Rendezvous with aesthetician Kaniz Almas

Nusrat Jahan Pritom

Women and beauty have always been correlated. In turn, when we think of beauty and beauticians in Bangladesh, one name comes profoundly to the mind -- Kaniz Almas. The dynamic Almas is an inspiration to numerous teenagers, adult women and even men as she rescues them from a bad hair day, or a questionable fashion choice and comes up with tips that suit every season, and every occasion, starting from formal dinners to informal get togethers.

Kaniz Almas and her salon Persona have taken grooming to a whole new level in the country. She recently talked to The Daily Star about her exciting ride in the business sector as well as in the beauty sector.

"In the beginning it was not Persona but Glamour. That was before 1998. Once Persona opened its door, it had 12 assistants working in an area of 1,700 sq feet. By 2002 it was extended to 3,400 sq feet. Now in total, all the concerns are 22,000 sq feet. My hard-working team members who always wear a genial smile deserve all the thanks for this,” Almas says.

Mothers, housewives, students, professionals and brides -- all kinds of people from the age group of 18-40 come to Persona. This salon, with its spa, health care (for mind and body), and other facilities has an instant appeal to the fashion-conscious. Persona has also established a touch of 'deshi' business development (where mostly Chinese beauty salons had captured the scene). Recently, Almas was awarded for the best entrepreneur at a programme in Singapore, organised by the Standard Chartered Bank. Four women from Hong Kong, China, Africa and Bangladesh were awarded. Other than that, on November 4, in Mumbai, the World Brand Congress held the Brand Leadership Award where Almas bagged an award.

Almas says about her work, "It is a fulfilling profession to bring out the beauty in girls. It feels really great. I never thought I would do it professionally, but here I am."

About her future plans, she says, "The beauty sector has become organised, but it needs to get stronger. The service needs to be much better and more professional. We need to reach out to the whole world. The standard should be international.”