While all beauty salons claim to provide a hygienic environment and excellent services, many fail to do so. Customers are often left complaining about the maltreatment they received at the hands of a staff member or the unclean equipment used. Others complain of damaged hair or skin irritations because of unfamiliar substances used on them. When asked as to what an unsatisfied customer did in response to the bad service, the most common answer is: ‘The salon compensated with a service for free,’ or ‘I swore not to go back there.’

Najyah K, 31, recounts her recent salon experience: “The salon owner is a close friend of mine. She convinced me to try a new hair nurturing product. When I washed my hair at home, I noticed that my hair had completely transformed. I visited a dermatologist who told me that my hair had been chemically burned. In order to repair the damage, I asked the salon about the product they used but they refused to reveal it.”

College student Ashwaq Sanqoor, 22, said: “I don’t frequent any one beauty salon because I prefer to try more than one place. Once while having my face waxed, I told the Filipino staff member that I feel a terrible pain, but she kept saying that it was OK. After she finished, I looked at myself in the mirror and I was horrified. My face had several red patches. When the pain did not ease even after two days I went to see a dermatologist. I am still paying for treatment sessions to fix my face.”

Amnah Hussein, 26, said she caught Hepatitis C from a parlor where she was made to use infected pedicure tools, while Amal Ibrahim, 32, a working woman, was infected with keratitis because she said the makeup artist applied her personal eyeliner on her.

Dr. Suha Haj Ibrahim, a dermatologist at Al-Tababah Center in Jeddah, says that one of the most strange cases she came across was of a woman who had her cheeks injected with an unknown substance. The woman was not really worried about the substance, rather she was perturbed by the fact that one of her cheeks was larger than the other. However, she explained that she was in a hurry because her engagement would be held after one week. She was terrified that her fiancé and family might know about what she did.

The surface layer of her skin, abnormally, looked almost eroded due to a blockage in the cheek nurturing veins. “When I sought to know what the injected substance was I found that it was a bodybuilding oil the woman had at her friend’s beauty salon,” said Dr. Ibrahim.

Dr. Nawf Alsadoon, a dermatologist at Cosmoderm Clinics, said: “At least five to ten women suffering from skin burns due to waxing or laser visit the clinic every day. Some try things that fall under medical specialty, such as botox, filler injections and keratin treatments, which are of high sensitivity and hence require a specific method and a training course. I advise all women to first ensure that their beauty specialists have a verified license.”

Dr. Arwa Yusuf Alaama, assistant secretary of Jeddah Principality for Information and Technology, said that in the last six months, around 41 salons have been closed due to different reasons.

“Unfortunately, most women don’t know where to report salon violations. I urge all women to collaborate with us in detecting illegal practices at beauty parlors by informing us on the Principality No. 940 in order to eliminate these breaches.”

According to lawyer Muhammad Nayta, the steps women should take when harmed by a beauty salon include: First, visit a doctor to obtain a medical report that proves the harm done, and second, present the report to any police station, which in turn will summon the salon’s owner to start investigation.

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