Bad hair day? Indonesia hotel salon offers $450 cut

JAKARTA (Reuters Life!) - Having a bad hair day? A salon in a hotel in the Indonesian capital is offering a cut for $450 -- about a third of the annual per capita income in the Southeast Asian country. 

The 4.2 million rupiah ($450) price tag for a cut at Le Salon in the Ritz Carlton hotel would be for first timers using the services of its international stylist. 

"For our first time clients, our international stylist Daniel Ng would need more time to determine what would be the best for our clients," said public relations manager Diah Maesyaroh. 

For the same money, assuming you only go for a haircut once in two months, you could get a 100 years of haircuts in a city where barbers can cost as little as 7,000 rupiah a time. 

She said Ng, a Singaporean, only came to Jakarta once a week and could handle up to 10 clients a day when he was in town. 

The price is a snip compared with the rates Ng is reported to have charged: according to Radio Singapore International's Web site, the stylist once charged S$2,000 ($1,311) for a cut. 

Another media report said his clients included Hong Kong star Anita Mui and the wife of former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. 

And for those not content to let luxury only get to their heads, Color Club Nail Studio in South Jakarta can bling up your hands with Swarovski crystal manicures that can cost up to $150.