Getting burned in Jeddah (view at your own discretion)

No peeps, I’m not talkin about the relationship kinda burn and whatever lingo you kids or Usher go on about.

I’m talking about getting a second degree burn at a salon in Jeddah. All I can think is, only in this country and very likely in another Arab country would something like this happen!!!

It’s 2011 for crying out loud, so why do Arab countries not have health codes or local legislations when it comes to the simplest things like opening a hair salon?

Over the past 6 years, I have met trillions of women here with a ‘salon-business’ goal, and that’s exactly how a lot of salons open up and get started. I think all they need is capital and a few women to run the show. Opening a business is easy peasy in Saudi Arabia and I doubt it even needs contacts. Or maybe it does, but I wouldn’t know cz I don’t know where these laws are online (if there are any and I honestly haven’t bothered researching them).

I’m not trying to change the Arab world pffff, but honestly when a hair stylist drops a hot curling iron of something between 220- 300 degrees Centigrade on your right arm as she’s in the process of curling your hair giving you a second degree burn, saying sorry won’t cut it. But in Jeddah, it’s fine.

And that’s exactly what happened on the 29th of June, 2011 when I went to Serenity, a salon in Jeddah run by Turks and Syrians to have my hair done for a wedding I was going to.

I’ve been going to them for 3 years on and off (when I’m in Jeddah) and they’ve been okay. Their colorist has a good rep. Anyhow, back to the point, when a hairstylist drops a curling iron on your arm and says ‘sorry’. It’s not f*#$g okay.

When I go up to reception and say “well you burned my arm, am I not going to get a discount at least?” and she says “no” and I pay S.R. 400. It’s not f#*$@g okay.

Now, a month and a bit later, the scar is damn hideous and I’m depressed. See, in a normal country I could sue a place over being effing depressed for starters. Here they burned my arm.

I spent crap loads on antibiotics, Doctor’s visits, all sorts of remedies not to mention time, on educating myself on what to do with my burn. I bought bandages, medical tape and God knows what more to see to that wound. And of course, the pain was intense needless to say.

Hating myself for not getting enough sympathy and whatever a salon’s required to do, I went back to the Manager a week later and showed her my burn. Mind you these are people with language barriers and heavy accents in Arabic as well as minimum English. So the lady said “what would you like me to do?” to which I replied “what do you think needs to be done?” She then added that the next time I’d drop by the salon, I’d have my hair done for free and I should apologize to my parents on her behalf.

So kids, see that’s how they do things in hair salons here. They send you home with an apology to your parents and IF (not happening) I go back there and get my hair colored, treated, blow dried, highlights etc, that’s like 3000 riyals max.

So f*&# this sh*t. They should give me at least 200,000 Saudi Riyals.