Ani & Olive, A touch of India to Western beauty culture

By Fathima Riznaz Hafi

Ani & Olive Salon is a fairly new salon that started up last year. Though a newcomer in the beauty scene, it has already built up a good customer base and is steadily increasing in popularity due to the unique touch it offers in its services.

This touch I’m referring to is its incorporation of Indian and Pakistani beauty treatment and products into Western beauty culture. The ethnic background of its owner and her fascination with Indian beauty culture has contributed to the exceptional image of the salon.

Something else that’s different is its attention to detail when it comes to the customer’s comfort. A few salons offer beverages to customers but this one even offers ‘lunch’ to those who are there for treatment that requires them to stay on for a longer length of time!

Customers are also provided with long, comfortable skirts in place of the sheets or blankets that are normally used to cover themselves while undergoing waxing, facials or massages. That way, if they need to move on to do a facial after waxing or need to stay on for a treatment to set-in, they don’t have to be confined to the room; they can walk around freely and comfortably in between treatment. To add to this freedom is the fact that it is an all ladies salon.

The Weekend FT met up with Ani & Olive Salon Managing Director Zaitoon Younoos, who has finally turned her long time dream into reality. “It was always my dream to start a beauty salon. I’ve been dreaming for a very long time. I had done the course but was not working in any salon,” she said.

“I really enjoy doing this; it’s like my hobby. We try to give whatever the customer wants and ensure a hygienic, comfortable and peaceful environment. Our customers also have the utmost privacy as this salon is exclusively for ladies only.”

Passionately in touch with the Indian culture

When asked how the name ‘Ani & Olive’ came about, Zaitoon said that ‘Olive’ is the English translation of her name. “‘Ani’ is just a name that I came up with but ‘Olive’ is ‘zaitoon’ in Urdu and also in Arabic,” she explained.

During our conversation, noting her attachment to and sound knowledge of the Indian language and culture, my curiosity set in so I dug in further and learnt that her parents are originally from India but settled down in Sri Lanka a very long time ago when the Pakistan-India riots had started and though born and bred in Sri Lanka, she remains passionately in touch with the Indian culture, incorporating it in her salon.

It’s not all about Indian beauty treatment however; she uses a lot of Western, Pakistani and Arabic products and methods too, with international brands such as Sothys.

She said she hadn’t worked in any salons before she opened her own one so I asked if she was a housewife before this, to which she promptly answered, “Never!” with a proud smile and then started laughing.

She comes from a family of fashion and clothing. “I started my own tailoring business in 1986 and from that year I’ve been in business. I started that also as a hobby – with one tailor and one staffer in a small shop,” she said.

Business has bloomed since then and now she continues running various kinds of businesses, including tailoring, alongside her husband Younoos Omar, but manages the salon alone.

The rooms and services

After our chat, Zaitoon took me on a tour of the salon. Situated on the first floor, the salon offers a total of seven rooms, each devoted to a specific form of beauty treatment and as I walked into the rooms I was not only pleased by the beautiful décor but also by the enchanting sounds of contemporary Hindi melodies playing in the background throughout the building, giving me an immediate sense of tranquillity.

Waxing

First she showed me the room allotted for waxing. It was a clean and comfortable space where customers can choose from a range of waxing treatment such as honey, chocolate, blue and pink waxing. “We also do Brazilian waxing which many salons do not offer as a lot of expertise is needed to perform this,” she said.

“A popular choice is Lycon chocolate wax which is a specially formulated waxing treatment, infused with cocoa and hazelnut oils, which not only nurtures skin but removes hair as short as one mm,” she added.

Nails

We then walked into the manicure and pedicure room, where again the customer can choose from a variety of treatment as well as the nail polish. She pointed out the display of nail polish which ranged from the regular brands used in most other modern salons, to ‘Inglot’ – the ‘Halal’ nail polish!

