Eid brings new customers to beauty parlours

Beauty parlours and hair salons are jam packed as more and more customers are heading in for beauty treatments.

LAHORE: Beauty parlours and hair salons, both for men and women are jam packed as more and more customers are heading in for beauty treatments ahead of Eid.

In the last week of Ramazan, more customers flock in, resulting in brisk business for these salons has stepped up though it has remained slow at shops and markets, due to inflation, insecurity and foods.

The salons are frequented by men as much as by women, who demand new hair, face and body treatments, in order to prepare themselves for Eid.

“The number of customers before Eid is unprecedented. Every year I have to recruit more beauticians to cope with the crowd,” said Kaniz Khan, owner of a beauty parlour at Model Town.

Beauty salons, with a view to draw more customers, have offered special deals for the treatments and services they provide. Some salons offer special packages to their customers, such as free haircuts worth Rs500 or more.

Beauticians say that though the regular customers keep visiting throughout the year, but on Eid they get clients who usually do not visit parlours. They say that their businesses have expanded due to the growing interest in glamour and fashion in general.

Often youngsters go to them asking for hairdos and make-up like a specific model or actress. They said that the increasing competition was also prompting the parlours to come up with attractive discount packages.

“I have come here to shape my eyebrows and get a volume layer haircut in line with the latest fashion, like the one my favourite model has, “ said Shaila Ahmed, a customer  at a beauty parlour in Faisal Town. The latest trend is to get light make-up as most women want to have a natural look, she said.

Parlours say that they also have many customers who come only to apply mehndi or henna for Eid and for that they have to hire additional mehndi artists.

Shabana Yasmeen, owner of a beauty parlour in Gulberg, told The Express Tribune that women and girls approach them to get the best and new mehndi designs on the eve of Eid. “The rates vary as per design and range from Rs100 to Rs1000 per side but the customers are ready to pay any rates. All they want is a trained mehndi artist,” she said.

“As Eid comes nearer, the mehndi artists increase their usual rates,” said Anjum Faizan, a regular customer of the beauty salons on MM Alam Road.

Due to the crowd, the customers are ready to spend the whole day waiting for their turn to come. Rashida Jahanzaib, owner of a parlour, said that customers were offered innovative facial and skin treatments that include massages with vegetables, fruits and herbal ingredients. “The trend of hair dyeing has changed too. Now women go for unusual colours like copper and blond,” she said.

Samina Khan, a beautician in one of the beauty parlours said, “In the last two days of Ramazan, women are crowding the beauty parlours and hairdressers and it continues till the day after Eid.” Besides the usual hairdos and skin care services, recently treatments like facelifts have also been in demand, she added.

Even men, besides haircuts, hair dyeing, and facial treatments, have recently been getting tattoos on their hands and bodies.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 10^th, 2010.