Women perusing magazines, the smell of hairspray, the hum of the hair dryer – and lines of IV stands: that’s the scene in the beauty salon of the Oncology Division of the Rambam Health Care Campus (RHCC) .

Rambam’s Oncology Division has opened a beauty salon that allows female patients to receive beauty treatments, wig arrangement and hat styling alongside cosmetic treatment, facials and makeup. The project, called “Look good, feel better” is funded by the Cancer Society and is enjoyed by patients who, between chemotherapy and examinations, come to the salon to revive their sense of normalcy and femininity.

The "beauty salon" at RHCC's Oncology Division.  © Pioter Fliter.

“This care is wonderful for women who are going through such a struggle”, says Larissa, a “client” at the salon. “Even a very sick woman with only few months left to live wants to look good. We feel better when like what we see in the mirror. Rambam should be praised for offering this service. Good for the staff that understands and satisfies this need!”

In contrast to a regular beauty salon, the trends here are a bit different. Most of the women are not looking for a “blondes have more fun” transformation, but for the most natural look possible. The salon offers wigs, head coverings and hats, which are “hand-tailored” to each wearer. A cosmetician teaches the patients how to cover signs and damages of the disease and to nurture their skin. Patients also receive samples of cosmetics supplied by the Cancer Society.


In addition to the beauty salon, Rambam has offered a series of such “supplementary treatments” for cancer patients for some six years. RHCC was the first hospital in Israel to take this step to improve patients’ quality of life, ease their coping with the disease, and the side effects of medical treatment.  While the program has expanded through the years, it has always stressed variety, and the customization of services to the needs and interests of each patient.

Today the program offers 15 different activities, among them Shiatsu, Reiki, healing, guided visualization, psychotherapy and reflexology, as well as color, music and other lesser-known forms of therapy.  Aimed to make patients’ stay at the hospital as pleasant as possible, the program also provides arts and crafts workshops and the above-mentioned cosmetic treatments. This size and scope of activities is non-existent in any other Israeli hospital, and is all free of charge.