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Hair Care and other girlie stuff question for you women.

a couple of months ago, a family friend and her sister set up their hair salon business.
one of them married (and later divorced) a local, so shes fluent in arabic, and the sister is an experienced hair-fixer-person, whatever you call a female barber πŸ˜›

both are japanese women in their 50’s.

unfortunately neither of them has any real business experience, and thats making the business suffer.

as a friend its hard for us to tell them what they should and shouldnt be doing. we’ve made suggestions casually but thats the extent of what we can do. its hard watching something go down the drain.

anyway, my mums been down there and got her hair done, and she came back saying that the hair cutter lady was very professional, incredibly gentle, and there was almost no strands of hair on her clothes or anywhere as normally happens. basically she gave them a really good review.

thing is no matter how good the shearer is, if the business model doesnt make sense, it simply wont work, talent or no talent.

so here comes the purpose of this post……

their business model of a regular salon needs to change, due to space constraints and the fact that only one of them is skilled. so my question to any ladies reading this is this:

do you guys go to a salon to chat as well? i mean i know you do but is it a big requirement to go somewhere with alot of people?

if no, then what would you think of a personalised service,…. for example if you were their only customer, and if you knew that all their attention would be on you would you prefer this to a crowded but more social setting?

maybe something akin to a dentists office where youre the only one in the room, only less painfull and without that horrid shrill drill sound πŸ˜›

if thats something you like the sound of, apart from your hair, what services would you want to have? facials, nails, sheera, some other hocus-pocus that any self respecting male shouldnt know about? πŸ˜›

would you call that a spa?

i dont think so, but perhaps similar services to a spa could be arranged i suppose.

so it’ll be like your own personal spa.

but then women here dont really go to spas alone do they? its kind of a social thing isnt it?

and finally the bottom line:

say this whole thing lasted about 3 hours or however long you normally spend at your current salon,…. how much of a premium would you be willing to pay for a personalised service?

or would a membership type deal be more attractive?



i’d really appreciate it if you guys could give me your opinions on these ideas, they really need to restructure their business and develop an edge where they stand out from the rest of the hair salon crowd.

and as a matter of disclosure πŸ˜› , no i dont own any shares in the company and neither am i getting paid for this, altho i bloody well should be πŸ˜›


cheers ladies ! πŸ˜›



18 Comments

  1. i dont like to socialize. i like to go to a salon, get my stuff done, and go. nor do i like to wait for my turn to get something done.
    maybe the problem with their salon is its location?!

  2. ummmmmmmmmm
    alot of questions there!
    i usually go to salons alone. its better cuz why go with friends and u wont be able to see them!
    uve got work to do u just want it done as quick as possible and then leave.

    one of the most imp things is location, just like dodo said. even the floor makes a difference, if it was g – 1st or second lol
    the higher u go, the worst it gets to customers. they don’t like taking the stairs, nor do they like waiting for the elevator ..

    ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm what else.
    q8z like to be treated well, very well.
    u know serving coffee tea, waiting room that, apples are nice πŸ˜‰
    also having discounts or special offers like do three jobs and get one free.
    Something like that ;p
    i think im done with ideas here.

    Now could u send me the add of the place
    i might give it a try. ur mother is convincing ;p

  3. dodes: cheers for your input, yeah location is a problem. i think theyre on the second floor in a building in jabriya.

    no3ik: thanks for your help πŸ˜€

    its one of those salons in an apartment type things.

    i havent been there myself but aparently it is quite a small apartment, and cos its injabriya its costing them a bundle,…something i pointed out to them.

    at the moment all theyre doing is hair.
    but the other stuff and the idea of a more spa like experience is just something i thought of this afternoon.
    the buy one get one free idea is definately something i think they have to do as well,….and really how hard can it be to learn to do stuff like nails and facials? πŸ˜›

    and lol i dont know if i feel comfortable advertising them here just yet πŸ˜›

    i’d hate to be on the recieving end of a woman on a rampage, let alone a woman on a rampage cos of a bad hair do ! 😐

    on the otherhand, if you dont mind that the place might be on the small side, tea and coffee i think is served, they do hair and only hair right now (altho maybe i’ll tell em about my ideas soonish), lol and i’ll tell em to stockup on apples :P,…. then yeah let me know and i’ll have their contact details sent to you :P.

    umm also they are oldish,.. so dont blame me if theyre out of date or anything like that πŸ˜› remember the only review i have is from my mum and shes pushing 60 😐

    so yeah if youre willing to be a guinnea pig :P,… let me know πŸ˜›

  4. loooooooooooool

    nice offer ;p
    count me in..
    im totally in
    :* to ur mom.
    allah e`7aleha lik inshalah.

  5. Hey..

    Alrite I like the membership idea alot..I mean there is nothing more spiecal then being a member..You say thier Japense? So they have the exotic look to their advantage..Decorate the place in jap style..And since they are in a building make the most out of Advertising the place…Agian go with the same theme..The Kuwaitis love anything ethnic and with flavour..Im sure they will be fine..If I come by in August Ill ask for thier number;)

    Also someone mentioned serving coffe or something..Agian if they are under constraint for space it can work for thier advantage let them transform the place to a small haven..Something secluded..For beverges go with the green tea.. Agian atmosphere is what women love about salons..My fave here is decorated after the amazon..The atmosphere is what draws the customer..so go with smells lighting and such..
    Oh and get a good accountant..

