs in Colorado Springs
Neither DORA's licensing pages nor CDHE's school rosters publish tuition figures we could independently verify, so we are not printing a cost estimate for Colorado Springs schools -- contact schools directly for current pricing.
The Sublime Professional Nail Technician Program is $597, or 3 interest-free payments of $199. It is not a substitute for the state-required training above. See "Where Online Training Fits" below.
What Nail Technicians Earn in the Colorado Springs Area
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median pay for manicurists and pedicurists in the Colorado Springs, CO metro area at $17.63 an hour (May 2025, the latest published estimate). It covers employees only, not self-employed or booth-rental technicians. It is what people already working in the area are paid, not what any school's graduates, ours included, can expect.
Source: BLS OEWS, series OEU M0017820 000000 395092 (May 2025), bls.gov/oes. Read 2026-08-29.
Where Online Training Fits
To work on clients in Colorado, you will still need the state's own route -- 600 contact hours in a school program approved by CDHE's Division of Private Occupational Schools or the Colorado Community College System, or an approved apprenticeship, then the state's written and practical exams. Rules change, so check with DORA's Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure before you rely on any of this.
What you can do today, from home, is learn the technique properly. The Sublime Professional Nail Technician Program is a self-paced online course in gel, acrylics and Russian manicure, taught by Darya Shevchenko, who runs her own salon. You send photos of your own work by WhatsApp or email, and Darya corrects it, gives you advice and recommends the tools and products you need. Access starts the moment you pay and lasts 6 months. Finish the lessons and send photos of your work, and you receive the Sublime Professional Diploma -- a certificate of completion, not a state license.
Sublime is not approved by Colorado or any other state, so none of our hours count toward the 600 hours Colorado requires.
Joined by 3,500+ graduates across North America and 12 countries.
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Next Steps From Colorado Springs
Build your technique alongside Colorado's own licensing route -- $597, or 3 interest-free payments of $199.
See the Full Program - $597 Not Ready Yet? Read the Free Theory Class FirstNot accredited. Not approved by any state.
