Hafsa Azam with customers.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Most of her customers get henna before they go on holiday, wanting to look a little different in their photos, she says.

Mu Zi, 28, a white-collar worker in Beijing, says she tried henna on her hands before she holidayed in Sanya, Hainan province, recently.

"It's beautiful and disappears in two weeks. I can't get a real tattoo because of my job but henna is something I can always get if I want something different. I would recommend it to my friends, and since it's summer right now it's a perfect time to get designs on hands, arms and feet."

Yang says she has received 60 orders over the past five months and is more than happy to develop it as a career.