So, why is it that you often walk into a salon to get your eyebrows threaded and you come out having done a facial, and carrying a dry shampoo in your purse?

Boston resident Asheeta Khanna, a student of graphic design at the Massachusetts College of Art & Design, says it-s because Indian parlours have an agenda. A degree project saw the 22-year-old, originally from Mumbai, conduct a qualitative survey spanning 20 women across two months in the early part of this year, who were interviewed over phone and mail about their salon experiences. All women were between the ages of 20 and 30 years, spread across the metro cities of Mumbai and Delhi.

Around 44 per cent of the participants surveyed said that parlour visits had proved detrimental for their self-esteem. "Traditionally, beauticians are trained to upsell products and services, keep up with current trends and those defined by commercial standards of beauty," says Khanna in a telephonic interview. In the process, salon staff often end up making comments on a customer-s appearance, leaving them with a weak body image.