HIGH BROW SKILLS

It takes a lot of courage to set up a business in a country that’s a relatively new home for you, especially when you haven’t quite mastered the language — but that didn’t stop Tina Patel.

Patel runs a successful West Hobart beauty bar at the back of the hairdressing salon in Newdegate Street during the day and then, twice a week in the evening, she’s improving her English at TAFE.

The bubbly beautician with an “I can do it” attitude is a whiz with threading hair removal which she learnt when she was working in India. She’s been in Australia for nine years but says she still struggles with reading and writing some English.

The secret to her repeat customers, she says, is that she always gives 100 per cent effort to ensure they are happy with her service. She says her clients have helped her practice her English.

“I’ve learnt a lot of new words from my clients,” Patel says. “I take those new words they teach me and I use them when I am talking to my other clients and my spoken English has got a lot better.”

When she moved from Melbourne to Tasmania a few years ago her clients there begged her to stay.

“They were sad for themselves,” Patel told TasWeekend. “But they were happy for me because they knew that opening my own beauty business was a dream come true.” Patel says she has been told by many customers she has healing hands. “My clients are saying to me that I have got a very good touch,” she says.

“A lady yesterday told me there is something positive in the touch of my hand. She told me she was so relaxed that she didn’t want to go and I laughed and told her ‘everyone says that’.” @beautyhubbrowbar