In Mumbai, on the other hand, unisex grooming is already well-established. Nalini Naegamvala of the legendary Nalini and Yasmin (N&Y) says, "Initially, the concept wasn't very popular but now 20 per cent of our clients are male." At B:Blunt, the celeb hair salon run by Aduna Bhabani-Akhtar, approximately 40 per cent of their clientele is male. Actor Jugal Hansraj, a regular, finds it more professional too. "My earlier gents-only parlour was very drab. But the staff here are so smart and suggest so many options in styling and hair care."
But for a lot of women, getting their upper lip threaded even as the hunk on the next chair gets his nose hair trimmed is taking trendiness—or gender equality—too far. "It's guaranteed to kill any budding romance...and stamp out the feminine mystique part," says a Delhi-based model. So a lot of salons which carry the unisex tag have a partition between the men's and women's sections. It's not just the women who feel shy. "Even men don't feel comfortable being seen with a face pack and curlers," says Anjali of Bubble Lounge, where the men's section is screened off.
It's also true that a lot of men flock to unisex salons in the hope of finding female company, or being ministered to by women. Feroze, a hair-stylist at Bubble Lounge, says male clients often ask for only female stylists "but our management doesn't entertain such requests". And it's not like the male bastion has completely keeled over. Die-hard anti-metrosexuals, who flaunt their sweat and stubble, still believe that only gays or the desperate ones flock to unisex salons. Tell that to the likes of actor Hrithik Roshan and singer Kunal Ganjawala, regulars at unisex parlours.
