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Grooming the Groom
In the chicly decorated office room, Kaniz Almas, known for her excellence in the beauty arena, sat poised as she went on to talk about how important it is for the bride as well as the groom to look elegant with Tania Tasneem Hossain.
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Kaniz has been in the business for the past 17 years, setting an example of perseverance and success, grooming and transforming women and men to look their best. However, hers is renowned not only for the conscious women, but also the men. ‘There was a time when even brides wouldn’t come to beauty parlours, but now people have become more conscious. They can see both the positive and negative side of things. The groom is more stressed out than the bride. He is naturally very restless and tense since they have a lot of pressure mentally, emotionally, physically and financially. So after all the hassle all week long before the wedding, he looks dull and jaded beside the bride. But if he takes the time to go to a salon, the look before and after is noticeably better.’ Speaking of what involves the grooming of the groom, Kaniz mentioned that there are a lot of men who initially don’t want to come to salons, but are encouraged by the bride to be, maybe even his friends and family, usually someone who has actually tried it out himself. ‘Grooming means total cleaning pedicure, manicure, fair polish, bleaching, haircut and setting, facials, getting rid of that tan, and sometimes even a touch of makeup. It is not only external rejuvenation, but also internal. The whole process is like a sort of meditation, which helps in oxygen intake, mental relaxation, better blood circulation and leaves one full of energy.
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For the groom, he has an extra load of tension with all the running around and not to mention the financial responsibilities that entail after the knot is tied. The bride has the advantage of going shopping and making guest lists and leaving the rest to the family while it is the groom who has the pressure of both pre and post marital responsibilities. Since the bride has a lot of time to spare, she can come in for a couple of hours everyday before the wedding to pamper herself. The groom, on the other hand, does not have the luxury to do so, in which case he may come in either the day before or on the day of the wedding, or both, after all he can’t exactly shave the day before and leave it at that,’ she smiled and continued, ‘However, a person without any knowledge about salons won’t even give it a thought. I must say that nowadays even the grooms’ salon expenses have become part of the wedding budget.’
With the immense success of Persona Adams and Habibs Persona, and a new outlet at Mirpur, which will also have a men’s salon in future, Kaniz gleefully said,’ Our main concern is always to keep the customers happy and satisfied. It is our responsibility to provide proper services and meet the clients’ demands. Although there aren’t any packages for the groom as yet, all services are available for their indulgence.’ It is obvious from this success story that men are becoming more and more conscious about the way they look. The media has a lot to do with it, as Kaniz says, ‘The media is one hundred percent responsible for this awareness created within men, both in the electronic and print media. Before there wasn’t so much focus on men’s fashion and appearance, at least not in the way women’s clothing and beauty were marketed. But now men have become particular about what they wear, they accessorize, they have a range of brands to choose from, places they like to eat, their favourite travel destinations, and so on.’ In lieu of the changing scene in men’s fashion, Kaniz Almas surprised that there wasn’t any men’s lifestyle magazine in Bengali. So she came up with the concept of Canvas Menz, which comes out annually since 2006, with the exception of this year. This year Canvas focuses on the Bridal issue which had already set its mark in 2005. Kaniz was also proud to say that there are over 300 plus executives working at Persona, and every one of them have a Masters degree. There are so many men working at Persona who, I’m sure never thought they would be working at a salon. But they are, and they are doing very well. From the rugged and casual conventional look to the beefcake and well groomed metro sexual male, thanks to Kaniz Almas, Bangladeshi men have crossed over.
With all sorts of customers, not only grooms, but students, business men and average men coming into salons are on the rise. Kaniz prides her exceptional quality service in all her salons, with a highly trained staff and expert trainings from abroad at Persona Institute of Beauty and Lifestyle, she guarantees total satisfaction for all her customers.
Kaniz already has four branches one at Dhanmondi, two at Gulshan and the newest at Mirpur, and is planning to open another in Uttara, Besides the usual facials and packages, Spring Spa and Persona Health have lucrative package offers. However, she has not only confined herself to grooming and beautifying her clients, she is also involved in counseling and social services. A fraction of her clients, usually women, often seek her advice and counsel with their social and marital problems, when they are caught in a sticky situation with no one to turn to. Kaniz takes the time to listen and help them out in any way possible. So from the pre nuptial grooming to post nuptial counseling, she is always on the edge, embodying a ‘persona’ that people can depend on.
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