Of Parlors and Paranoia!

I recently added my experience at Studio Profile, T Nagar on Chennai Burrp! Am posting it here on my blog for easy reference.

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I went to Studio Profile T. Nagar on a Sunday for a pedicure. As they had opened recently, the parlor was fairly empty. There was no waiting time and I was led into an exclusive room which had two of those fancy pedicure chairs. The pedicure was done by a young lady who took care to switch on the massage option in the chair etc. before starting. The chair experience was really nice -- not something I expected in a parlor in Chennai which is not Page 3 or Oryza. But the chair did stop the massaging after a certain duration -- but I think we can live with that. The pedicure itself was also unhurried and relaxing.

So impressed was I by this cushy experience, that I decided to get myself a haircut also while I was there. I don't recall who the hair stylist was but I expected him to give me some consultation. However, he told me (much like my mom) about how not to get a haircut done and was not very excited. He was nice enough and it was refreshing to have a stylist give an honest opinion.

So, I went ahead and got just a trim done. As soon as the trim was over, the power went off (as is the norm in Chennai) and they informed me that they would not be able to blow dry my hair. I asked them if they did not have a generator and was informed that they did but it did not power the dryers. Do you know what the generator was for? For the bright lights and loud techno music!! I even went ahead and asked them that having a setup in this city, they should have amenities to provide for appliance backup... but of course, I realize that the stylists hardly have a say in all that! This is for the management to consider and rectify.

The silly thing was the stylist offered for me to come back in two hours to get my hair blow dried!!! Really? In two hours, one would think that my hair would have dried by itself! Plus, one of the many reasons one goes for a haircut is to get a nice blow dried look at least on that day... not leave the salon with damp, limp hair!! I told the stylist that since I was not getting a proper cut, they need to at least get me a rebate and he dutifully got me the hair cut price for short hair instead of medium. Which, at Rs. 650, was expensive considering it was only a trim. I am going to stick with Toni & Guy for hair cuts from now on.

I hope the management reads this review and makes sure that clients have an uninterrupted experience, especially because power cuts are a part of our life and we need to have substitutes in place.

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I am not completely writing the place off, given how parched Chennai is for good parlors. That's one problem I have been facing for the last 3 years since I moved here. Places are just downright expensive, and they are not even fancy.

I mean, the really fancy ones like Oryza or Page 3 charge as much as 3K to 5K for a facial, not something I would want to shell out on a monthly basis. And with facials, I always have this nagging worry about whether they are even using products that are worth that much. I mean, come on, while you are relaxing on that table, how do you know what is being used? (Okay, please don't sue me here for defamation or anything. I am sure they are using good quality, renowned products -- this is just the paranoid me!)

And the not-so-fancy ones like Green Trends or Naturals are also expensive, compared to what I used to pay in Delhi and Mumbai. Oh how I miss Meghna in Green Park !!

When I moved to Mumbai, I used to be a VLCC regular because it was very nearby and I was okay with shelling out money for a branded parlor. Working in BKC/Kalina also gave me access to a super-efficient, super-reasonable parlor in Kalina which was actually meant for students. Eventually, though I also tried out Enrich -- which I found to be just right for me in terms of ambience, rates and efficiency.

The one place that I am really comfortable with in Chennai is Toni & Guy at EA Mall, Royapettah. I have been there only for hair cuts and I have always been satisfied. They are also fairly reasonable, given that they are an international chain and are located inside a mall. They have now also introduced a junior stylist rate for INR 550!

Now, with a window of only a year to spend in Chennai before moving back to Mumbai, maybe I ought to stop my hunt for the perfect parlor -- or may be such a thing as a perfect parlor does not exist!

Oh, how I miss Meghna @ Green Park, Delhi !

Baking Extravaganza!

Okay, so as much as the title of this post may seem as if I am a Baker-Extraordinaire, I am not. Quite the opposite..well maybe not so much.

Before I get into the crux of the matter, let me outline a side of my personality which pleases me and disappoints me at the same time. I am the kind of person who loves (and I mean LOVES) taking up new projects because I am bored by routine. Intrinsically though, I am a person of routine -- I need to take a shower as soon as I get up, I need to leave for work by 8:30, I need to follow the same bedtime rituals -- well, you get the drift.

But, on the other hand, I get bored if I eat the same dish two nights in a row or if I am just drifting along the river of life without an immediate, short-term goal in sight.

So.. that's why I take up things to do. Looking back, I took up the preparation for IIT and MBA in a similar fashion - because they gave me a target to look forward to in the near future. I took up the CFA course two years back for the same reason. However, I have to admit to myself that I don't get into my non-academic projects as seriously as I should. Take, for example, this blog. This would be my ... 4th attempt at serious blogging after leaving my young adult blog more than 3 years back. However, it just doesn't go anywhere. And that upsets me, because I want it to go somewhere. I want this space to become popular, interesting and give me something to look forward to. Ironically, I need to work on it for it to become any one or all of those things.

Cooking, I discovered 4 years back, was more my thing than I would have ever thought. Because, cooking requires skill, attention to detail, imagination and because cooking gives you tangible immediate results. As an extension, baking started interesting me sometime back. I have always been the baker in my family, and let me tell you, that doesn't say anything about me or my family. But it has always been the regular chocolate cake baking for an occasional birthday or anniversary. I have never really moved beyond that and even that has never been perfect.

Of late, once again, baking has started to capture my mind space. I have been reading a lot of the internet sites, watching a lot of baking videos. And it struck me yesterday that THIS could be my new project -- Baking. Not just cakes, but muffins and breads and cupcakes etc. And decorating and frosting... :) I feel like Julie of Julie & Julia taking this up but that movie was really really enjoyable.

So, I am interested enough to write about it here. Now, what I need immediately is to get me some tools.. and I am planning to go after office today to scrounge for some bakeware and measuring cups and spoons. Hopefully, this weekend will see me doing some baking.

What is my short-term goal here ? I want to be one of those awesome moms who bake for their own kid's birthday party or for a picnic. About whom other kids and their moms talk about :) By the time R is ready to go to pre-school, I should be the new baker-on-the block!!