Anne and I had our spa experience. It is amazing how very similar and different it is at the same time. The pedicures were performed in office chairs and with a minimum of water. The pedicures themselves were pretty much exactly the same as what you would get here.
The salon did have some very interesting hair procedures. One woman had what looked like mud smeared in her hair and was placed under a contraption that appeared to be steaming her head. It looked like an old school bonnet hair dryer, with a large vessel attached to the back. That vessel contained a liquid. The whole thing came out of the wall on an extending pole. After a couple of minutes, steam started pouring out. Another woman was having some type of dye applied to her hair. Her hair was sectioned off and carefully combed down long red plastic forms. They looked like slides. That procedure required 2 people to perform.
The biggest difference between a salon in the US and here is the atmosphere. Sure, it is a bit run down and funky by our standards. The biggest differencereally is no appointments, even for multiple procedures. There is also an air of being in the women's club. The women were not wearing their extra layers to hide their womany features and there was not even a hint of services for men. I have a feeling that it is a modern version of the women's quarters from the days when purdah was practiced widely. (Purdah is the practice keeping women inside and out of public view.) It didn't feel at all oppressive or backwards. The placed hummed with femine energy and rhythms.
Anne and I also received facials. That's me in the thumbnail. When you hear your facialist chopping cucumbers for the first time, you wonder if it is Bengali practice to eat lunch while the client relaxes under the steam!
1 comment:
Heh. That's great. Do you get to keep the smock? Thats pur-tee!
Blowing that picture up is interesting - you can see a very strange electronic contraption by your head that looks more like a defibrilator or something...and that black tarp thing you are laying on looks super fresh. It kind of looks like a junior high school with cucumbers and flowery smocks.
Keep posting so we can continue to live vicariously thru you! Life is boring and extremely cold back here in NH.
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