Igogo in Taiwan attracts customers by providing services that range from seriously cute to extremely bizarre
Trimming animal fur into the shape of Hello Kitty, a teddy bear or the spine of a Stegosaurus is all in a day's work for one salon in Taiwan.
Unusual pet groomer Igogo attracts customers by providing fur cutting services that range from the seriously cute to extremely bizarre.
The crazy designs are usually thought up by salon owner Ou Shih-jou and former hairdresser Lee Mei-chen, who has six years' experience in cutting animal fur.
Lee said the designs on different pets are planned according to the natural assets brought to the grooming table.
She said: "Because we don't provide the service of dying fur into different colours, we try to find a style that matches the appearance of (the pet) and then come up with a design.
"Of course everyone thinks that Hello Kitty is white and that a lion is dark brown. We try to come up with designs based on that concept."
Owner Ou said the idea for the "Stegosaurus design" came from their customers, who wanted something different to the usual full-body trim.
She said: "If a cat needs to have its fur trimmed in the summer, the most common style is almost naked. Pet owners thought that there were no other styles, so they wanted to be more creative and asked us to come up with a design for them.
"When a cat gets angry, the fur on its back erects, that made us come up with a style called "Stegosaurus design". It (makes the cat) look like a small dinosaur. The owners were happy after they came back to see it, thinking it was quite creative."
Although the pet salon only opened its doors for the first time in September last year, it has already built a loyal customer base.
One of them has to take a 30-minute-drive to the shop every time she visits from her home in Kaohsiung.
Pet owner Kuo Yu-lan said: "I think their technique is great. I haven't seen anything like this before, so I think they are really amazing. When walking (the pets) outside, people think it's amazing and magical.
"Everyone wants to take a photograph and see what kind of styles they came up with. First people thought there was something on their bodies so they came closer to see what it was, trying to identify the patterns."
The shop charges a minimum of $20 for one trim, depending on pet size and the level of difficulty.
The teddy bear style, which can take Lee up to three hours to complete on one furry back, is the most difficult.
(Source: Mirror)
