Almost everything you come across in Pune Cantonment has a heritage value attached to it. While exploring the Parsi buildings, cafes, shops, libraries, etc. in Camp, we found a salon that looked quite modern. But there was something about this establishment, that got us drawn towards it. A little chat with the people around and even with the owners, we got to know that this salon is more than 100 year old! That’s Persian Salon, probably Pune’s oldest operational salon and that too unisex!
Now we had to enter this heritage establishment and know everything about it. To our surprise, except for the structure of the place, everything else inside Persian Salon is absolutely modern and latest! Right from the chairs, interiors, equipment to lights; everything here is up-to-date. But when we started speaking to Gaus Bhai, the current owner, we got all the details of its heritage.
Established in 1920 by Mr. Moinuddin, Gaus Bhai’s and Kader Bhai’s great grandfather, Persian Salon is an institution that dates back to pre-independence era. In a way, this is a true family business with strong roots! Gaus Bhai tells that British officers and Parsis used to visit their salon pre-independence for the quality of service their grandfather and great grandfather used to provide.
With the years passing by, the salon was passed on through generations and it is now the 4th generation that has taken over, Gaus Bhai and Kader Bhai. Kader Bhai is a certified stylist and has completed quite a few courses in hair and beauty. Joining their ‘bhai-bhai’ team is Jilani Bhai who is a master hair-stylist working full time. They are all a team of modern stylists providing not just hair cutting or shaving; but an array of services like hair spa, Keratin, smoothening, straightening, anti-dandruff treatment, facials, skin tightening, and many more!
Although the salon is 100+ years old, all the modern equipment required for these services is present there. The current owner brothers proudly showcase their latest possessions like high frequency machine for facial, vertical hydra facial machine, ultrasonic machine for skin treatments, sterilizer, etc!
One of the customer present at the salon said, “I have been visiting Persian Salon for last 30 years. Earlier Gaus’ father, Mushtaq Bhai, used to style my hair. the same quality of service, dedication and care is being provided by Gaus Bhai and Kader Bhai. So I continue to visit them for all my hair and facial styling.” The same customer’s unique hairstyle can be seen in the images above.
Urbanly team’s visit to Pune Camp and Persian Salon turned out to be quite nostalgic. The young owners shared a ‘bhandaar’ of heritage knowledge about the cantonment area and their legendary salon. If a slice of history discussions and a good sharp haircut sounds like a good idea, one must visit the Persian Salon.
Address: Persian Salon, 827, Opp. Garden Wadapav center, Dastur Meher Rd, Camp, Pune.
Contact: 9371234444
