Where to find the perfect hairstylist

IN THE MANY years I’ve worked as beauty writer and editor, I’ve had my fair share of salon trips—from seedy neighborhood parlors like the downstairs tenant at my old apartment in Quezon City to the ultra-posh spaces where salon staffers short of carry you to the shampoo bowls, with lots of massages and hot tea in between.

I am also quite certain that if you walk into any David’s, Bench Fix, Reyes Haircutters or Azta Urban Salon, you would find a young Ken Pavés (Jessica Simpson’s mane man) in-the-making: vibrant, talented, strutting from chair to chair with a spring in his (or her) step.

While it’s easy to drop by a bustling salon at the mall or visit the village parlor, every now and then—especially during the holiday season—it’s nice to scope the high-end salon scene for some options to consider splurging part of that bonus on.

I am only happy to share three of Manila’s finest tress tastemakers, along with criteria on why you must trust their strand expertise and book your next salon appointment with them ASAP.


Pricey but worth it

I first met Jude Hipolito and Rose Velasco of Univers Phyto Kaizen Salon seven years ago as a young editor in Seventeen, thanks to the recommendation of the Preview girls—who know a thing or two about great style.

Over the years, I would witness this tandem’s quiet dedication to good hair work (refreshingly, they are among the very few in the industry not plagued by rumor and controversy), as their business grew from a small salon in Alabang and a tinier one in Quezon City, to a flourishing haven for great hair at Rustan’s Makati (tel. 8935007) and SM Mall of Asia in Pasay (5564631).

But you’ll probably fall off your chair upon hearing that a haircut with Hipolito costs a whopping P5,000. That’s approximately US$100, a price fairly competitive if you live in a metropolitan city abroad. However by Manila standards, that price can be quite a pinch.

It also costs as much, or even more, for a color session with Velasco.

But here’s why the Kaizen duo could be your go-to team for the perfect cut and spot-on color work: Hipolito prides himself for his precision-cutting training at Vidal Sassoon; a two-hour haircut will have you sitting, standing as your tresses are meticulously scrutinized. So precise are his technique and shaping that you won’t need a haircut for another four months.

Expertly trained Velasco, on the other hand, works in creamy pigments to enhance, or even transform, dull and drab locks. Her touch is subtle yet vibrant and beautiful, perfectly complementing one’s skintone. (For extra oomph, try the salon’s eyebrow coloring at P600 to match dyed strands.)


Photogenic hair

I consider Louis Phillip Kee, stylist and owner of the salon of his namesake (tel. 8564848, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig; 7214848, Greenhills, San Juan), part of my beauty initiation back in Cosmo.

My editor at the time urged me to expand my horizons and try anything and everything short of being poked and electrocuted for vanity—which explained the ubiquitously dyed hair, countless salon sessions, and an aborted slimming attempt with the help of sonic waves and ionic rods (I just couldn’t).

The thing about Kee is that his haircut and color—especially color—can be very intimidating at first, and not to mention, expensive. Even I, quite the “veteran” in this field, still manage to cringe at the salon chair. My most recent visit yielded not one, not two, but three different colored panels expertly distributed throughout my crown, plus Kee’s trademark tress-layering around the face.

However, I only have photographs of not just myself but friends who look great on their blogs and Facebook. I still notice random hairdos only to find Kee to be the common denominator for great-looking strands, which only goes to show how the film-industry-trained stylist is able to translate his unique brand of beauty to those who are open-minded and willing to have fun with their hair.


Classy and classic

When a sense of calm and equilibrium is what you crave for your frazzled mane, it’s nice to fall into the clean-cut primping of Laurent Hebert of the Franck Provost Studio at The Fort (tel. 4016870, 586-9569).

As the saying goes, classics never go out of style, and I’ve also come to realize that one could learn plenty from the French. You’ll be surprised how warm and accommodating they actually are, and that they’re very much like us Filipinos.

I first met Hebert over the summer and tried his trademark chin-length bob that many editors have also come to love. I love Laurent not only because he personally replies to text messages, cuts and blow-dries your hair himself (no chi-chi attitude there) but also because he is one delightful reminder that the salon can truly be a happy place, a refreshing retreat from the hustle and bustle of this now even busier city.


Ask Mariel a beauty question at http://BeautyintheBigApple.com, or visit her blog at http://NyMinuteNow. com. (Franck Provost Studio photo by author. Original Inquirer article link here.)