Unlike some of my friends who splurge too much in salons, I wouldn’t spend 900 pesos just for a haircut. My hair is down straight layered with asymmetric bangs so it’s low maintenance. That’s why before, I take the risk of having my hair done in cheap salons for a 50 pesos haircut. Honestly, I never had any good experience with cheap parlors. Kaso, sino ba naman ang hindi matutuksong magpaparlor kung nakabalandra sa mga glass walls ang abot-kayang presyo ng mga panandaliang pagpapaganda? Haircut – 50. Manicure – 35. Hot Oil – 100.

But is it all worth it?

Dati, pumasok ako sa isang orange na parlor, Index Salon. Malinis naman. Maganda ang lighting. Hindi mukhang pang-kanto. I was there to have my bangs trimmed. Unluckily, a loud gay was assigned to me. All throughout the cutting session, he was persisting that I should have a hair rebond. So I pretended that I’m a single mom of 2 kids and working in a call center to give a hint that I have no time and on a budget. But instead of zipping his mouth, he told me na “hindi ka ba naiinggit sa mga ka opisina mo, diba lahat sila naka rebond? etc etc”

Napaisip naman ako. Oo nga, andaming nakarebond na call center agent.

But before I get hypnotized, I reasonably explained that there’s no need for any rebonding treatment because I have naturally straight hair and it’s obviously dyed. I’m used with parlor people who keep on insisting about availing their services but I got pissed off that time. Some of these salon employees don’t even care if their customer’s hair gets burned or blood is dripping from pedicured toes as long as they get a commission. (In a way of intentionally insulting anybody that comes into their place.)

I think the management should train their employees about values. Just because customers are paying less than a hundred, it doesn’t give them the ticket to murder nails or make fun of other people’s hair strands. A salon is not a comedy bar and should be a place of relaxation and beauty. I’m not generalizing but I already heard a lot of bad comments about the same parlor.

So for email senders who were asking about midrange salons, I recommend Bench Fix and Mary Pauline if you need services that won’t hurt your pocket. Look for a salon that’s not particular with quotas and time-per-customer. Also, take note of the stylists/hair cutters who satisfy you. Searching for the right hair cutter is like searching for Mr. Right. It’s a matter of trial and error. Wenk.