Lose six inches of hair in five minutes with Jawed Habib

He was fashionably late—by half an hour. But that was the sole indication of his celebrity. Jawed Habib walked into his salon, shrugged out of his jacket, selected his tool—a pair of small scissors—and got to work. Within minutes, the slumbering Sunday-afternoon salon was buzzing with activity. Clients were popped into chairs for the mandatory hair wash. Trolleys stuffed with tools and potions were carted to the styling counter. Someone swapped the play list of latest Bollywood hits with Mohammad Rafi songs.

My hair wash took 10 minutes too long. I wondered what the staffer was thinking—let not a speck of dirt come between my boss’ fingers? It gave me a lot of time to stare at the ceiling (the chairs at Habib’s go back so far, you are almost horizontal). It wasn’t a pretty sight. Twisted ugly pipes were on display under a broken false ceiling. Not to forget the pile of rubble at the entrance and a wall stripped of paint. The salon was being renovated. Was this why I didn’t feel pampered enough?

A few minutes later I realised Habib wasn’t aiming for a spa-like experience. My haircut was over in less than five minutes. If his staff’s long scalp-scrub made me sleepy, Habib’s snapping scissors made me hold my breath. His anti-Rapunzel reputation didn’t help. How much of my hair would he chop? Habib hadn’t asked for my style preference. We chatted about everything but that. It was the same with other clients. But they seemed only grateful that Habib was styling their hair.

It took him two rounds. The hair trim made my mane shorter by six inches. “I am in a good mood, so I won’t cut more,” he said, grinning devilishly. At the second go, he snipped out layers for a “soft feminine look”. The result showcased 21 years of experience. Habib had got what we wanted, in a remarkably short time. “In India, the secret is not to let clients think about how much hair will be cut. The final look kills all complaints,” he said. Point taken.
The reporter went to Jawed Habib’s salon at Khan Market, New Delhi.


Habib in Numbers

Total Turnover: Rs 28.58Cr (as on November 20, 2010)
Profit: Rs 5.41Cr
Plans to raise: Rs 60Cr via the IPO
Direct employment: 65 people
Average daily footfalls: Salons 50; HairXpreso 45
Investment for master franchisees: (2000-2500 sq ft) - Rs 25L to 2Cr
Investment for hair & beauty salons franchisees (500 sq ft): Rs 7.5 lakh
Bench strength of salon professionals: 150