Style imports

Int'l salons in Delhi are making sure that you look absolutely smashing. Kirti Mehta takes a look.

Stylishhairdo,atouch of colour to the cheeks, a little bit of eye shadow and mascara, manicure for your hands and a relaxing massage, there are endless beauty sessions in the parlour to lure you. And the international labels are all set to make you spend every penny in your purse.

International salons like Dar, Dessange and international products like Clarins and Shiseido have made their way to the Capital's ‘elite' society .

Hair power
Dessange described as ‘Harrods of hairdressing and beauty salons' is associated with Cannes Film Festival as the official hairstylist. It is also a world leader with 1,000 salons in 45 countries.

One of them being in the Capital, where the who's who of the society come for an elaborate beauty treatment. Nitin Mahajan, general manager of Dessange says, "Our clientele consists of people who want to be in sync with the international style. To cater to the clients' demands, we have a stylist from France, who is familiar with the worldwide trends."

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Here a haircut could cost you between Rs 500 and 2,000, depending upon who cuts it. Similarly, the nail art starts from Rs 50 and goes up to 400. You can also go in for a body massage, with add-ons for Rs 2,750.

Dar-ing act
Dar is a new salon, that has been opened by the celebrity hair stylist, Dar. He is said to have styled many celebrities, like Sir Paul McCartney, Boy George, Jemima Khan, Imran Khan and Aishwarya Rai. The parlour provides the best experience to its guests with a personal LCD screen next to every seat and a lounge in the lobby .

However, styling by Dar can cost you Rs 3,000. Other stylists will charge around Rs 750. Body treatment and body massages range between Rs 1,500-2,500. Cellulite is obviously expensive somewhere around Rs 15,00020,000. Says manager Sameer Sharma, "Dar himself comes to Delhi for six months and trains the staff and shares his techniques with them."

Ask him how will Dar salon entice the guests, and pop comes the reply, "We are introducing I-pod and also Wi-Fi connectivity in the parlour to keep the guests entertained while giving them endless beauty sessions. So they have all the reasons to come back and feel pampered again."

Mystic masseurs
At Ravissant, international brands like Clarins and Shiseido have made their way to the parlour. From facials to hair treatments, Ravissant is well stocked with these international brands to delight the guests with their beauty regime. Haircut will be between Rs 9501,600 depending upon the style, the length of the hair and the stylist who cuts your hair.

Clarins body or face treatment will cost Rs 2,400 each. Priya Banerjee, manager of the salon, says, "Our beauticians are trained by the Clarins trainers in Mumbai and we only give clients manual massages, as this gives better results. Shiseido is very popular with our clients."

Delhi's crème de la crème has now more reasons to splurge!