DANANG'S HERITAGE SALONS 

First published on 30 July 2025.

In this photo essay, Maurizio Saroli turns his lens to the enduring architecture of Danang’s local barbershops, salons, nail studios and massage parlours—many of which occupy humble, aging buildings tucked into the city’s older quarters. Shot on Kodak motion picture film, the series lingers on warm tones and textured detail, evoking a tactile intimacy with these lived-in spaces. Far from the polished surfaces of modern self-care chains, these small businesses tell a different story: one of personal care rooted in community, routine and resilience. Their facades—worn but alive—reveal more than beauty services; they mark cultural continuity, economic ingenuity and a visual language that merges function with charm. This series invites the viewer to reconsider these everyday spaces not just as places of grooming, but as living architecture in Vietnam’s shifting urban identity.