Prakriti Jain, who runs a parlour called Skin O Hair,on Taboot Street usually works only on appointments. But these days, even the golden rule to keep the mad rush at bay has failed and she can only wrap up work by 10 pm. “People are getting more and more fashion savvy. Today it’s not just about looking good but about getting an individualistic look. They want to wear their attitude, so this makes our work even more challenging,” she enthuses. Not that she’s complaining overly, for business is twice as strong. Shanu Sabunani who runs the Shanu’s Herbal Parlour in Kumar Plaza, has observed that people don’t mind spending any amount- as long as they look good. “This surely is one of the peak seasons when people come for facials, make up apart from a lot of straightening and rebonding of hair, and this is one time when prices don’t make a difference,” she adds. And that’s not all, bookings start much in advance, a week’s -prior notice is the minimum.

Reshma Gala Rajput, who runs H2O in Koregaon Park, has a choc-a-bloc appointment notebook. “There is no way I can attend to walk-in customers. In fact the peak season begins from October and goes on till the year end,” she says. While the number of customers thronging to the parlours increases, the moolah quotient intensifies simultaneously. Salon owners claim to see as much as a 20 per cent growth in their business.

Shieo-Bin-Chen, the owner of Grace in Wanowrie, says that customers have been walking into their parlour in all their Garba finery for makeup and hairdos. His parlour is open till 10 pm as opposed to the regular shut down time of 7 or 8 pm. “The main focus is hair and this season. It’s either soft curls or long straight hair in fashion. And the sales have gone up by 20 percent,” he says. In fact some of the salons also offer special packages. For instance, Sana Poonawala at her salon La Belle on MG Road, is offering package ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 650. “Youngsters want to look perfect during garba, so they often come to colour their hair and opt for many other things besides makeup,” she says. Most salons, that otherwise remain closed on Sundays, are kept open during this time of the year.