I am also used to my hair being "wash and wear," since I used to have short hair back in my college days (boys' cut and bob cut). But ever since I grew out my hair to longer than shoulder-length, I have considered using hair tools such as hair irons (I've tried them myself: they do not work on my hair; or maybe I just do not know how to use them properly), and hair dryers (which I rarely use because I am usually in a rush to go out).
Whenever I have special events or dates to attend, I go to the nearby parlors to have my hair blow-dried or styled. Most of the hair stylists I've encountered always comment that my hair strands are so thick and so many, and therefore difficult to tame. They mostly do a good job at the end, though, so I don't just base my reviews on the finished product: I also check the pricing, the customer service, and the interiors (of course you need to have a beautiful salon! Channel your surroundings dapat!).
This month alone, I was able to try out 3 different salons. February is "special-event" month, since it has Valentine's Day and my birthday, so this is also the month wherein I spend a lot on kikay services. I will try to review each salon separately, based only on their blow-dry service.
FIX LAB
2nd Level, Serendra Piazza, Fort Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Tel No.: +63 2 8560594
Went here to have my hair blow-dried for my big Valentine's date. I had to call ahead to set an appointment of course, but when I got there, I saw that I shouldn't have worried: the place was completely empty except for a girl getting foil on her hair. Huh. Is nobody prepping for VDay?
- Interiors: spacious in the middle, high mirrors, comfy chairs.
- Shampoo service: Whenever I visit a salon, the shampoo service is the one that makes or breaks my opinion of them. I had no problems with Fix Lab's service: the stylist didn't dribble water into my ears, the neck rest was comfy, and the towels were nice, fluffy and clean.
- Finished product: I was in and out of there in 45 minutes. The stylist just blow-dried it straight: no waves, no curls, no frizz (see picture below for reference). And then he put some styling wax onto my bangs for staying power. It smelled good. I also tried out a different hairstyle with them before for my Halloween costume last year. I had them blow-dry my hair into big, sexy waves, and I also asked them to put in a silver streak onto my bangs using this spray-on hair color I bought. Kudos for doing the extra service!
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| My straightened hair c/o Fix Lab |
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| My wavy hairstyle with silver bangs for my Halloween costume (Rogue from the X-Men); hairstyle c/o Fix Lab |
Overall, I was satisfied with their service. The shampoo and blow-dry service only cost me Php 225, plus I gave a 50-peso tip. Php 275 all-in-all! Not bad! However, If you have your curled or set (like what I did for Halloween), it will cost you PhP 500.
BLO BLOW DRY BAR
2-c01a 2nd Level, Serendra Piazza, Fort Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Tel No.: +63 917 6-BLODRY (256379) / bloserendra@blomedry.com
I was so excited to try this place out when I saw that it was already open. I've seen their teaser board-ups in Powerplant Mall, and I could see glimpses of their 2nd floor Serendra branch board-up whenever I would pass by the Piazza.
I was planning an advance birthday celebration with a small group of friends that night (a Monday night), so I thought of trying Blo out for my birthday blow-out (hehe, get it?). I set an appointment thru phone, and I asked the receptionist how much their blow-dry service is. It costs PhP 500, and you will have 7 signature styles to choose from, from their "Hair Menu." Huh. That's pretty expensive ah, especially since I can get my hair blow-dried for half the price at other salons.
I decided to go through with it anyway, and I Googled the 7 signature styles so that I could choose beforehand. When I got there, though, their in-store hair menu had more choices than in the website I saw. Their US stores apparently offer a different combination of styles. I think the "hair menu" is a cute and creative way of offering their service: sometimes we girls go to salons without a clue as to what hairstyle to have done. Sometimes there are hair style magazines we can browse through so that we can have a peg image for the stylist to copy from. Blo, however, has taken this critical stage of choosing to a whole new level: a chic hair menu that shows sketches of the different hair styles they can offer for a set fee of PhP 500.
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| Sample page from their hair menu |
I also asked my stylist what her recommended style for me was. At first she wanted me to try this Hollywood Glam style with big, sexy curls, but then she decided to use the Red Carpet style instead: this one is like a regular hair blow-out, but with natural waves at the end. She said if we do the big curls, my hair would shorten up to above the shoulders. Blah. No, I want long sexy hair, please. Haha!
