Hakims Aalim Salon

Hakims Aalim Salon is based in Mumbai, specifically in the 400 061 zip code. It’s a busy place with a lot of movement. You can usually hear the sound of hair dryers and scissors clicking as soon as you walk in. We have several chairs lined up and there is almost always someone sitting in one. The floor gets covered in hair pretty quickly, so we are constantly sweeping it up. It’s a lively atmosphere. We play some music in the background to keep the energy up. The staff is always talking to each other or the people visiting. It’s not just about cutting hair; it’s about the whole day spent in the shop. Mumbai is humid, so the air conditioning is always running full blast. We have mirrors everywhere, and the lighting is quite bright. Sometimes the sink area gets a bit backed up when we are washing a lot of hair at once. We keep our tools on small carts that we wheel around. It’s a very hands-on job. We don't spend much time sitting down. By the end of the day, our feet usually ache. We clean up the workstations and get everything ready for the next morning. It’s a simple routine, but it keeps us very busy. People come in from all over the neighborhood. We just focus on the task in front of us and try to keep things moving along. It is just another day at the shop.