Looks like New York

Whenever I would visit New York City as a grad student, it was a treat for me to get a haircut at my favorite salon, Bumble & Bumble, where the stylists were hip and knew what they were doing, instead of my usual hurried trim at the Supercuts near my dorm.

Well, when I stepped into the new Hair Philosophie salon in Makati, I felt like I was back in Bumble & Bumble. Decked out predominantly in wood and brick, with seven-foot-high mirrors at each station, the atmosphere was definitely downtown New York with a side of industrial chic. At the reception desk they also offer you free candy from an old-fashioned gumball dispenser, which I thought was a cute touch.

Owned by Agnes Ballesteros-Lopez, general manager of the Belo Medical Group, Inc., Hair Philosophie opened last Jan. 25 to give men and women a stylish salon that looked high end but offered services at more affordable prices.

“It’s not intimidating,” says the salon’s PR consultant Ria Yap. “You get the services you would expect from a high-end salon but you can afford it.”

A haircut with a senior stylist, for example, costs just P650, while a shampoo and blow dry will set you back a mere P350. I tried one of their hair treatments, because another thing unique about Hair Philosophie is that it’s the only salon in the area that carries the complete Kerastase line.

Hair it is: Hair Philosophie in Salcedo Village, Makati, offers salon services, hair treatments and massages at very competitive prices.

Thus, they offer treatments like the Force Architecte using Kerastase’s newest product offering, for women who color their hair regularly or undergo chemical processes that leave their hair eroded with split ends.

Another treatment is Oleo-Relax, which nourishes dry, rebellious hair so it goes from frizzy to tame, soft and shiny.

I tried the Chroma Riche treatment, which senior stylist Allan de Leon recommended for my colored, sensitized hair.

First I got shampooed with Bain Chroma Riche, which gently cleanses and softens the hair. Then Allan applied the Chroma Riche Masque, which makes color-treated, highlighted hair shiny with emollient ingredients that form a film around the hair to protect it and seal in moisture. A UV filter and vitamin E also prevent color from fading. While meticulously brushing on the cream section by section, Allan says that when the hair cuticles are open your tresses look frizzy and coarse.

Since my hair is frequently colored, he leaves the mask on for 20 minutes for maximum absorption; those with newly colored hair can get away with 15. Then the treatment is rinsed out. He tells me to feel my hair and even when wet, the strands already feel smooth and glossy.

Next, they blow dry and put my hair in rollers, which results in lots of volume once they’re removed. I’m extremely pleased with the result: my hair is soft, not just shiny but shimmering, and my old dye job seems to have come back to life.

Wonder wall: Hair Philosophie is the only salon in the area that carries the complete Kerastase line for men and women.

Yap then shows me the salon’s two VIP rooms, where you can get a foot, back or arm massage or more privacy if you’re a celebrity who prefers not to be seen. (We hear that Hayden Kho is a regular.)

Owner Agnes Lopez, whose interests definitely lie in beauty, didn’t want to compete with the facials and beauty procedures offered by Belo, and so went into hair instead.

“She and her husband Benjie wanted a salon that reflects what they want people to feel when they come over,” Yap says. “It’s more of a home that you go to so they even have couches.” Even the salon name was inspired by their daughter’s name, Sophie.

“They realized that a woman’s hair reflects her lifestyle, which has become more complex, so you can’t niche very much, you have to combine so many things together,” Yap notes.

Like the hair treatments, which before hairdressers had to perform solo but now, with products like Kerastase’s Fusio Dose, you can combine.

As for me, I plan to come back the next time I get my hair colored. Yap says it’s another one of Hair Philosophie’s specialties.

After the Chroma Riche treatment, my hair is soft, shimmering and manageable.

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Hair Philosophie is located at 117 Tordesillas St. corner Bautista St., ground floor, Phinman Building, Salcedo Village, Makati, tel. no. 836-7681.