DOHA: Soaring rates at beauty salons in the country are prompting many Qatari women to travel to Bahrain for beauty treatments, reports local Arabic daily Al Arab.
In Bahrain, beauty treatments are at least 40 percent cheaper than in Qatar, the daily said, quoting a Qatari woman.
Amal Al Mohannadi, a Qatar University student, told the daily that every time she visits a beauty parlour here, she finds that its prices have gone up.
“I have never been able to guess the reason for such price rise,” she said. “I have been keeping track of beauty treatment rates for the past year. The salons first raised the price of a haircut and then those for other services.”
Al Mohannadi called on the state-run consumer rights watchdog, the Consumer Protection Department of the Ministry of Economy and Commerce, to conduct raids on beauty salons and make sure that they keep their rates in check. “There is need for strict monitoring.”
She said that she had a friend whose family regularly visited Bahrain for beauty treatments because the prices there worked out at least 40 percent cheaper than here.
Quoting other women, including some Arab expatriates, the daily said that a visit to a beauty parlour in Qatar can cost anywhere between QR800 and QR1,500 ($220 to $412).
A woman said that waxing in an ordinary beauty parlour alone can cost up to QR700 ($192), while a haircut can make you poorer by QR200.
During festive seasons, beauty salons are crowded and all of them raise their rates so much that they are on a par with those housed in five-star hotels. “There is no monitoring,” a woman told the daily.
Eid Al Adha is not far away. When the festival approaches nearer, salons will start doing brisk business. Full make-up even in an ordinary salon can cost up to QR3,000.
An Arab woman expatriate, Fatima Al Maghrabi, said that she did not rely on any one beauty salon and did a lot of hunting and visited the salon where the prices were reasonable.
According to her, lately beauty salons have raised their prices for henna application on hands. The rates vary according to the design.
A lot of women use henna designs on their hands during Eid so the salons raise their prices on these occasions. So strict monitoring is needed during these festivities, she said.
Al Maghrabi said that it is generally believed that beauty salons raise their prices on occasions like Eid. “But the truth is that here in Qatar the salons need no excuse. They just raise their rates even if there are no festivals.”
Amal Al Mohannadi said that women like to deck up, especially during Eid Al Adha festival, because every woman likes to look at her best and more beautiful than her friends.
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