I had been holding off since images of of being left with half a brow or burnt skin from wax were dancing in my head, but I figured Jakarta was a safe enough place to take a gamble with my precious (and oh-so-tan) face. Surprisingly enough, there was an official looking salon approximately 200 meters from my hotel in the "backpacker's ghetto" and it even had a poster out front showcasing a lady with some fabulous looking locks. I decided to go in and give it a shot.
Walking in, the little parlour consisted of a massage table, a swivel chair, a mirror, and a chair to sit on by the door. There were two customers and two beauticians as I had walked in on a facial and a woman having her hair curled. After a few hand gestures, it was confirmed they could do something about my eyebrows and that it would cost 10,000 rupiah.
Note: This is equivalent to $1. This experiment had the potential to leave me with one eyebrow, but at least it was cheap.
I settled into the chair by the door and awaited my turn. Things seemed pretty legitimate. Both hairdressers seemed pretty trendy and the curling action going on for one of the customers was so appealing I momentarily contemplated having the same done. Then I came back to reality and remembered my impending overnight train ride. I continued to survey the scene when I noticed some movement in a little travel crate. I saw two eyes and did a double take.
"Dog." One of the hairdressers had seen me looking at it and answered my unspoken question. I told her I thought it might have been a kitty. I am not quite sure she understood my response but either way, the facial was over and it became my turn.
Gesturing began again as I understood I was supposed to stay in my chair. My new eyebrow stylist came towards me with some tweezers and so I took to opportunity to say "wax" and add in some charades.
At that point, the "woman" getting her hair curled turned around (and I say "woman" because, yes, it turns out this was a lady boy), repeated wax, said something in Indonesian, and all three women rolled their eyes (or something like that).
Since waxing was apparently not going to happen at this point, I figured that as long as I wasn't doing the plucking I could withstand the tweezers. I leaned back and prepared myself for the pain. I felt a quick pluck and then it stopped. I opened one eye and saw my new stylist reach into a bag and pull out a razor. Then she pulled out something that looked like an exacto knife... then she stuck the razor into the exacto knife holder... and started to walk towards me again.
Still not quite sure what I had gotten into, I kept repeating over and over in my head: "at least it is only 10,000 rupiah" and "well this woman's eyebrows are nice so maybe mine will be too."
When the procedure was finished, I checked out the final product and couldn't help but smile. Let's be honest, the exacto knife method of trimming the eyebrows worked out pretty well and I was looking fabulous as usual. I'm not sure if it is something I will want to experience again but I did receive approval from the lady boy so who knows? Personally I think it would be safer to risk burn by wax than eye gouge by razor blade (and I am sure there are more than a few out there who would agree with me).
P.S My next spa treatment might have to be a massage in Bali next week. After all, you know my motto, sometimes a girl has got to treat herself (and once again, I am definitely not in the best of the best backpacker category so I say that often in regards to sunset beers -- and in tonight's case, fingers crossed, a hotel with a gorgeous pool).
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