Spruce up for Karva Chauth with beauty offers

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Married for 50 years? Get a 50 percent discount on beauty and wellness packages! Such offers are available for the upcoming Karva Chauth festival, which is on Nov 2.

A flurry of men and women are availing themselves of the discounts and queuing up at parlours for skin and hair treatments to wear their best look for the special day - when wives fast for the wellbeing of their husbands.

Women come with demands of a glowing skin, a new hair colour, nail art and even body art, says celebrity stylist Ashmeen Munjaal, who is offering a discount equivalent to that of a couple's married years at her salon.

"Married women or recently engaged women come to me before Karva Chauth and ask me to work on their skin and hair. They want to look different. The festival is special because it gives a chance to all married women to feel like brides all over again," Munjaal told IANS.

On Karva Chauth, several women fast from sunrise to moonrise to wish for their husband's long life and good health.

A couple of decades ago, women used to deck up in traditional clothes and get intricate henna designs on their palms on the occasion.

But thanks to glamorous depiction of the festival in Aditya Chopra's "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" and later in Karan Johar's "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham", it has become a big thing.

Women have started flocking to the parlours for make-up and other treatments to steal the show among friends and grab the attention of their respective partners.

In fact, Aishwarya Rai's first real-life Karva Chauth caught major media attention - from her costume to her hair, everything was widely talked about.

Munjaal says these celebrities inspire commoners to celebrate such festivals king size.

"Couples are getting inspired from them and are becoming conscious of how they are seen in public - in front of friends or family," she said.

Women are also opting for cosmetic treatments.

"Women are queuing up at clinics to undergo the different cosmetic treatments. Many queue up to do it for themselves, but others are opting to undergo the treatments for their beloved," capital-based dermatologist Vandana Chatrath, told IANS.

Seeing the growing demands, wellness spas and parlours roll out different offers to cash in on the trend. The footfalls, obviously, are increasing too.

"Every year the trends are changing and women are being quite competitive to look their best. So obviously, salon services are over-booked and it's getting better every year," said Raveela Sharma, general manager, Vedic Spa Mantra.

Her spa offers Karva Chauth packages, available at a starting price of Rs.3,999.

Men are also lending support by letting their wives pamper themselves with such treatments.

Rohit Kapoor, 38, a software engineer, has decided to gift a lip augmentation treatment to his wife.

"I was delighted when she asked me for this treatment. This would not only give her the perfect smile but also enhance her looks," he said.

In fact, men are also walking an extra mile to groom themselves for the day.

"Men of this era are quite conscious and aware of how personal grooming is an asset to their personality. As Karva Chauth is a day for them, they book for salon services ahead of time and get geared to look their best," said Sharma.

Munjaal says: "These days even men get drawn to Karva Chauth. Earlier only women were seen fasting for the health of their husband, but these days men are reciprocating it. It's more like supporting the women of their life. So they do come to us for makeovers as well."