Timeless Beauty

Elizabeth Chacko, managing director, Kalpana International, is a pioneer in the beauty industry and a name to reckon with, having many firsts to her credit. Having been in the business spanning 37 years, she recently opened Kalpana family salon and spa, one of the biggest parlours in Kerala. Excerpts from the interview:

Why did you choose this profession? How did you start off?

Born in Thiruvalla, in Pathanamthitta district, my father worked in the Indian Railways, while my mother was a homemaker. My only brother is a specialist doctor in Washington DC, USA. I had the best of education from British Oakgrove School, Mussoorie, and did my honours in Economics from Jesus and Mary College, Delhi. After my formal education, I wanted to do something related to skin and that’s how I chose this profession. After a two year course in electrolysis and cosmetology from the US, I opened my very first beauty parlour in Connaught Place, Delhi.

Post marriage, I left Delhi and opened my first parlour in Chennai at Hotel Ambassador Pallava in 1974. As there were not many parlours in Chennai at that time, most of the people from the film fraternity used to visit our parlour often and soon became regular clients.

Tell us about your initial years. Was it tough to start off at a time when beauty parlours were unheard off?

The initial years were tough but I truly believe in the power of God, for we were never short of customers. After a brief stint in the banking sector, the first parlour in Kerala was opened in 1979 at Kochi. There were no beauticians in Kerala at that time, so I employed four girls from the lower strata of the society to help me out in the parlour.

Slowly, I opened a branch in the Navy, ran it for about 8 years and then handed it over to the Navy. I also started one at Hotel Monarch in Ooty. The parlour in Mysore was opened about 25 years back along with a multi gymnasium for gents and ladies and is still running successfully.

At that time, wedding make ups were unheard off and there were no florists in Kochi then. Thus, I opened a beauty school in Kochi in 1995 and poor students were taught beautician course, flower decoration and bridal bouquet, free of cost. Grooming sessions were also conducted at the beauty school. 

You have been in this field for the past 37 years. How has the concept of beauty and parlour changed over the years?

In 1979, when we opened our first parlour in Kerala, young ladies used to bring even their mothers to the parlour. By God’s grace, our parlour was fully occupied from day one and we had customers coming in from all over Kerala. Slowly the concept of beauty picked up in the state.

Though we started off with facials and the latest haircuts, we also did hair fall, pimple, acne and wart treatments. By word of mouth, I always had a good flow of customers till date. Today, it gives me great pride that I’m doing the make up for the third generation!

There were many firsts in your career. What are the firsts that you have introduced in the beauty field?

Apart from electrolysis, which was introduced for the first time in Kerala, pimple treatment, wart removal and hair fall treatment were also done primarily in Kalpana. Besides these, we also started the concept of health clubs in Kerala, which was functional for 20 years in Edappally, before it was closed down. I always yearned to do something with the skin, so I got interested in the beauty business. As for facials, I make my own creams, lotions and other beauty products and use them depending on the skin type of the customer.

Another novelty is the complete wedding package, including the bridal make up, saree draping, bridal bouquet, car decoration and so on. These days, young girls are willing to spend a good amount of money on the bridal package to look their best on their wedding.
Can you suggest some tips to stay beautiful naturally instead of using artificial methods? 

A face pack of equal amount of oats, honey and lime juice is good for skin. One needs to keep themselves clean and healthy, eat the right food, exercise well, have a regular sleep and most importantly, think positive. It is also good to visit a parlour atleast once a month. A parlour makes u look more beautiful and gives you the confidence to carry yourself well, which is very important in today’s world. 

Customers mostly walk into our parlours for facials, manicure, pedicure, waxing and other skin treatments and ask for beauty tips. I would say, fitness and healthy food goes hand in hand and is necessary to increase the blood circulation and keep the body in shape.
What do you consider as the biggest achievement so far? 

In my 37 years of business, I have personally trained a lot of women in the beauty business. My biggest achievement is to see my students and staff set up their own parlours in Kochi, the Gulf etc. Kalpana is the first parlour to bring north Indian girls and Chinese beauty experts to Kerala. Today, I am proud of the fact that we have a highly trained and efficient staff working for us.

What are your future expansion plans?

It took a lot of hard work to rise to this level and I’m grateful to God that I have made it this far. Today, Kalpana has 4 parlours in Kochi alone. As part of our future plans, I would like to promote the new family salon on Marine Drive, Kochi. It is the biggest parlour so far in Kerala, with exclusive spa therapy, bridal packages, hair and skin treatments, all under one roof. I also have plans to open one in Dubai in future. In short, I want every customer who walks into my parlours to feel good when they walk out.