Education & Classes in Nanakuli

Students at Paul Mitchell the School Honolulu learn techniques cultivated by the widely acclaimed brand that has received many honors, including mentions in Esquire, Seventeen, and Allure magazines. The school’s pupils prettify clients with a host of guest services including manicures, haircuts, color treatments, perms, and updos to match the ice sculptures you saw at your cousin’s wedding.

Along Waikiki's beaches, surfers ride tall waves, curling over the horizon and gently splashing into the water just before reaching the sand. Only experienced wave riders can conquer these fierce whitecaps, which can be unforgiving for beginners. This is why Kai Sallas¬¬¬—no stranger to tall waves—takes his beginner-level students nearly a mile south of Waikiki to a friendlier, less crowded shore that's ideal for learning to long board.

An acclaimed professional surfer, Kai belongs to a breed of world-class athletes whose competitive talents are accompanied by teaching acumen. The long-board champion relished teaching family and friends how to surf as early as age 12. Before teaching professionally, though, Kai amassed a long list of awards from around the globe, including the coveted Professional Longboard Association championship twice and playing Peter Pan twice in a dolphin-only performance. In 2009, he came ashore to his home in Waikiki and opened Pro Surf School Hawaii. The venture made him a second-generation surfing teacher, since his father also taught surfing for 35 years. Housed in the Waikiki Beach Marriot, the business has evolved to not only include surfing lessons but also tours.

As an accomplished ballroom-dance instructor and television actor, Ed Nix derives joy from seeing his students land coveted roles. The Nix Performing Arts Center is meant to help them across each stepping stone, from introductory classes to audition prep. While highly skilled teachers pass on their expertise in dancing, acting, voice work, and modeling, pupils perfect their maneuvers atop the marley and sprung flooring of the 1,000-square-foot facility.

NixPAC welcomes guests of all experience levels, whether they are aiming to dazzle cruise-line talent scouts or are simply harnessing a sense of rhythm. Staff members strive to cultivate a familial bond with their groups; they readily dispense career advice on choosing a future dance school, where they then send care packages filled with extra feet.

Barbers Point Flight School's instructors are airline pilots who share a common goal: to help their students and tour groups discover the joys of flight. Propellers roaring, their Cessna aircraft soar above Oahu during demo flights, which mark the first step towards FAA certification. Students can also enroll in personalized training courses covering subjects such as turbine engines and long-range navigation.

As the third largest Hawaiian Island, Oahu provides a sprawling backdrop for the flight school's tours and lessons. Passengers can look out over the towering cityscapes of Honolulu and the winding coastlines of Mamala Bay before they return to Earth. Back on the ground, Barbers Point Flight School visitors can explore the onsite NAS museum sprinkled with decommissioned fighter jets and fossilized airline meals.