A cut above the rest

STATE UPDATE/TAMIL NADU

Vikram Mohan, 25, exudes professionalism. He runs his hand through his client's forelock and asks him what kind of shampoo or conditioner he uses. Almost like a doctor, he prescribes what needs to be done to add bounce to the client's hair.

Mohan is a hair and skincare specialist, part of a new breed that's cashing in on the growing tendency of men and women to look their best. Mohan, creative director at Chennai's latest unisex beauty salon Bounce, stands apart "" he along with his sister Prarthana, owns one of the two privately-owned unisex salons in Chennai.

The other one, Salon Nayana, is part of a Colombo-based beauty salon chain. Say hello to Chennai's beauty salons. They're no longer the mom and pop businesses of yore "" they're clearly showing signs of having arrived with bounce and verve.

To be sure, other metros have more salons. Chennai is thus a late starter. But fuelled by demand from young men and women and from company executives who are conscious of their looks, Chennai now has around six of the more upscale ones.

"These are professional places where the hairstylists understand corporate needs and do not experiment too much. Moreover the equipment used are the latest and give lot of confidence to me. It's definitely value for money," says R Ramkumar, chief knowledge officer at Cognizant Technology Solutions.

Adds Pavithra Srinivasan, a Chennai-based PR consultant: "I visit the beauty salons just to pamper myself and get some time for myself. In fact, the rates in Chennai are higher than the ones I paid in Mumbai."

The salons have certainly arrived "" one even has an ISO 9001-2000 certification, one of the three in the world to have achieved this distinction. Down M G Road in Chennai where Mohan has opened his new shop is Ramesh Hair Gents' Stylists, who deals with men only. Ramesh Ganesan, the owner of the salon, has been in the business since he was 12.

He is not just another 'barber' round the corner. He has worked at some of the leading hair and skin care salons in Chennai, including at one of the city's leading five star hotels, Taj Coramandel. For the last 18 years he has been running his own business and today some 50 to 60 people walk into his salon. Gents' Hair Stylists is also Asia's first hair stylist to achieve an ISO 9001-2000 certification.

These salons offer a wide range of services "" a wash-cut-shampoo-wash service that starts from Rs 150 and goes up to Rs 250, pedicure, manicure, a full-fledged Jacuzzi bath, a 'Kerala massage', aroma therapy and physiotherapy.

Bounce, for example, has invested close to Rs 30 lakh in its 2000 sq ft salon. This unisex salon also offers professional hair and skin care products from brands like L'Oreal of France and Schwarkopfz of Germany.

Says Mohan: "Ours is a truly multi-brand salon. We even offer products of the London-based salon chain, Tony & Guy, a range of haircare products that target the youth." Shahnaz Hussain herbal skin care products too are available in these salons.

"Most of these products are not just over-the-counter products you can pick up in any department stores or pharmacy. These are professional products which can be sold only by salons like ours," Mohan notes proudly.

Mohan shows us around his tastefully designed shop. Like all the new salons, his is fully air conditioned, has a reception and a chic receptionist. The aesthetics, the soft lounge music and the ergonomically designed Italian workstations suggest just one thing "" client pampering.

At Bounce, for example, no detail is spared. The mezzanine floor has only two workstations, exclusive for the ladies who come for skin care services. "We have kept the whole place open and clean, but still offer privacy where it is needed," Mohan says.

All the leading beauty salons insist that no two customers are alike. To stay on top of the business, they offer customised services, including even a phone call reminding you that it's time for a hair cut.

Kanya is one of the oldest ladies beauty salon chains in Chennai and has branches in Bangalore. Says Latha Mohan, owner of the Kanya chain: "The size of the beauty salon industry in India is estimated at Rs 1,500 crore annually. It is growing at 40 per cent a year." She adds that hair colouring is not just a fad. Research in the west, she says, clearly indicates that people who take care of their hair either in terms of style or colouring face the world with greater confidence.

These salons are run by professionals who have undergone a good amount of academic and on-the-job training. Vikram Mohan and his sister, Prarthana, trained at Vidal Sassoon and Saks Academy in Europe.

Vikram Mohan says: "The 14-member Bounce team underwent extensive training at the Kanya chain's training centre in Chennai. We also offer on the job training so that the technicians do not hop jobs for every Rs 1,000 salary hike." The technicians are paid between Rs 3,000 and Rs 10,000 a month. Ramesh Ganesan employs 24 technicians at this three salons in Chennai.

Salon owners like Vikram Mohan, Ganesan and Latha Mohan are hands-on bosses. "I make it a point to personally attend to three customers in the forenoon and three in the afternoon," Vikram Mohan says. These are usually celebrity clients where even a minor mistake can prove very expensive.

Agrees Ganesan: "You will find a wide cross section of people visiting our shops, from IPS and IAS officers to film stars and politicians. After being in this business for the last 30-odd years, I still work with clients if they fix an appointment over the phone," he says.

"Most of the time customers do not clearly know what they want. Some even bring film posters and say they want to look like this hero or heroine. We work along with the client and move step by step to reach the desired look," one leading hair stylist adds.

These hair and skin care specialists have ambitious plans. Some are looking at opening branches in Bangalore and Mumbai. Ganesan, who does not have a branch outside Chennai now, is planning on opening one in Bangalore in the beginning of the next financial year and one in Mumbai down the year.

"We are considering opening shops in Malaysia and Singapore as well, and may be even in the UK," he adds. Boosterism? Perhaps. But it certainly is one more sign of the confidence salon owners exhude.