- Interiors: SO CUTE! It was all white and deep pink / fuchsia! It looked so new and clean and girly. ♥ The chairs were upholstered in white leather / leatherette, and the countertops were immaculate. Each station had their own set of tools: hair dryers, irons, curlers and whatever hair tool you would need for styling. They were all neatly arranged in compartment holes beside the mirror, and in drawers that hide neatly under the counter.
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| PINK PINK PINK PINK PINK PINK |
- Shampoo service: This is where it got bad. I was casually conversing with my stylist while she was shampooing my hair and I found out that they only opened last February 12, so that means they've only been operational for 2 weeks and they are on soft opening. She used to be assigned at the PowerPlant branch (which opened February 5) but she was transferred immediately to the Serendra branch upon its opening. I don't know how long they were trained, but in the middle of the shampoo service, I was thinking that maybe she needed a bit more training. Water kept dripping into my ears! Ugh, I hate that. And she was still a bit hesitant with her scalp massage. Parang kulang pa sa conviction. Haha! So it felt like she was just patting me on the head. Oh well. She was nice naman, so I can give her another chance. Hehe. The shampoo station was so pretty (mosaic tiles on the walls, and white chairs), and the neck support was comfy, so 2 thumbs up for that!
- Finished product: See the picture? That's me, holding the pink hair menu. What do you think? I thought my hair was nice, not too flat or straight, with a few wisps of runaway waves here and there. Perfect for a casual night out. I think they need to practice some more, though. It took an hour to finish my hair. To be fair to my stylist, she asked me if I was in a hurry and I said no, so she said that, good, she can take her time to work more on my hair. I guess I gotta give her credit for wanting to do a good job. Haha.
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| My "Red Carpet" look |
Oh yeah, after my service, they asked if they could take my picture. I wasn't able to ask what it was for, but I smiled for the camera anyway. :D
Looking at their Blo menu, they have other services aside from the simple blow-out. They also have hair styling for men, up-dos, attachment of extensions, and bridal hair. They really just focus on your tresses. Wash, blow and go is their tag line, and they aim to give fast hair service to their customers.
One interesting thing they have is that they don't give out paper receipts. They send out appointment confirmations, receipts, and thank you notes through email. I think it's a nice, modern touch.
I am willing to try Blo again, even with the high price, but maybe I will choose another hairstyle just to see how well they can execute it, and to see how well I can pull it off.
LOUIS PHILLIP KEE SALON
G/F Unit 116-117, Forbeswood Heights, Rizal Drive corner Burgos Circle, Fort Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Tel No.: +63 2 8563388 or 8564848
I'm a coupon junkie, and I often do my shopping sprees online, on deal websites such as Deal Dozen, Deal Grocer, MetroDeal, CashCashPinoy and Living Ensogo. I can get big discounts for items and services that I usually spend on, such as multiple-day passes for fitness centers (this is how I got to try out 360 Fitness Club and Urban Ashram Manila), restaurant meals (so far, I've tried food from Lulu, Ristras, and Relik), accessories (I bought a car trunk organizer, a portable digital luggage scale, a Pro-Form Pilates Kit, and a Longchamp Le Pliage bag!), and salon / grooming services (I've bought IPL packages, eyebrow threading and coloring, and manicure / pedicure packages).
The latest salon service I was able to try out was Louis Phillip Kee's "Keratherapy," the new chemical-free Brazilian blow-dry. I was able to buy a voucher from Deal Grocer for only PhP 4,200! That's more than 50% off from its original price of PhP 9,000. Pretty sweet deal! Now it is time to find out if the service is totally worth my money.
I decided to try it out on the day before my birthday (which was a mistake; you'll find out later on why), because the voucher was set to expire only 2 days after, and I had no other free days. I called the salon ahead to set an appointment and to ask how long the treatment will take: 2 hours, they said. Ok. So I set my appointment 3 hours before my dinner date that night. That should give me enough time to go home and change.
