What a nice hair massage!
This post is written to highlight the little things that people in the hospitality industry should follow. I just got back from a nearby parlor (Letz call it ‘second’ parlor) after a hair massage. Before going to this parlor, I went to another parlor..(say ‘first’ parlor) where I had an experience that psyched the hell outta me. Here is in direct speech the conversation between the lady at the first parlor and me.
I enter the parlor..
Lady (Smiles): Hi madam , how may I help you?
I : Hi..(Gentle smile). I need a hair massage.
Lady: Ok..Give me two minutes. Let me heat up the oil.
I: Sure. Which oil do you use by the way?
Lady: Coconut Oil.
I: Don’t you have almond oil?
Lady: I do. But it will cost you more.
I: How much more?
Lady: Thirty rupees more.
I: That is fine. Please use Almond oil.
Lady: Sure.
I: By the way I have heard Olive oil is even better. What do you think? (I was actually checking how knowledgeable the lady was. I think it is important for the person attending to you, to know her basics right..Especially in a field like this).
Lady: Yes.I have olive oil also and can apply that if you want. (Disappointing answer because anyone with proper experience in this field would have known that olive oil actually leads to bad hair fall, quiet contrary to what is generally believed).
I.(Gently smile) : No No..Doesn’t matter. Almond oil will do.
Lady heats up the oil (instead of warming it)..
In the meanwhile…
Lady: What do you do?
I: I work.
Lady: Software? (I am not comfortable with questions of this kind, because they lead me to think that there is a hidden intention behind them)
I: Hmm…Something like it.
Lady: Where are you put up?
I : XYZ place.
Lady: Own house or rented house?
I (Gimme a break man! Why would you wanna know this?) : Rented. (I lied to her about this because I thought it was unnecessary for her to know the actual detail).
Lady: What does your husband do?
I (This is the limit): I told her what he does and added : I am running late. Can we please hurry up? ( to avoid more questions).
Lady: Sure madam.
The lady hurriedly gets into the other room to check if the oil is ready. ..comes back in 5 minutes with the oil bowl and attempts brushing my hair first. At this stage you can actually make out how good the beautician is. Simple rule: If the beautician’s hand smells of food that she had during her lunch, it is about time to take a ‘U’ turn and go back home. You should never hesitate to request them to wash their hands thoroughly with a hand wash before they touch your hair. Another tip that you can use to differentiate genuine beauticians from fake ones is by the way they move their fingers around your hair. Your hair should be treated gently. Rubbing your scalp in circular motions with finger nails is a strict no, however good it feels. Fingers alone should be used. No scratching the hair. Only gentle soft strokes. Quickly moving on to the rest of what happened..
The lady returns with an oil bowl and pours a few drops of hot oil directly onto my scalp, instead of using presoaked cotton.
I (horrified) : Eeks!!! What the hell! It burns!
Lady: How come? I agree the oil is slightly hotter than usual, but your scalp seems to be sensitive too.
I(angered) : Oh really?
Another customer to the beautician: You remember, last time I also told you this.
I wanted to ask the other customer what brought her back then, but just chose to empathize with her. Agreed that none of us is perfect, and as human beings we all make mistakes. This hardly matters if you make mistakes unknowingly. But it irks me when people make mistakes knowingly just because they think that they can take you for granted.
Lady: I am sorry madam. I really did not know it was this hot.
I (straight face) : Weren’t you supposed to have tested it then? (Kept myself under control, but how man! My scalp was literally burning!)
Lady: That’s what I did.
I: Tested it on whom? On me?
Lady: Sorry madam. Please give it sometime. It’ll get ok. I’ll reapply after five minutes.
I (Not wanting to be rude): Thatz ok. No problems! Take care the next time. Right now, I don’t think I want to get the massage done anymore, because it really burns. Shall try making it to your parlor again, may be tomorrow.
Lady: Alright madam. Good night. Sorry again!
I: Doesn’t matter.(Half Smile) Good night.
Despite the experience in the first parlor, I badly wanted to get the hair massage done, nonetheless. So walked into another parlor nearby. I actually do not know which parlors are good and which ones are bad, because I generally get this done at home by a lady who offers home service. Unfortunately she has left the city leaving me with very little choices…especially considering I don’t like to go too far for a parlor!). So very promptly I got into the second parlor. I guess my experience in the first place was a blessing in disguise. The hair massage I had at the second place actually put me to sleep. This is what you call a perfect massage! Spick and span parlor. Aromatic surroundings. Squeaky clean massage!. What more could I have asked for!?. I happily thanked her, gave her a liberal dose of appreciation, asked for her visiting card and said I’ll spread the good word around. 
After I got back home, the first thing I did was, to have pinned up her visiting card on my apartment’s notice board. After all, good things should be rewarded right?
Recent Comments