NO means NO!

If there's one word to describe HK salespeople, it's gotta be AGGRESSIVE. Whether they're selling you a massage chair, gym membership or even cheap socks, they'll haggle you until you're either too frazzled or annoyed that you end up saying yes to whatever it is they want.

However, over the past couple months I've built up a healthy resistance to most salespeople, even in the most awkward of situations. Take last weekend for example.

I had gone for a facial treatment at Pretty House, a place I had heard of through Planet Yoga's e-newsletter and signed up for 5 facials at 788 HKD only. A single facial usually costs around 400 HKD, so this was a great deal, right?? BUT as with everything in HK, there's always a catch.

After the beautician had cleansed my face and peered into my pores w/ a giant magnifying glass, the saleswoman came into the room and hovered over my face, clipboard in one hand, disapproving frown on her face.

"You really should upgrade your facial treatment to the Collagen-Super-Moisturizing-Ultrasonic-Milky-Diamond-Peel-Essence-Mono-Saccharide-Poly-Bonding-Treatment. Your skin is dry and micro-wrinkles are already appearing. Imagine what you'll look like if you don't do this treatment. You really should do it. It'll only cost you 3 of your facial credits plus a surcharge of 69 HKD," she said, waiting for an answer.

Lying there with a bright light shining on my face, I squinted at her and exclaimed, "3 credits? That means 3 of the facials I paid for right? No way."

"Come on, you really should. You've gotta take good care of your skin, don't you want to stay looking young? You really need the extra collagen. Okay?"

"NO." I said firmly.

"But you will look old if you dont do it. Your skin is already damaged and wrinkled, you-"

"I don't want to!" I stated again. At this point, she says, "I'll let you think about it while you get the facial massage," and slipped out the door. The beautician continues the treatment and starts talking to me as well, asking me why I didn't want to do it and that I really should. Five minutes later, the saleswoman is back.

"Wanna do it?"

Now, I'm really annoyed. The whole point of having a facial treatment is to relax and enjoy the pampering for the 60+ minutes, not to be trapped in a room where people keep upselling to you!

AARGH! Needless to say, I shot her down again and told her not to come back for the duration of my facial. She complied, but on my way out, she asked me, "Would you like to buy a set of our at-home facial masks for HKD 4000?"