Shakuntala Parlour

Shakuntala Parlour is located in the Dhoomanganj area of Allahabad. It’s a quiet part of the city compared to the main markets. We started this parlour in a small room to help the local ladies with their hair and face work. It’s not a big fancy place with glass walls or shiny floors. It’s more like a part of a house that we turned into a shop. We just have a few chairs and a simple table where we keep all the threads, creams, and our scissors. The walls are a simple color and we have some pictures of families on the shelf. We do a lot of threading, hair oiling, and simple haircuts. Many of our customers are our neighbors who just walk over in their slippers. We offer them a seat and maybe some water if it's hot outside. We don't have a big staff, it’s mostly just one or two of us doing everything. We listen to the ladies talk about their families and their day-to-day problems while we work. It makes the time go by faster. The street outside is usually quiet, except when the school bus comes by or someone is selling vegetables. We close up in the evenings to go and cook for our own families. It’s a very local, honest way to make a living. We don't use any complicated machines or expensive products. We just use what we know.