The number of beauty salons and spas in the country has almost doubled over the past few years, with more women now wanting to appear attractive, trendy and fashionable.
According to a recent report in a local Arabic daily, many young women here, influenced by films and television serials, are trying to imitate the hairstyles of celebrities, and beauty salons are happy meeting their demands, of course at a premium.
The authorities have been cracking down on beauty parlours that fail to meet health and safety requirements, but the disparities in their prices have been ignored, say many customers.
A standard haircut for women may cost QR100 at one salon and over QR600 at another. Facials start at QR250 and cost as much as QR1,000 at high-end salons.
“There is no standard price and everyone charges as they like. Generally, if the owners have rented a nice villa for the salon, they are likely to charge you higher even if the services are just average. The authorities must step in and at least monitor the prices so that customers are not exploited,” said Huda Al Kuwari, a Qatari woman.
Some salons are said to be employing unlicensed staff on a temporary basis to meet the huge demand during Eid. The high prices at beauty salons have created room for home services, with many unlicensed beauticians going to homes for facials, waxing and other services. This poses a threat to the customers’ health in the absence of any monitoring of the quality of services, equipment and material used in the process.
This also reflects a lack of awareness among women seeking the services of beauticians despite intensive campaigns being carried out by the authorities focusing on health and hygiene.
According to a beautician, some Arab mothers bring young girls for treatments such as hair straightening, eyebrow threading and facials.
They are either ignorant or unmindful of the fact that if such processes are not done carefully, they can harm the hair and skin and cause irreparable damage to the health and appearance of their children.
