While I was having my hair done...

While I was having my hair done...

JAKARTA (JP): Every time I pull my hair back in a ponytail, it
doesn't mean that I enjoy showing off my receding hairline. It
only means it is time to go to my stylist to have my hair washed,
moisturized and blow-dried properly.

As an ultraperfectionist, I always calculate very carefully
the time I have available to spend at my hair and beauty center.
I usually try to squeeze it in before lunch or a meeting in such
a way that people will not be aware that I have spent half a day
at a beauty center. Once someone called on my hand phone while I
was having my hair blow-dried. I had to explain to him that I was
standing on an airport runway.

It just feels good when someone says to you: "Wow, you really
look great for somebody who has been working so hard the whole
day!"

There is one hair and beauty center I always go to in Kemang.
Believe me, this place is the best so far. I have done my
homework; I have been to lot of salons. By the way, have you ever
been to the one called "Risky Salon"? I mean who would
voluntarily walk into a hair salon with a name like "Risky"?

Anyway, this hair and beauty center I always use has very
friendly staff, a cozy seating arrangement and most important for
me is that they have separate smoking and non-smoking areas.

I feel very welcome every time I walk in. Everybody greets me
by name. It feels like walking into "Cheers" bar. I'm always
seated in my favorite chair, served with my favorite drink and
magazine, and the stylists are quick to assist me. All of that
happens minutes after my arrival. Besides being naturally nice, I
guess they also appreciate my generous tips.

While listening to Go West by the Village People (its probably
been chosen as their anthem), I sit back, enjoy a scalp massage,
have my cuticles pushed back and my eyebrows plucked; how could a
woman expect more than this? Gees, don't you think it sounds more
like being tortured than being pampered?

There are generally between five and ten other women or men
clientele sitting in the room. Yes, they have male clients. The
male clients normally come at the least busy time, like Monday
morning.

One day I bumped into my super macho ex-CIA friend John, who
is famous and very proud of his natural, non-gray, wavy, brunette
hair. I actually caught him having his hair colored and his nails
manicured! "I had no idea that we have the same hair dresser," he
said, with a "pity me and please do not tell anyone about this"
look on his face.

Just imagine how many hush-hush stories I hear just by sitting
in my hair and beauty center for half a day. My stylists always
share the "steamiest story of the day" they have heard from their
talkative clients.

Some of the clientele have familiar faces: including movie
stars, top government officials, models, spoiled rich teenagers
and bored looking expatriate wives. I have observed that they
have various reasons for going there. I mean besides having their
body parts altered.

Some of them go there because they think it's a place to go to
be seen. Some of them go there because they want to show off to
their friends that they can afford to have their hair done at the
place frequented by the top models. But some of them also go
there just because it's convenient and near their homes.

I have a different reason, for me my beauty center is like my
second home. A place where I can relax and unwind.

The highlight of the visit is to listen to what other guests
are saying. Many clients seems to have a prepared list of
subjects to discuss before they walk into the beauty center. They
sit down, get comfortable and as soon as their stylist arrives,
they begin their litany. Topics range from politics, dirty
weekends or just what great people they are. These people usually
speak loudly, eager to make their opinions known to everybody
else in the room.

They are just so much better than everybody else.

One afternoon, a few hours before the blown-out-of-proportion
turn of the century party, I went to my beauty center to have my
hair, face and body decorated according to the theme. I think my
stylist poured half a kilogram of glittering dust all over me. I
swear, I must have looked like a lost tinker bell.

While my stylist was struggling to put sticky fake eyelashes
on my eyelids instead of my nose, I recognized the loudmouthed
lady sitting beside me. Who could ignore her? She was literally
shouting, to make sure that everybody in the room heard what she
had to say.

"I went to Singapore last week especially to buy this latest
'New Millennium' make-up kit, you know? I spent a couple hundred
dollars for these stick-on eyebrows alone, plus hundreds more for
the blush and body glitter, and yada... yada... yada...," she
shouted, her hands busy directing the stylist how to stick her
bright, glittery, blue stick-on fake eyebrows properly.

The stylist squeezed one big dollop of glue at the back of
each of the stick-on's, placed them on her eyebrows then pressed
really hard. Mind you, she already had bright glittering red-eye
shadow on. By the way, has anybody seen a movie called the
Exorcist?

While my stylist and I tried hard to suppress our laughter,
Simon the head stylist walked in and screamed in alarm, "Oh my
God, darling, what have you done? These stick-ons are not for
your eyebrows. They are stick-on eye shadow! Quick, we have to
take it off your eyebrows before the glue sets!"

I can't tell you what happened next.

You know, sometimes I wonder why women have to spend so much
money and time trying to make themselves physically more
beautiful. I know, the inner beauty speech sounds a bit corny.
But don't you think that no matter how much money you spend in a
beauty center, if it's not supported by a good manner and
beautiful heart, it's meaningless? I mean a perfect manicure and
a perfect blow dry won't last for more than three days!

-- Aida Greenbury