Saundarya Beauty Parlour

Our little shop, Saundarya Beauty Parlour, is at shop number 8 in Swaminarayana Complex. If you know the area in Waghodia, we are right across from Poonam Complex. It is a busy spot and there is always something happening on the street. I have been working here for quite some time now. The mornings are usually spent cleaning the mirrors and getting the towels ready for the day. We get a mix of young girls and older ladies who have lived in Vadodara their whole lives. It gets quite crowded on Saturday afternoons. Sometimes there is no place to sit, so people stand outside and chat until we are ready for them. I don't use any fancy machines or anything like that. It is mostly just hands-on work. The weather here makes everyone's hair a mess, so we do a lot of braiding and basic cuts. I like the routine of opening up the shutters every morning. The complex has other shops too, so there is always someone to grab a tea with when it’s slow. We don't have a big sign, just the name on the door. It feels like a second home to me because I spend more time here than at my own house. The regulars know my name and I know theirs, which makes the work day go by much faster. It's just a regular place for regular people.