Heavenly henna

So what’s the deal?

One of the favourite traditions of Eid is the application of henna, so we thought we’d get in the spirit and try it out.

Though there’s a string of great henna salons along 2nd/Airport Road and another famous cluster in the neighbourhood behind the Al Muhairi Centre on 7th/Electra Street, we’ve been told that the local community swears by Ivana Beauty Centre just off 15th/Mohamad Bin Khalifa Street.

We were a little concerned about going for henna because we got burned – literally – the last time we had it done. Some people have a severe reaction to black henna which is made by adding harsh chemicals that can cause itchy blisters. We know because we still have scars over six months after our last henna application.

After ensuring that we were getting the old style red henna, our artisan took us to a private area upstairs – in less than 20 minutes, we had gorgeous body art decorating our shoulders and upper back in the traditional Abu Dhabi style. Another five minutes and our right forearm had the same design.

After about 45 minutes under a warm fan, the dried henna was scraped off and we were sent on our way.

Why go?

Though the reddish design was not very dark when we walked out Ivana’s door, by the next day the colour had really come through. It looks beautiful and we’ll definitely have it done again.

And why not?

The night before Eid, pretty much every salon that offers henna will be absolutely heaving – unless you have a reason to go on this particular night, it’s better for you to get it done some other time. Also, Eid henna tends to cost more than what you’d get on a normal day.

Laura Fulton

What? Traditional Henna
Where: Ivana Beauty Centre
Cost: AED 60 – price varies depending on what you get
We say: As long as you go for the traditional red henna, you’ll love the festive look of this traditional body decoration
Contact: 02 445 3307 (see their map at www.ivanabeautycenter.com)