Feng Shui can be used anywhere that you live and work in , it is not just for your living space but also for the car, the office, your desk and definitely for a business. There is a new hair salon nearby that opened up a few months ago and it is clear that business is slow. I would walk by on the way to the gym or the beach and kept noting the poor Feng Shui aspects and lack of clients, with the employees looking worried. Finally, deciding to try them out just for a basic manicure, it was quickly apparent what was wrong. The owners were nearby and I asked if they would be interested in a Feng Shui point of view of the place. They immediately said yes and even with Google French and English, it was clear that they knew about the philosophy. We got started.
The Entrance – Career & Life Path
This was fine as they had used a chic metal and black decor with white floors and walls. However; it was stark and uninviting. I recommended that some art work be put up such as 1950s photos of hairstyles or some photos of models in shades of black, grey and white to soft the clinical whiteness of the whole space to make it more welcoming.
Inner Knowledge
All of the main chairs and mirrors were on this side of the area and the theme was still black, white and hard metal, not a good pairing of colour or element for areas that are Earth and Wood and where shades of greens, blues or beige are the partner colours. This required some diplomacy gently suggesting adding wood shelving and bringing in decor with green or beige towels to soften the Water and Metal elements of black, white and metal. Those of you who have read other posts know that Water is great and all about the gentle flow but will muddy the Earth element in the Inner Knowledge sector. You should also know that the Metal element ‘chops’ down the growth energy of the Wood element. To be fair, the Inner Knowledge aspect may not be a key goal in a hair salon but Feng Shui is all about harmony and balance.
Then We Came to the Wealth Sector
There was a space at the top right area for hanging the salon robes and people’s coats which shouted passive energy. We quickly agreed that they should put the expensive hair extension products there instead as they represent money and a product of the business. Then there was a door closed in the far top right hand corner and I was informed that it would eventually be a room where facials could take place. As they opened the door, all that could be seen was a mess. A broken mirror, old paint pots, bags of rubbish and even the owner said, “This is blocked energy”. I gently agreed and recommended to first clean it all out and not leave it empty, just at least to store some product in there. Ideally, they should paint this room a royal blue or ensure decor, towels and art work are in the colours of purple, French blue or tropical green.
Fame & Reputation
This was the key problem. Along the back part of the whole space were three sinks and chairs and the back wall was charcoal black. It was water, water, water in a Fire and red colour sector. Basically, the water was dousing out any of the active Fire money or fame energy and sending it down the drain. This is an interesting point in that the sinks are ceramic, constantly being used and cleaned and therefore; for a hair salon, this generates money. It was the black wall that had to change. A recommendation was to paint the whole brick wall and tropical green or even better, a burgundy as bright red would have been too jarring. Burgundy represents the Fire element and will dry up the extra Water energy.
Relationship Corner
A business relies on good relationships with the employees and client base. This salon had the toilet in this sector. Personally, if possible, I avoid buying or renting a place with either the Wealth or Relationship sectors in the bathroom or toilet. There are remedies but this is best avoided in the first place. Their toilet was dark, dingy and painted grey. I recommended painting it a pale pink and adding art work that represented growth and groups of people. Unfortunately, by this stage, both owners eyes were glazing over and they were starting to lose interest.
Community & Children
This is where the hair extension products are hung and having recommended that they exchanged them for the coats, they agreed that that could work. This would be fine as this is probably not a key sector to activate for a hair salon.
Travel & Helpful People
The pedicure stations are set up in this area and by this time, I also noticed that there wasn’t a clear desk or reception area, just a small table. It was suggested that they highlight this as the table for requests and schedules in this sector to generate more clients. Sadly, by this time, I had lost their attention and even though they recommendations were simple, they started to just nod their heads. As it is said, ‘ you can take a horse to water but you can’t make them drink’. A week later, I walked by and nothing had been done and there was not a client in sight, sigh.