- Interiors: The place was a bit small. I'm an architect, so the layout is usually the first thing I notice, and the salon's layout was a bit messy. The chairs and mirrors were placed in the oddest of places (most of them weren't placed beside each other). I guess they were trying to maximize the space, but for me, it looked magulo. The chairs were big, plushy armchairs, though; I liked that.
- Shampoo service: I guess I should've known that something was terribly wrong when the stylist draped a dirty towel on my shoulders. It was dark blue and stained with blotches of hair coloring. Ugh. I guess it may have been washed (the stains are just there forever), but it still smelled funky, like old socks. The shampooing was ok: the stylist used sure, firm movements while massaging the shampoo into my hair and scalp. Water still dripped into my ears though, and he wiped it off using the stained towel. *shudder* AND he wrapped this same stained towel around my hair. This is terrible. Salons should always have a supply of clean towels. If it's stained, throw it out! Kailangan pa ba i-memorize yan?
- Finished product: I guess I was too appalled by the towel-incident to remember to take a picture at the salon. Below is a picture of me during the surprise birthday salubong party my boyfriend prepared for me that night, so at least you will have an idea of what my hair looked like after the treatment. It looked ok that night, but the following day (my birthday), it looked a bit flat! I spent my birthday having flat hair! Huhu. :( I can't wash it for 3 days, they said, so was stuck with limp, oily, stinky hair for 3 days. :( They were offering me a special shampoo and conditioner that is recommended for use post-treatment, but they were out of stock. It will make the treatment last longer by locking in the "ingredients" into my hair. I'm not sure if I want to buy it, though, because it's PhP 1500 each!!! Mygad.
The treatment itself was ok; it only took around 30 minutes to apply to my hair. It stings, though, so be sure to close your eyes (now that I think about it, it's supposed to be chemical-free, so why does it sting?). It took SO LONG to dry and set it, though. After the treatment application, he let it set for another 30 minutes before starting to dry my hair. But then blow-drying wasn't enough; he still used a flat iron to "set" the treatment. The whole process took more than 2 hours. :( The stylist was very talkative and friendly (which is a plus because it kept me entertained haha), so the 2 hours didn't feel so long.
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| What do you think? |
I'm really hoping that this is worth it. It's a service worth 9k, and even if I bought it at more than 50% off, I still don't think it's worth that much. I hope it will prove me wrong in the next couple of days. So far, though, I think it's working: since my hair looks icky, I've had it in a ponytail for the past 7 hours; when I removed it, there was no dent where the ponytail used to be! Still straight! Nice. I'm hoping that this means I won't need to go to the salon for blow-dry service for the next 3 months (they say the treatment lasts for 3 months). C'mon, hair, cooperate!
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I like the feeling of having silky, shiny hair after going to the salon. I don't know why I don't get the same results when shampooing and conditioning at home: is it because they use expensive shampoo? I bought expensive shampoo from a salon once, and no, it did not give me the desired results for every day that I used it. :( I guess I really have to depend on salons for perfect hair until I can get the hang of using a hair iron or a hair dryer.
The 3 salons I reviewed above are all located very conveniently near my place of work and place of residence, so I can have my pick any time. Based on my experience, though, I prefer the service of Fix Lab (they give good results for a good price!), and I am intrigued by what else Blo can do for my hair. It's a bit steep (2x the price of Fix Lab for a simple blow-out), but if I choose the other, more complicated styles (like the fishtail braid, an updo, or the big Hollywood curls), the price is the same. As for Louis Phillip Kee, if it weren't for the deal voucher, I would never have tried it there. Their staff is nice and friendly, but maybe they should consider changing the towels first. :P
It's nice to have a suki salon to go to where there's a stylist you can trust with your precious tresses. My suki salon is all the way in QC (Profile's Salon, the best), so I can't really go there all the time for minor services such as mani/pedi or blow-dry. Maybe it's about time to find a suki salon just for blow-drying. If they can make my hair all sleek and glossy and shiny, or if they can transform my hair into sexy waves when needed (without dripping water into my ears during shampooing), then I am all for it. :)
** For my other reviews, check out www.looloo.com :)
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