Beauty Seekers’ Guide to the AUD Hair Salon
Beauty is what many women seek to achieve nowadays. Being attractive and always “on fleek” seems to be the new trend. Although some women do not think of visiting the salon on a weekly basis, others, especially young women, prefer to visit the salon more often. In the UAE, it is rather easy, as several beauty salons are located in almost every area. Here at The American University in Dubai, students, staff and faculty have access to an on-campus Beauty Salon that offers special services and discounted prices.
The Salon that opened its doors in October, 2008 seemed not to be on the radar of some students “I never went to the AUD hair salon, but I heard good reviews about it,” said Mahra Al Khaja, an International Studies student at AUD. “Maybe I will get to visit it soon.”
What is convenient about the salon is that it caters to the needs of the students and faculty who live on-campus, and of those who are too busy with their studies to go elsewhere. AUD Salon strikes as a time-saver in those cases. “AUD’s hair salon is more time efficient; the staff works fast because they know students have classes to get to,” said Reem Krimly, a Journalism student at AUD. “I like that they get Essie (a nail polish brand),” she added.
Furthermore, the salon offers special discounts to students, which allows them to save money as well. For example, a full hair color in Belle Femme salon, costs around 400 to 900 Dirhams depending on the hair length, but AUD’s salon takes only 400 Dirhams on that service. Other facilities, such as blow drying, start with 115 to 325 dirhams depending on the hair length, however, it costs 100 dirhams in the AUD’s for all hair lengths. “Its prices are okay. Like, I get a haircut with a blow dry for 120 dirhams,” said Rahaf Jambi, a journalism student at AUD. “They’re cheaper than other salons” she added.
On top of the affordable prices, students also get a Dhs 10 to 20 discount, making it even more appealing.The Salon provides neat services, according to Jeralyn Madriaga, a hairdresser at the salon who said: “I can see that customers leave the salon satisfied. They feel happy when I do their hair.”
One of the problems with the salon is that it does not accept card payments, which makes it difficult for customers to pay for the rather expensive services. Services that costs around 400 and above are difficult to pay, as most students would not carry such a large amount of money around in their wallets at once. A portable credit card machine would allow the client to go through less of a hassle when it comes to the time of payment. Moreover, the salon does not serve consumers drinks. Clients appreciate it when they are assisted by a cup of tea or coffee. Renad Al Khambashi, a business student at AUD, complained about that, and about the lack of enough staff: “Sometimes I go to the salon, and I do not find available appointments; they need to have more workers.”
In conclusion, the AUD hair salon is a good place for students to try out as it saves money, time, and effort from driving to other places. However, there is room for improvement: a portable credit card machine would allow students to experience different and simpler payment methods, more employees would allow more appointments, and the offering of a cup of tea or coffee would make the experience more relaxing, as well as, enjoyable. Keeping up with these benefits for AUD’s ladies, men wonder if they offer the same for them. Although the salon is only made for girls, men still get to enjoy these offers using AUD’s Barbershop.
Photo by: Yasmin Mohamed
