North Chennai Upmarket For Beauty Care

Twenty-four-year-old Nandhini earns `12,000 per month working at a BPO, but nothing stops her from spending a chunk of her salary on beauty treatments at the salon every month. "I have seen my friends and neighbours going to beauty parlours and getting their hair coloured or getting laser treatments for acne-free skin done. They were the ones who inspired me to be presentable even if it meant parting with some money," says Nandhini, a resident of Royapuram, who had come to Essensuals for a hair colouring session.

For many like Nandhini in North Chennai, beauty care seems to be the new addition to their list of priorities. While high-end retail giants are still shy to make their presence felt in this part of the city, beauty salons have found a faithful clientele here.

Royapuram’s main thoroughfare MS Kovil Street, for instance, boasts of at least four upmarket beauty salons situated within a kilometre of one another. There is even a skin and laser clinic. Another shop sells beauty accessories. But, there is neither Café Coffee Day nor Pizza Hut for casual eat-outs. There’s the odd grocery chain but no Croma nor any branded clothing shop. There is no multiplex either.

The Cooum doesn’t just divide the city into two geographical locations but into two diverse halves. Many of the upmarket chains have so far refrained from navigating the river to the north, save hair care and beauty salons. These outlets can be found in not just Royapuram but also Old Washermanpet, Tondiarpet, Madhavaram, Ayanavaram and so on.

The priority given to grooming hasn’t escaped even school-going kids or teens in north Chennai. They too want to look their best, it seems. For sisters Ramya and Gayathri, Class 10 students at a Royapuram government school, perfection is the key. On a recent weekend, they were waiting for their turn at the lounge of a salon, ready to spend as much as `8,000 to look good for their cousin’s wedding. "We know it is quite expensive, considering our parents’ income, but we get to indulge in such things rarely, and we want to look flawless for the wedding," Ramya says.

Beauticians in north Chennai say men in the area have also opened up to experimenting with hairstyles. "Pompadour hairstyle is in vogue now. Many boys come here for spikes, faded beard and tight hairstyles," a top stylist in Essensuals said. Basic services — as termed by beauticians — like pedicure, manicure, eyebrow threading, waxing and facial clean-up cost an approximate of `3,000. Services like hair colouring and body polishing, which range between `2,500 and `4,000, are preferred by many clients even though they dig a hole in their wallets.

Residents say the growing consciousness towards personal grooming is not necessarily triggered by a change in lifestyle nor increase in standard of living. It is just the need of the hour. "Changes in society have imposed a lot of pressure on both men and women to look their best. Spas, facials and haircuts are no longer a luxury. They have rather become basic necessities. North Chennai which is home to fishing communities and labourers is often considered to be the poorer cousin of South Chennai. However, the rise in educated migrant population in the area, increase in awareness on fashion and lifestyle among students and office-goers has contributed to the increasing desire among many to look good," says a senior beautician of Naturals salon.

Seeing the increasing demand for beauty care among residents, neighbourhood beauty parlours have upgraded their facilities into ‘spa cum salons’. In many localities, one also spots shops selling professional beauty products, which were earlier available only in salons. From a basic haircut to candle massage and towel wraps, these parlours offer a range of services. "Grooming has become a necessity. In case of people who are come from less-privileged backgrounds, physical transformation adds confidence and self-esteem to their personalities. Psychologically, it makes them a different person," says Kanimozhi who was visiting Royapuram’s Green Trends for the first time. "It is at the coaxing of my husband that I started coming to a beauty parlour. He feels someone my age needs to follow a regular beauty regimen. Otherwise, I had never visited a luxury salon before," adds the 25-year-old homemaker.

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