I tried out Design Studio PH, the salon all my favorite bloggers recommend!

Kryz Uy, Laureen Uy, Patricia Prieto, Mari Jasmine, Camille Co, Vern and Verniece Enciso are just some of the top bloggers from the Philippines who have been raving on Instagram about a salon called Design Studio PH. I found out about this after I wrote “10 Colorful and Creative Hairstyles: Highlights, Ombre, Balayage, and Beyond.” I was surprised to get a lot of messages from When in Manila readers asking me for recommendations. Turns out, there’s a market for customers who want to be more creative with their hair color.

Unfortunately, I didn’t know what salon or procedure to recommend. But since most of the bloggers I follow on Instagram tagged and credited Design Studio PH, I gave it a try. After all, I wouldn’t want to recommend a service or salon to our readers without trying them firsthand! Here’s what happened in my first visit to Design Studio PH.

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First Impressions

I went there at 9:00 am. It was easy to get to and to locate. The salon is in front of Greenbelt Residences, and it has sufficient free parking. There are also lots of restaurants and cafes nearby, which came in handy because I ended up spending the entire day there!

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I was immediately greeted by a relaxing ambiance: nude hues, wide windows, soft music, and lots of sunlight. The seats aren’t cramped together, which is rare among many salons. (I was later told that this space could fit fifteen chairs, but they decided to keep it at seven.) They also have magazines and WiFi.

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For those who want to have a manicure and pedicure session, you could opt to use the lazy boys, which might look familiar to you if you follow fashion bloggers on Instagram.

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They also serve complimentary goji berry tea, which I couldn’t get enough of! (I liked it so much that for a few minutes, I ended up asking more about the tea instead of my hair.)

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When I got there, I was welcomed by the staff and the owners, Chiara Echiverri and Chase Tinio. They talked about the mission and the hard work needed to put up Design Studio PH.

They had their soft opening back in June 2015, and officially opened in August of the same year. They’ve only been in operation for a year, but they’re already being recognized as a topnotch salon! Chase shared how the preparation took almost a year. This includes renovation of their space and staff training. This is the third salon in the Chase Group of Salons, so the staff in Design Studio PH have had around five years worth of experience and meticulous training.

Chase and Chiara shared their dream of having a community salon that offers topnotch personalized service to its customers. They want their customers to feel like going to the salon is like coming home. They get to know their customers on a first-name basis. Sometimes, they even get invited to their customers’ family events! Some of their customers eventually become their friends. If you meet them personally, I’m sure you’ll understand. 😉

In the one year they’ve been around, they already have a stellar lineup of muses and many loyal customers. But on top of these, Chiara shares that she’s very moved when customers bring their loved ones with them when they visit the salon again. It moves her to know that the clients trust Design Studio PH enough with the people they love the most.

Pegs + Hair Assessment

I had some pegs, but I wasn’t set on anything too specific. That’s where the free hair assessment came in handy. Chiara explained to me why hair assessment is important. When we look at photos in Instagram or Pinterest, we might think that the application is the same for all kinds of hair. But the same formula may look very different once applied to different hair types. Some services may also cause damage to your hair, so the Design Studio PH team gives you a free hair assessment before discussing with you their suggested treatments.

They explained that the peg I wanted for my hair might damage my hair. I wanted a red to pink balayage. Chiara suggested that the crown of my head stay relatively dark, and for my hair to transition gradually to lighter ends. That way, they  only have to pre-lighten the ends of my hair—therefore keeping the crown very healthy.

One good thing from this suggestion (aside from not damaging my hair) would be how it’s low-maintenance, which suited my lifestyle. (With school and work, I don’t think I could commit to having a salon treatment every month.)

I don’t have to keep rerooting my hair when the roots grow out. The top is dark, so black hair would just merge with the dark red at the crown. After discussing the procedure together, I was asked to fill up this form:

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Here are some awesome stuff about the hair assessment. First, it’s free! You get to learn from people who really know what they’re talking about. Second, the staff really listens to what you want to do with your hair. They ask you for your pegs, and they confirm to make sure they understand you. Third and most important, they’re upfront about your hair status. They won’t recommend a certain service to you if they think it would damage your hair. They’re also not a hard sell. They objectively asses your hair and what you want.

I felt the need to mention this, because I’ve been to salons before where they exaggerate how badly your hair needs a treatment! They tsk tsk and shake their heads while looking at your hair. None of that happened in this salon.

They also ask you about your lifestyle. Do you swim a lot? Do you regularly go to the beach? Do you travel? Could you set aside time to have treatments and to fix your roots? Or are you opting for something new but low-maintenance? Also, you could honestly talk to them about your budget, because they’ll give you options.

