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.