*Girly (?) Post Alert 😀
* picture from ourvanity.com
“Would it pain too much?”
“No, dear. Just a bit.”
“You aren’t saying that just to appease me, are you?” Her mother had warned us about people who smooth-talked only to swindle you later.
“Try me.”
She hesitantly nodded an okay and walked behind a huge curtain. Her already pink cheeks flushed a deep carmine. The older girl went in too, with equipment in hand.
The complete bikini-waxing apparatus.
I sighed and got ready for some eyebrow threading. If hair has to be removed, I prefer it to be from more, err, approachable body parts.
An old lady with sagging cheeks came in and demanded an uplifting facial. A thirteen-year old cribbed about undressing in front of strange women – “Really Mamma! I would never have thought!”. I later caught her admiring herself in front of a full-length mirror. The Mamma looked pleased too. She had enjoyed her 45 minutes of massage. There were no stray thoughts to be lent to a waiting, squealing kid. Really, they were right about girls being blessings!
“Don’t you ever wash your feet?” A plain Jane-ish pedicure girl said aloud. “I do.” her customer replied meekly. “I have been a bit busy.” Jane mock-sighed. “You also have these white spots all over your face. It becomes very hard for us to clean such stuff.” This to a girl I thought looked really pretty. Good thing she hadn’t a view of my weather-ridden feet. I thanked my stars for helping me dodge a pedi-insult. Anyhow, last thing I saw, the poor girl overpaid the cashier. She was all muddled up, you see.
“Won’t you have a manicure, Madam?” The parlour girl looked pleadingly at me as I walked towards the cash counter. “We have some glorious nail shades to finish off as well!”
Oh, sure. A manicure worth a couple hundred bucks when I would (literally) dirty my hands digging into chicken for lunch. Nah. Manicures are for the fork-using, napkin-wiping, wishy-washy people. I am happy with what little care my soap and moisturizer take of my hands.
“That will be all.” I squeezed a little tip into her hands. After all, she had spent the good part of the last two hours bidding goodbye to my body hair, blackheads and grime.
I came out of the gloriously air-conditioned salon. The Delhi summer sun pelted newfound fury on my newfound beautiful skin. Such a shame, I tell you.
Of Paneer, Pulao and Pune 
would you believe that after reading your post I now know the term ‘bikini wax’ ? lol ! Parlours and me have only one connection so far- eyebrows & underarms 🙂 rest is taken care by the almighty ,yeah yeah, not exaggerating 🙂
Aha? Well, you owe it to that girlie then. I didn’t know the term either until I heard it said. Strange treatments there are indeed!
Wow, you lucky one. What’s the secret? 😛
PS: Thank you Scribby for taking out time (generously at that) for Saddi Delhi today. Totally made my day! 😀
LOL!!
I need to get eyebrows done too and should get a haircut!! even the husband has started noticing how badly overgrown my hair is!! 😐
and I miss facials and massages here!
I get Mani-Pedi done and the Mani never stays too long!
Oops. That’s quite a long list that has been forming for you, Pixie! 😛
Yes, these treatments do not last long enough. They make sure you come back next month. 😛
LOL! Your post reminds me I am due for an over-hauling of my own! 😀
Over-hauling! Haha 😛 See, I am a good girl, aren’t I? 😀
Ha ha… 🙂 One thing in common with these parlor ladies is that they trick you to overspend! Maybe the key is to flatter their customers!
Oh, that they certainly do. But if at all there has to be flattery, I would prefer it sounded sweet. Sigh! 😛
The rest I understand but what is it with the bikini wax. The very thought gives me jitters.
Ditto, Rituparna. I wonder how people have the guts to go ahead with that.
Aah!! The amount of pain we go through for looking just-a-little-more pretty 🙂
Oh, totally. We are blessed people. 😀
Girly post indeed! 😀
😛
LOL… don’t we all go through this?
Yep. Part of this thing called life, I guess. 😀
For the first time when I heard such a dialogue about my skin,I felt offended.I was like WTH has happened to my face.Then I learned to shrug off those suggestions with a smile.
But, I think it is not a pleasant marketing technique.At times, they go to such an extent that I see pales faces.
Ditto, Bhavia. I got all worked up the first time. For a stranger to comment about my face meant there had to be something horribly wrong. I am glad we realized the truth early. 😀
do they do anything like that for men tooo 🙂 he he he h
Of course. In fact, I see crowds at the men’s section every time I go. 😛
of course!!!!!!!!!
SO i have a chance to look good then with some extra help 🙂
Haha, maybe you should rephrase that to “look extra good”. 😉
A gorgeous piece of writing again. I marvel at your ability to delve into the mundane and extract the exciting.
You make my day with your comments, Anita. Delighted you liked the piece…I wrote it on a whim. Thanks a lot..!! 😀
Interesting read 🙂 Reminded me of one parlor ‘manager’ who successfully managed to make me vow never to visit that parlor again! In ten minutes that it took to get the eyebrows done, she managed to find more than ten things that were wrong with me and needed mending! So I paid for the eyebrow picking, lowered my ‘badly needing care’ face, and raced straight out 🙂
Hahaha! That has happened to me too. Such nitpicking they do that I wonder what they trained in. I guess it’s part of the job but anyhow. Gets really irritating sometimes.
Good thing you raced out Jyoti. 😀
I hate visiting parlors… I just hate them, so no comments… 😛
me too!
You too Jyoti? Come, forgive that parlour manager. 😀
Interesting, T. 😛
Hahah totally! Sometimes I feel the beauty procedures are wasted on people like us…. who eat with their hands, walk barefeet and step out in the sun just after a facial! 😛
Glad to find a boat-fellow. Yeay! 😀
But seriously, sometimes it does seem like such a waste. I guess some things cannot be helped…sigh. 😛
LOL Could just be me saying that Ash! With great difficulty, I step into one and get rid of my eyebrows lest they make me look like Krror-Singh 😛
Hahaha you can say that again, Swaram. Such pains we have to partake in! 😛
Exactly. I will turn into jungle-cultivation if I don’t keep my eyebrows trimmed 😛 😆
Jungle-cultivation! Hahaha 😛 Perhaps this is the scare that has sent several women (and now even men) to eyebrow-threading sessions.
Kroor singh, jungle- cultivation .:lol: 😆 You girls are a riot! 😆 😆
You mean to say u don’t use forks?? 😦 Thats bad
😀 enjoyed the post and I go just to njoy the AC and the gossip 😉 All the hot news for a bit of pain; not a bad bargain isn’t it 😛
I do, I do! But not for chicken. 😛 Some foods taste best when eaten with bare hands. *makes glutton face* 😛
Yeah, it isn’t a bargain that can be done without. So, cheers to the hot news! 😛
haha .. i can so relate to your ideas .. n some how i love spending time at the parlous in ym neighbourhood .. i go there and njy the AC + songs on radio .. noticing the talks and the people there ..
🙂
The AC is wow, no? It is that way in most salons I have been. Not like the AC in places where they claim to have one but miserably lie. Oh yes, how could I forget the radio. 😀
Well…being a guy, couldn’t relate a word of what you’ve written 😛
Still…keep blogging 🙂 😀
Ha ha… very understandable. That is precisely why this is one of my rare posts that comes with an alert on top. 😛
But it’s nice of you to be here nevertheless. Thanks Alphaqsecc! 😀
Its normal human tendency…to act rebellious…to read it all the more when its alerted. 😛
Oh yes. Like the forbidden fruit? 😛