In a softly lit, wood-paneled spa, the personal beauticians of a Malaysian royal are training a new generation of Muslims in the art of feminine grooming as part of an effort to save young women from vice.

The project has drawn attention as much for its objective as for its location - Malaysia's most backward state, Kelantan, and the only one ruled by the opposition Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), which recommends keeping the female form wrapped up.

The salon was set up in 2004 by Kelantan princess Raja Perempuan Tengku Anis Tengku Abdul Hamid. With the motto “Beauty is women's top asset,” it teaches underprivileged girls the complete art of grooming - mainly bridal make-up, massage techniques, facial and hair care, spa and slimming treatments and salon management.

Project manager Tengku Zarina Tengku Din said: “Many girls from rural areas migrate to Kuala Lumpur to look for jobs and end up working in bars or nightclubs.

“The Raja Perempuan wants to teach these girls a trade so they can earn a living and avoid being caught in vice.”

The project has received a guarded welcome from PAS, which imposes strict Islamic rules in Kelantan, including a prohibition on different genders interacting in public and a liquor ban.

Lo'Lo Ghazali, a senior PAS leader, said there was nothing wrong in Muslim women wanting to look beautiful for their husbands, but it was important to balance physical beauty with spiritual values.

The courses are conducted in the Beauty Spa Centre, located in a two-storey building in downtown Kota Baru, Kelantan's capital.

Designed with a royal touch, it has two massage chambers, identical to the Raja Perempuan's own, as well as a bathtub and a portable steam sauna machine.

The centre chooses 10 women, mostly school dropouts and orphans aged between 18 and 31, every six months for the course. One each is picked from 10 districts in Kelantan; all must come from poor families.

The trainees are given free accommodation at a hostel nearby and receive a monthly stipend of C$84.

Dozens have graduated so far, and all have secured jobs with beauty parlours in Kelantan, Terengganu and Kuala Lumpur, where they earn a monthly wage of more than C$183.

Radiah Dusoh, a 32-year-old divorcee with a seven-year-old child, said she felt more beautiful and confident after taking up the course.

She used to work as a rubber tapper in a remote village in Jeli district, earning C$3 a day.

“After this course, I want to work as a make-up artist or a beautician,” she said. “My whole life has changed.”