A beauty parlour right on your doorstep

COMPETITION. THAT invariably brings out the best in anyone, any field. The marketplace - where the customer is the king is catching - demands more innovations. And the latest in the list is a mobile beauty parlour, spotted at many trendy, upmarket centres in the city.

A housewife turned entrepreneur, K.Veena has set the wheels of her van rolling out across the city fitted with a beautician's unit in it.

The Rs. six lakh air-conditioned rear compartment with turn- tables and the gadgetry required for skin, hair and pedicure, responds to those who demand `doorstep' services. The `motorised parlour' frequents many of the city's locales such as Porur, Thiruvanmiyur and Valasarawakkam.

It works like this: either there is a regular booking or an urgent call. The Khader Nawaz Khan Road-based parlour's backup team swings into action and the mobile unit is off. While the initial intention was to serve `far-off clients', especially the student community at institutions in Porur and Kattankallathur, the venture has gained the patronage of marriage parties as well now. Brides and their entourage welcome the mobile unit at the doorstep of marriage halls.

There is a special package for students. ``They invariably prefer basic threading, waxing, hair colouring and face clean ups'', she says. Except for body massage, all other services available at the headquarters are provided on the `wheels'.

Attempting to specialise on Naturals (the name of her parlour) she points out that the `beauty on wheels' has a customised bridal package - a comprehensive fruit facial, pedicure, manicure, waxing, hair-do and make-up programme, rolled in one.

The college pack provides face clean ups, waxing and of course mini pedicure and manicure. A `Combo 3' offers a half- head massage, pedicure and facial waxing , all for Rs. 700.

The Naturals preference is on seasonal fruits for the facials, though permutations and combinations are `engineered' depending on customer requirement and of course the their skin. Van charges are not collected as `numbers' invariably offset overheads incurred, she says.

By S. Shanker

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