Jakarta Mall Revisited

I wrote previously about the Jakarta mall scene in general and some activities there concerning public displays of personal hygiene that might be considered curious to the uninitiated. Recently I have experienced a few more mall offerings related to body care that challenged my sense of the public versus the private. The giant new Hypemart in Kelapa Gading hosts a number of foot care stalls proudly displaying clients soaking their feet in vats of what looks like jelly with bits and chunks of unidentifiable stuff floating about. There is no attempt to shield the customers from the curious eyes of passer byes; on the contrary they are placed on display presumably to tempt potential foot weary shoppers to stop by and have a soak. Surrounding the stalls are posters showing larger than life blown up images of feet soaking in the buckets of substance flecked goop. I actually avert my eyes when I walk by these stalls because the photos are disturbing. Feet immersed in a crusty liquid, especially when blown up beyond life size, are not a pleasant site.

Today I saw another disconcerting site involving what I consider personal hygiene proudly displayed in front of a pharmacy, again presumably to lure those strolling by to stop and take a closer look. It was a video of a person clipping their toe nails with what I am guessing is a fabulous new device designed to clip toe nails in a way that toes have never been clipped before.

I have been here long enough to adapt to various aspects of Indonesian culture, many I am sure subconsciously. Maybe in time I will be reclining in mall stall chair having my nose hairs tweezed while a camera feeds a live video of the grooming to a large screen TV for the convenience of passer byes who might want to consider the experience.