New in Cairo, looking for some things

Since you are living in Maadi, you'll nearly find all what you are looking for their. The problem is not everything can be looked up from google especially with affordable prices as you mentioned but for gyms i found this post which can be useful for you https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=58924
,for hair salons i know one from my friends  she usually go to it. it is called Nefertari (14, El Shorta Towers, Road 233, Degla)but im not sure about their prices.
For tanning, trust me you don't need that..if you stay long enough here you'll get the tan you need & even much more
I didn't provide much info. but i hope it can be useful

hi
hairdressers - you need to look carefully - you have (more than likely) normal fine european hair, many of the hairdressers here just don't know what to do with it!! hopefully you may get some recommendations on here.

Tanning - all the Egyptians on this site are now waving their arms around as they all try very hard to get whiter skin!  You can go to the beach - you just need to visit the red sea tourist resorts - not sure how a bikini would go down in marsa mutrouh!

Gyms - hopefully you wil find someone who can help - I live out in the sticks so can't really help you around Maadi area.

But word of warning - don't mail / give your mail address to or phone number to anyone - maybe PM them if they are European / american/etc. - hate to say it but many of the guys contacting you want something far different than to help find you a local hair salon!!

alheddiny wrote:

i was in maadi for 5 years it is good place to live at anyways i can contact you and see what is what there hehe
my facebook is alheediny@hotmail.com

@alheddiny I'm confused after lokking at your facebook page about a comment on your other post - i'm new here - it says on there that you want to meet canadian british etc and that you only speak English but I hardly saw anything in English on your facebook page - it was all in Arabic including comments written by you!

Maybe you have an explanation for this?

biffy wrote:

hi
hairdressers - you need to look carefully - you have (more than likely) normal fine european hair, many of the hairdressers here just don't know what to do with it!! hopefully you may get some recommendations on here.

Tanning - all the Egyptians on this site are now waving their arms around as they all try very hard to get whiter skin!  You can go to the beach - you just need to visit the red sea tourist resorts - not sure how a bikini would go down in marsa mutrouh!

Gyms - hopefully you wil find someone who can help - I live out in the sticks so can't really help you around Maadi area.

But word of warning - don't mail / give your mail address to or phone number to anyone - maybe PM them if they are European / american/etc. - hate to say it but many of the guys contacting you want something far different than to help find you a local hair salon!!

My hair is actually quite thick and wavy, I'm just picky on how it gets cut. I'm planning to try one my roommate suggested.

I'm already quite familiar with the culture especially the tanning thing(the reason I figure it's a long shot to find that stuff) and mindset of the men...Beach is way too far to justify going there regularly for tanning, I also like the minimal tan lines look.

Pace e Luce in Maadi apparently does tanning

desertangel wrote:

biffy wrote:

hi
hairdressers - you need to look carefully - you have (more than likely) normal fine european hair, many of the hairdressers here just don't know what to do with it!! hopefully you may get some recommendations on here.

Tanning - all the Egyptians on this site are now waving their arms around as they all try very hard to get whiter skin!  You can go to the beach - you just need to visit the red sea tourist resorts - not sure how a bikini would go down in marsa mutrouh!

Gyms - hopefully you wil find someone who can help - I live out in the sticks so can't really help you around Maadi area.

But word of warning - don't mail / give your mail address to or phone number to anyone - maybe PM them if they are European / american/etc. - hate to say it but many of the guys contacting you want something far different than to help find you a local hair salon!!

My hair is actually quite thick and wavy, I'm just picky on how it gets cut. I'm planning to try one my roommate suggested.

I'm already quite familiar with the culture especially the tanning thing(the reason I figure it's a long shot to find that stuff) and mindset of the men...Beach is way too far to justify going there regularly for tanning, I also like the minimal tan lines look.

There is a beach city just an hour away from cairo called Ain Sukhna... its great because its quiet (except on holidays) and there are resorts or if you know someone there with a beach house... I go almost every other weekend because its actually one of my favorite beaches... and you won't have an issue with wearing a bikini there, but if you are going for the minimal tan line look then you may have a problem

Regarding the gym:

I would recommend high end gyms since you're an american female, I don't think you'll feel comfortable in a "middle class".

HOWEVER, you should check out Samia Alouba, I don't think its as expensive as golds gym (i'm guessing its in the 400 le/month range) and you'll probably love it there and they give all sorts of dance/fitness classes...

I'm going to be "gym hopping" tomorrow in Maadi with a friend of mine (opening a business so we are checking the market out) so i can forward you a list of gyms... just let me know what your price range is

Well, Kelly, re tanning, we do have clubs with outdoor swimming pools , try them

Thank you for the advice ALAN-PORTSMOUTH I like lying beside a pool or on a beach but desertangel was looking for somewhere for false tan or tanning cream so my reply was in answer to her post

OK. just have fun and enjoy, would love to know how people see my home city, probably u will have a negative view, we used to have great history but no future I recon lol any stay lucky

ALAN-PORTSMOUTH wrote:

OK. just have fun and enjoy, would love to know how people see my home city, probably u will have a negative view, we used to have great history but no future I recon lol any stay lucky

with all due respect, we do have a great culture here, yet,in my opinion Social Egyptian Life is quite segregated into 2 big groups/categories, one that is quite substantial but that category is not really qualified for interacting with foreigners and I don't think that there would be too many of them around here, the second one is the raised and bred in a more close to the Western Culture, and that one would be more suitable for interacting with the foreign expatriates in our Homeland... It is a patriotic duty to explain our own cultural segregation to expatriates to avoid misinterpretation of our reputation...don't you think so??