It is 6pm and Kanglung market is turning busier.
Hordes of crowd can be seen visiting the shops. Beauty parlors particularly are witnessing a huge influx of customers these days. Customers comprise mostly women ranging from teenage girls to women in their 20s as well as middle-aged women.
Beautifying oneself has become a way of life for these women. The four beauty parlors in Kanglung offer a wide range of services like threading to facials and hair straightening and trimming.
The parlors do good business and earn a tidy sum every month.
Kinley Yangzom, owner of Lhazin beauty parlor in Kanglung said her customers are college students, employees and even villagers.
The prices for services in her parlor range from Nu 300 to Nu 700 for facial make-up depending upon the type of products used and Nu 20 for threading.
Similarly, hair straightening costs between Nu 1,500 to Nu 2,000 for hair straightening depending upon hair quality.
She makes a profit of more than Nu 25,000 monthly.
The women who frequent these parlors, often from remote villages, do not mind spending money on the services as they want to look their best.
Wangmo, a resident of Kanglung said it is human nature to want to look beautiful, more so for women, so she would rather shell out cash to look good than appear like time has left her behind.
Other women said that with everybody beautifying themselves, they should keep up with the competition.
According to workers in the beauty parlors, business is profitable. “It is not only women who visit but men too especially for hair coloring and shaping their brows.”
A customer said that looking good boosts self-esteem so spending on the beauty services is worth it.
“I just want to look beautiful. It does not matter how much I need to spend” said Yeshey Dema, a college student.
Jigme Wangchen from Kanglung/Trashigang
