Looking good not easy and costs pretty penny

Looking good not easy and costs pretty penny

It is a case of putting your best face, not foot, forward in
this youth-obsessed world. Beauty, and how to acquire it for the
genetically challenged, is big business. The Jakarta Post's team
of reporters, I. Christianto, Christiani S. Tumelap, Aloysius
Unditu, T. Sima Gunawan, Imannudin, Ivy Susanti and P.J. Leo,
delve into what it takes to transform a beast into a beauty in
articles on this page, Page 2, Page 9 and Page 13.

JAKARTA (JP): If beauty salons were places of worship, Nita
would win praise for her devotion.

The executive of a foreign bank has her hair shampooed and set
daily.

"I have to go to the beauty salon as I can't do my hairstyle
by myself," she said.

Once a week, she indulges in a creambath. She says she does
not have a budget for her beauty needs, but having her hair
washed and set costs Rp 14,500 per treatment.

Unlike Nita, movie star Kiki Fatmala says she makes a monthly
trip to her hairdresser.

"I just go to the salon if I have to set my hair," she said,
adding her beauty expenses run to several hundred thousand rupiah
each month.

Millions more can be spent by those who want physical
perfection with the help of sophisticated technology, such as
liposuction or laser treatments.

Some salons sells beauty dreams with sophisticated,
ultraexpensive equipment -- and lofty prices to match.

Hollysa Soeranta of Maxie Salon and Beauty Care says her salon
offers computerized tools to eliminate unwanted fat and the
dimpled appearance of cellulite, remove wrinkles from the face,
arrange facelifts and halt hair loss.

Customers who want to slim down must pay a fat Rp 1 million
for a package inclusive of 10 visits to the salon.

Maxie, located on Jl. Wolter Monginsidi, South Jakarta, and
opened in 1991, serves an average 150 customers on weekdays and
270 people during weekends. Most come for a haircut.

Johnny Andrean, a leading beauty consultant, runs 65 beauty
salons throughout the country, mostly in the capital. An average
of 100 customers visit each of his salons everyday. Rates begin
at under Rp 10,000 for a haircut.

But a trim by the master himself costs the pretty penny of Rp
200,000.

Those on a tighter budget can find what they need at small
roadside salons and barbershops.

Rayka Jaya, one of five barbershops along Jl. Kramat Sentiong
in Central Jakarta, charges Rp 2,500 for a haircut and Rp 1,000
for a shave.

Owner Katrizal Nasser opened his shop last year after business
at his printing firm slowed down. "The salon business is more
lucrative."

Customers include students, taxi drivers, police officers,
members of the Armed Forces, security guards and even preman
(hoodlums).

"Some customers drive Volvos and pay much more than the set
rate," said Nasser.

He has six employees, who receive half of the fee for each
customer they serve.

Andi, holder of an agricultural degree from a university in
Aceh, joined Rayka Jaya as a hairstylist six months ago. "I can
handle some 20 people a day."

To meet the growing demand for hairstylists, several beauty
salons have opened training centers.

Martha Tilaar, Rudy Hadisuwarno, Peter F. Saerang and Johnny
Andrean are among the leading beauty businesspeople who run
training centers or schools. Salons like Orlane and Salome also
have their own.

Cathy Maria Goretti, principal of Johnny Andrean Hair and
Beauty Training Center, says an average of 90 people enroll at
her center each month.

Making people look their best is undoubtedly a huge business,
despite the assurances that what really counts is how we are on
the inside.

We may be told not to judge a book by its cover, or a person
by any physical deficiencies, but looks count for a lot in the
real world.

Former beauty pageant contestant Tika Bisono, now a
businesswoman and psychologist, agrees that people's
attractiveness can give them an edge.

"In some cases, like in an intense situation, people will be
swayed by a beautiful appearance," she said.

Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder: studies show that
people react more positively to fairer-faced individuals, even in
stressful or tense situations.

How we feel about our looks also affects our moods. "A fresh
look will give someone a particular belief in themselves. From
the personal point of view, someone will feel that 'I'm okay'."

Tika observes that beauty salons have become more than just
places to get a new look -- they also provide a new look on life
as "social" institutions.

"First, it starts from the increasing demand for salons from
consumers. Second, more people are running their own salons after
cooperating with other salon owners in the past."

People, particularly in metropolitan areas like Jakarta, are
hard-pressed to find time to take care of their appearance.

"Therefore, they go to salons for personal grooming and to be
spoiled," she adds.

A social meeting point, salons allow for exchange of gossip
and information, Tika said.

She once had a meaningful conversation with another salon
patron. "She told me her problems and asked for my advice."

As well as dishing the dirt on the gossip front, important
news can be exchanged.

"It's very interesting being at salons," Tika said. "Once I
overheard men exchanging information on job opportunities while
they were having their hair cut."

Although customers put their feet up and kick back with
conversation, their main objective is still looking their best.

He may earn his living off vain desires for a pretty face, but
Johnny Andrean claims that what your mother said -- beauty is
only skin-deep -- really is true.

"People go to the salon because they want a better look. But
the most important thing is still inner beauty."