Unless you’re a Hindu, Muslim, or East African bride, the idea of having spending between $100-$400, to have someone paint your hands and feet with Henna, might seem a bit crazy.
The owner of San Diego Henna, Tejal Shah, understands that San Diego has quite a large community of Hindu, Muslim, Somali, Sudanese, and Ethiopian people, and when their big wedding arrives, she is the woman they go to.
Henna is considered magical, sacred, and a form of worship. It’s said to signify a woman’s evolution from girlhood to womanhood before she’s married. But in recent years, it’s become popular around the world with men and children as well; celebrities have helped make it hip in all circles.
Shah has a graphic design degree, but after her second child was born, and the company she was working for went bankrupt, she needed to make some money.
Finding an add on Craigslist looking for a Henna artist, Shaw says she applied and started working at the Hotel Del Coronado in the summers, for a “white guy” that owned a stand. “He was taking the butter off the top, and I was doing all the work,” Shah says. Within months she decided to open her own business, and five years later, she’s the hottest ticket in town.
The henna she uses is imported from India. This delicate plant grows like a weed in Rajasthan, where the soil, temperature, moisture, and heat feed the needs of the plant. Once it’s harvested, henna has a short shelf life of a few weeks, and must be keep in a warm dark place, or it loses its’ ability to stain the skin.
The design a woman will choose for her hands reflects her personal style and the scope of the wedding.
Often the design will incorporate spiritual figures, like the god Ganesh, or maybe traditional Indian musical instruments. The depth of the color is said to also reflect the love of her (soon-to-be) Mother-in-law—the darker the stain, the more she is loved by the in-laws. Also, often the groom’s name is hidden within the design. If the groom can’t find his own name, then it is said he will not have the upper hand in the marriage.
More than anything, henna is simply a way of decorating the bride, and regardless of the design, the outcome is always stunningly beautiful.
Since the movie Slum dog Millionaire and Eat, Pray, Love, all things Indian have become tre-chic, and Shaw says she’s doing more and more henna for American women. She does birthday parties, proms, high school dances, and bar and bat mitzvahs. In the summer, she has a booth set up at the Grand Hyatt in Del Mar.
Whether you’re a woman getting married, or a just appreciate the beauty of this ancient form of body decoration, the act of having someone like Shah henna your hands or feet can be a way unique and exquisite way of adding just that special something to an important day in your life.
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