Yes, there is now a Halal nail polish, meaning Muslim women finally have nail polish that allows water to penetrate to the nail’s surface. (Muslim women don’t normally wear nail polish as it prevents water from penetrating the nail’s surface which therefore nullifies ablution.)

This nail polish is not just for Muslim women though – it is a healthier option than regular polish because nails need to ‘breathe’ in order to be healthy and this revolutionary nail polish consists of a unique, breathable formula that allows oxygen and water to pass through the enamel to the nail’s surface. The oxygenation allows better health for nails while enhancing their beauty. Unfortunately this brand is not available in Sri Lanka. “Inglot is only available in Dubai; therefore I get it down from there,” she said.

“We offer all sorts of nail art too: Acrylic gel nails, caviar and even Easter-inspired nail art. We also carry out mehendi/henna application, in all styles: Arabian, Indian, Pakistan – any way you want,” she added.

Bridal section

Next we walked into the bridal section which was a large room separated into two sections dedicated to bridal grooming.

“We are trying to get down Indian or Pakistani girls to come and work for us as well because their make-up is totally different. They change the bride totally. They look so different – nobody can recognise them,” she said. “We also do bridal mehendi application for both hands and feet for weddings as well as engagements.”

Facials

The facial room was set with state-of-the-art equipment and products essential for facials and other beauty treatment.

“We only use reputed brands, such as Sothys. Our specially formulated Acne Facial Treatment improves skin clarity, reduces blemishes and soothes inflammation. A strong blend of exfoliating natural fruit enzymes, antioxidants and hydrating agents opens clogged pores for deep cleansing,” she explained.

Among their range of facials are Detox, Derma, Kiwi and Honey facials. The Hydra Advance Facial is available to help fight premature ageing and to stimulate cellular growth while Correcting Lines Treatment is also performed.

Hair

Next it was off to the hair care section, where in addition to the regular haircuts, rebonding and extensions, they now offer hair fall control treatment which Zaitoon is very confident can solve the problem of excessive hair fall as well as sparse eyebrows.

“Normally for hair oil treatment we use olive oil, castor oil and vitamin E –the three mixed together. This treatment strengthens hair from the root and increases the volume of hair. Other salons don’t normally use castor oil. We add castor oil – that’s what’s different in our treatment; the castor oil promotes very fast growth of hair. You can also apply it on your eyebrows and eyelashes – everyone wants thick, long eyelashes,” she said.

They even carry out Powerdose, Oxi, dandruff and restructuring hair treatment.

Massage

Finally, we visited the two massage rooms. One was for a foot massage where the customer can unwind in a comfy plush chair while she indulges in a 30 minute massage to loosen up the muscles of her feet. The other massage room was for a relaxing body massage carried out by their all-female staff. They also offer a back massage, head massage and body scrub.

“My staff consists of well-trained girls and we maintain high quality in our work, at affordable prices,” she said.

Plans for the future

“I have a lot of ideas to do a lot of things; like I’m going to India soon and I’m trying to get new dermatological and facial products. I have an appointment with them; I’m going to meet them and commence treatment with the new products very soon. There are so many new things I still want to learn and I want to get new ideas from Pakistan and India,” she said. While still using many Western beauty products, she has a fascination with products from India and Pakistan because they are Asian countries and therefore the women there have similar skin types to Sri Lankan women and our climates, which also have a big impact on the skin, are the same.

“Many products from Western countries won’t be suitable for of my customers because of the different climate and skin types – skin and climate are also important when choosing a product,” she explained.

The beauty products are from the sub continent but the beauticians are local – she plans to employ a beautician from India to train her staff on traditional Indian beauty treatment in the future.

I noticed that Zaitoon seems to adore Ramani Salons as she frequently referred to them. “I’m hoping that my salon will come up like other salons. One day I want to be like Ramani, Insha’Allah,” she said. “And there is another dream –one day I want to open my salon internationally,” she added.

Ani & Olive Salon is open every day except on Poya with working hours from 9:30 a.m.to 6:30 p.m. daily while on Sundays it’s 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Pix by Lasantha Kumara