  6. lol no3ik, ok i did warn you tho:P

    i’ll get their number for you πŸ˜›

    lilacs: yeah the membership thing i think would work well here.

    they are japanese but i think they went for a classy modern japanese feel as opposed to the traditional restaraunt look.

    the small haven idea is exactly what i was thinking,… you articulated my thoughts precisely :P,… thats the only edge i canthink of given their spacial constraints.

    no idea who does their accounting, cos lol theres nothing much to account for yet πŸ˜› but i’m surethey’ll find someone good. theyre really really small right now so they should be ok for the time being as theyre doing stuff themselves rather than hiring philippinos or chinese staff.

    cheers for your input and for dropping by πŸ˜€

  7. Hey Skunks. Well one thing I noticed about Kuwait is it depends on what kind of clients you choose to serve. And unfortunately I mean nationality. It’s not a generalization, but just what I noticed in two different kinds of salons I’ve been to.

    Going to a salon is a very very personal experience and having other people around seeing you absolutely out of your element is extremely uncomfortable. Well since its two of them she should probably stick to giving out appointments and coordinate so she has clients of the same nationality or whatever at the same time. Somehow I dont like it hen the parlour is too quiet its too eerie. If they aren’t too big on their PR, cover it up with soothing lounge music, dim lights and if scented candles are too expensive just have potpourri around in big bowls. You can even float the normal candles in bowls. Potted plants. Its a small investment but ambience counts big time! Do they live there as well?

    Of course if they are only into hairstyling the dim lights dont make sense, but they really cannot stick to only that area. Their competitors would get the better of them anyday coz when we go we take care of many things at a time.

    The art of massages is not difficult to pick up and from my friends and me as well, I know its much sought after. That, apart from the normal things any parlour offers you.

    And advertize them on your page when you think its time, we’ll give em a shot for ya, Skunks πŸ™‚ Take your mums words for it too πŸ˜›

  8. cheers JB.

    yeah the decor thing will have to change to reflect more of a sanctuary type theme. basically everything you mentioned.

    but then with that they need to package stuff together, so yeah new skills need to be aquired.

    i’m surprised at the interest in trying a new hairdresser actually,.. i woulda thought women would rather stick to someonethey know.
    lol i know guys do,… and we still have the option of shaving if someone new mucks it up:P

    thanks for the interest,..perhaps its time to talk to the two old ladies about upgrading their place πŸ˜›

  9. “i’m surprised at the interest in trying a new hairdresser actually,.. i woulda thought women would rather stick to someonethey know.”

    skunk , it is true.
    but unfortunate things happen 😦
    mine went to london
    and shes never coming back!!
    so im still on the hunt, u know, for someone who gets my hair ;p

  10. lmfao,… a hair soul mate!

    theres a sitcom in there somewhere πŸ˜›

  11. Lol… I never really found mine, and I’m still awfully apprehensive about tryin sumone new, but I got to sometime coz I end up snipping bits and reshaping my fringe myself every so often…
    Maybe they need to come up with some innovative new technique. There’s this guy who burns out a haircut with a flame, I swear πŸ™‚

  12. lmfaoo 😐

    see atleast with a pair of scissors they might only nic you. flames would take everything at the slightest slip :|,… so i’ll leave him to you:P i quite like my head thank you very much πŸ˜›

  13. Donno the guy, think I saw him on Ripleys believe it or not or something like that. Apparently some celebs go to him, so he must be good huh? Yea but I’ll admit its freaky!

  14. lol makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up on end 😐

    πŸ˜›

    • Òrange Juice҄’
    • Posted June 12, 2006 at 7:49 pm
    • Permalink
    • Reply

    I’ve never been to a saloon am serious.
    But if I did I’d prolly want to blend in.

  15. shearer, akin, premium, rampage, a guinea pig, mucks, to blend in

    1. Yes I do go to the hairdresser and/or the beautician to chat, it’s like female group therapy but only to talk with the professional not the clients.

    2. I do mind when it’s too busy cause you can’t hear anything because of the hair dryers. And yes I rather the personalized service.

    3. This is tricky, they could have very few specialties and be good at it but then they’ll lose clients who’d go somewhere else. I know I’d rather go to one place to get all done from head to toe.

    4. I’d rather go alone.

    5. I have no idea about the prices in Kuwait. The prices are too high in France. Ex: Facial around 100euros. Shampoo + Hair treatment + Haircut + Hair drying 100euros. Perm & tint 100euros. I do all the rest myself πŸ˜€

    6. I’d go for a membership.

    I know that will never change my hairdresser nor my beautician. Which means that the day I leave France I’ll have to come back here at least twice a year πŸ˜›

    I never tried the hair burning technic but I know that my hairdresser does that, it’s very common in France.

    So what happened? Are they still in business?

  16. Yup definitely spamming!

  17. ok then


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