Bodycraft Spa & Salon Bangalore

Rituals they may be but for most people those visits to the salon are not chores to cross off a list, but a few stolen hours of unapologetic self indulgence. And a key ingredient that customers seek in a salon experience is trust; the kind that allows you to say confidently to the beautician, “you decide”. Bodycraft operates in precisely that comfort zone with its range of cosmetic and therapeutic services.

Manjul Gupta started Bodycraft in 1997 with a specialisation in women's skin and hair treatments at its first facility in Frazer Town. She had timed it right; when the beauty revolution hit Indian cities, it was right there at the helm. The salon was an instant success as customers had just begun craving for more specialised services and even men wanted a piece of the pampering.

Spearheaded by Manjul's husband, Dr Sushil Kumar Gupta, Bodycraft dedicated a section to men and also invested hugely in spa facilities and a clinic for cosmetology and dermatology. The salon soon became known for its advanced skin care treatments.

Bodycraft read the writing on the wall about beauty trends and in 2005 launched the city's first nail bar at Koramangala. A year later, armed with nearly ten years' experience in beauty and therapeutic treatments, Bodycraft opened a unisex spa and salon in Indiranagar.

Today, along with a well-rounded repertoire of services, Bodycraft has also acquired a healthy location advantage in the city. With a presence in top residential neighbourhoods, the brand has nurtured a significant portion of Bangalore's beauty care market. The four storey Bodycraft Spa & Salon in Indiranagar services much of the brand's newer clientele. Again, this is in keeping with global trends in beauty that concentrate on overall wellness, alongside more localised treatments. The spa offers Far Eastern massages and traditional Ayurvedic expertise, along with the latest innovations in cosmetic therapy.

Alongside the expert massages, Bodycraft's spa services include body scrubs and wraps, and exclusive chambers for naturotherapy. At the spa in Indiranagar, guests can carry their stone therapy onto the fusion-Moroccan terrace, where a juice bar and jacuzzi provide a happy finish.

Like all established names in the beauty care industry, Bodycraft's credibility lies partly with the international product networks it is associated with. It was the first salon in Bangalore to be associated with The International Dermal Institute's skin care brand Dermalogica. Bodycraft's other product associations include Italy's Herbal Life, Germany's Wella International, Spain's Ainhoa, America's EZFlow and well travelled brands like Schwarzkopf, L'Oreal and Gigi.

From the affiliations it enjoys to the loyalties it engenders, a twin USP emerges for the Bodycraft brand: skin care and hair design. This is not surprising considering the pedigree of its founders and owners, the Gupta family. Dr Sushil Kumar Gupta is one of the city's eminent dermatologists, trichologists and cosmetologists. Manjul Gupta, his wife, has trained under Shahnaz Hussain, and is president of the All India Beauty and Hairdressers Association (AIBHA) and a member of Intercoiffure Mondial, one of the world's most prestigious networks of hair designers. Swati Gupta, their daughter, has trained under hair and makeup experts like Toni & Guy, Vidal Sassoon and the Greasepaint Academy, London.

Manjul and Swati Gupta make every treatment a special experience with their warmth and professional expertise 

Says Manjul Gupta, of the brand's strategy for growth, "Our emphasis has always been on keeping our services, in the spas as well as the salons, relevant to international trends and standards. Another aspect that keeps us competitive is the constant dialogue we share with our customers. It greatly enhances the service experience at Bodycraft." Whether it is especially high-voltage bridal makeup, a deep-tissue spa Sunday or just a quick tweeze-and-tease before hitting the party circuit, Bodycraft features firmly on the city's style schedule. Call it a habit of ten years or part of an evolving sensibility centred about the self, this chain of spas and salons has created a success out of Bangalore's me-time.