KiddyCuts salon caters only to children
KiddyCuts salon caters only to children
By Hera Diani
JAKARTA (JP): Little Jason looked to his left and right with
suspicion. His 15 month-old instincts said that everything was
clear, so he turned back to his toys.
But once his radar detected scissors or other metal gadgets
doing something to his hair, he would quickly turn his head
around.
The next second, he screamed and cried.
Mama then had to carry him around the room, trying to calm him
down with toys and a Teletubbies video.
It worked, apparently, as Jason kept quiet, even when his hair
was being cut again.
Such a scene has become a daily occurrence at KiddyCuts hair
salon, located on the 3rd floor of Plaza Senayan, Central
Jakarta.
If your children happen to act like Jason every time you try
to give shape to their hair, take them to the salon, which claims
to be the first in the country.
That's if you don't think Rp 70,000 (US$6.40) is too expensive
for cutting a few inches of your infant's hair.
Most of the time, it works, even though it can take over two
hours to get the job done.
It is not necessarily because the children cry. But many
times, they are too busy playing with toys, or watching a video,
or moving from one seat to another.
The salon is indeed more of a toy shop than a place for having
a haircut.
Several salons in town are also providing services for
children, like one in Mal Pondok Indah called "Family hair and
beauty salon", but it is not as specialized as KiddyCuts.
In the room that measures around five meters by five meters,
there are 13 seats, eight of which are in the form of cars or
motorcycles. The five others are regular chairs.
In front of the chairs, below a circular mirror, are 14-inch
television sets that shows children's programs, depending on the
request.
"These days, we have a high demand for Teletubbies videos. So,
we provide many of them," Cecilia Wirawan, the salon director
told The Jakarta Post recently.
In the corner, toys are scattered on a table, and huge
Teletubbies dolls have also been placed in the colorful room that
has a fluorescent pink ceiling.
Maybe it is a capitalist response to a perceived demand. Maybe
you are running the risk of seeing your children grow up as vain
and conceited adults. But at least the owners have sharp business
intuition.
Ever since the salon was opened in May, it has attracted
around 40 customers per day, almost reaching the targeted 50 per
day.
"We haven't even had grand opening yet. On second thoughts,
we're not going to have one at all, because the response has been
beyond our expectations," Cecilia said.
The idea to open such a salon apparently emerged from personal
experience.
"I have a son and also nieces and nephews, and it's very hard
to give them haircuts," Cecilia said.
"Then I thought, maybe if we gave them toys and TV, the
children would sit still," she asserted.
Cecilia then teamed up with famous hairdresser Rudy
Hadisuwarno who already owned a chain of salons.
According to Cecilia, it took them and another shareholder
some Rp 1 billion to open the salon.
"The largest investment was probably for the seats. We ordered
them from Italy, although we assembled them here," she said,
pointing to the seats which, like regular salon seats, can be
raised or lowered.
Open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., KiddyCuts has child customers
ranging from newborn babies having their first haircut, to pre-
teens.
"We have six experienced hairstylists. They are not only
specialized in dealing with children, as they used to cut adults'
hair too," Cecilia said.
Of course, it needs extra patience to be children's
hairstylists.
Cecilia said that once, a child did not want to leave the
salon after having a haircut.
"She kept running around and playing. Then she wanted to have
another haircut, but we gave her hair a creambath instead," she
said.
The girl liked it and still did not want to leave. At the end
of the day, the little girl got all of the head-to-toe services
the salon can provide, including a manicure and pedicure.
In view of such good business prospects, Cecilia said that
they planned to open another salon at Mal Taman Anggrek, West
Jakarta in August, and Tunjungan Plaza IV, Surabaya in November.
"We are also offering franchises," she said.
A mother, however, saw the business as a temporary fad that
would not last long.
"The price is too high. But we'll see," said a mother named
Debi.
Debi's seven-year-old daughter Essa, meanwhile, really enjoyed
her second visit to the salon, choosing a motorcycle-shaped seat
and watching a TV show.
"It's fun!" said the Al Azhar elementary school student.