Before you even commit to getting a certain service, you’re on the same page with the staff. They understand what you want. They’ll also make you understand what they’re about to do. That way, you make informed choices based on their suggestions. Of course, this begs the next question— how credible is the staff?

Staff, Innovation, and Ingredients 

Innovation

Clearly, the desire to give you the best hair ever is evident. But do they have the training, skills, equipment, and products necessary to make that happen?

As we were talking, I noticed how Chase kept using food analogies. He talked about the similarities of a restaurant and a salon in terms of business. “If you eat in my restaurant now, you’ll be hungry a few hours later. If I cut your hair now, you’ll need a haircut after a few weeks.” Chase was a chef in New York, which explains his food analogies. It also explains his close attention to detail. Close attention to detail, after all, is what sets a good salon from a bad one. And also what sets apart a good chef from a bad one.

Chiara, on the other hand, used medical metaphors. It was in the middle of my stay when I found out that both Chase and Chiara come from a family of doctors. They both laughed when they narrated how the ingredients they use have the seal of approval from their doctor relatives.

For Chiara and Chase, non-stop research and development is important for their business. That’s why they invest in training themselves and their staff. They regularly go to the Cosmoprof Convention to bring to the Philippines the most innovative products that the industry could offer: new services, new equipment, new tools–whatever is necessary to improve the client’s experience. Through this constant dedication to research and development, they are able to make Design Studio PH a topnotch salon not just locally, but also internationally.

Products and Staff Training

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What about the products they use on your hair? Design Studio PH uses topnotch products. For my hair, they used Schwarzkopf. And I was pleased to find out that the staff goes directly to the offices of the products’ suppliers to learn firsthand from the makers of the products. After all, what good are excellent products when the staff doesn’t know how to use them? Chiara explains to the customers what products they will use on your hair–including the percentages!

Furniture

These lazy boys are customized to be bigger and more spacious, especially the arm rests. Chase thought of making the arm rests wider for clients who are having their manicure. Chase also shared how some customers fall asleep in those lazy boys. The leather used in these lazy boys are the same kind of leather used in luxury cars.

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Chiara shared that Chase’s pride and joy in the salon are these chairs, and for a good reason! You know when salons wash your hair, the position of your head just isn’t quite right? Sometimes it strains your neck.

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These chairs have a full recline option, so you feel like you’re lying down on a comfy bed. No neck strain at all!

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When you drop by, please make sure to compliment these chairs if Chase is in the salon! I’m sure it would make his day. It made me laugh when I saw Chase’s enthusiasm when he started talking about these chairs.

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Here are some of the many services that Design Studio PH offers:

1.) Permanent Blowout: The First and Only in the Philippines

Design Studio PH (and its partner salons under the Chase Group of Salons) is the only salon in the Philippines that offers permanent blowout. They have registered the IPO completely. The technology came from the States, but they improved it. Chase explains that your hair would be straight (but have volume!) for at least eight to ten months. Other blowout services would offer up to two to four months only.

Here’s what Vern and Verniece Enciso shared in their blog:

Our favourite salon in Makati, DESIGN STUDIO, recommended that we do the THE PERMANENT BLOWOUT® 🙂 This procedure is the Ultimate Volume Straightening System (Formaldehyde FREE) that lasts for 8-10 months. It can be a bit pricey but it’ll last you almost the whole year! The end result is what you’ve been seeing on our photos recently – naturally straightened hair with significantly noticeable reduction of curls, frizz and wave 🙂 On top of this, you can expect to have shiny, supple straight hair that is full-bodied and greatly manageable. Verniece and I have naturally thick hair and it’s honestly so hard to manage but after the treatment, we can walk out of our house with only towel dried hair! No need to even blow dry it. For days when we wanna look a bit made up, all we need to do is curl the ends.. no need to use a straightening iron for the top to make it less frizzy 🙂 This service is SOLELY registered to the Design Studio, Chase group of Salons. So you can be sure that you’ll get what you’ll pay for 🙂

2.) Micro-highlights

The procedure is a bit more tedious than the usual highlights, but it give more dimension to any hair color.

3.) Ombre/Balayage

This is the service I got! Check out the photos below for some samples and pegs:


4.) Haircut

I almost forgot to mention that they offer haircut services, too! I was so caught up learning about permanent blowdry, micro-highlights, ombre, and balayage! I could give you countless of examples of men and women who have their hair cut by Design Studio PH, but let me share with you my favorite look so far:

GO TO PAGE 2 TO SEE THE RESULTS