Philippine salons and barbershops reopened last June 7. ANIKA VENTURA talks to a Manila-based salon manager on what it’s like to be back in business.
“We always say the salon industry is recession-proof. In thirty years, mom’s never closed more than two days.”
Andrea Zulueta-Lorenzana, 41, the general manager and creative director of Piandre, sums up how her family-owned salon faced a first-time challenge during the pandemic.
Piandre has been open since 1987. It was founded by Zulueta-Lorenzana’s mother, Rosalinda “Linda” Zamora Francisco or LZF.
LZF is currently the CEO and her daughter, Andrea Zulueta-Lorenzana has been working with Piandre since 2001.
Piandre has 420 employees, with 14 branches in the country—one in Cebu, the rest in Metro Manila. All these branches closed last March 15, 2020 in compliance with the country’s lockdown.
During their closure, Piandre let go of less than 15 employees; these were people who had been with the company for less than six months. All remaining employees were being paid full salaries. The amounts were first converted from leaves, then once it wasn’t enough, “we treated it as a donation,” says Zulueta-Lorenzana.
“A lot of people told us: ‘Why are you paying? They didn’t work. Baka masanay sila sa libre’ (They might get used to free). Her reply: ‘Eh ikaw, hindi ka ba nasanay na kumain na tatlong beses?’ (Well what about you, didn’t you get used to eating three times?)”
Zulueta-Lorenzana puts emphasis on the importance of showing up for your employees. “I see how super transactional some relationships are in the industry.”
During quarantine, they established Piandreflix, where LZF would go on Facebook Live every day to connect with their staff. They also offered free online sessions from storytelling, English proficiency, bible reflections, to mental health support.
Among more than 400 employees, Zulueta-Lorenzana confirms, “150 have been with us [for] 10 years and above.”
On June 7, 12 Piandre branches reopened with one significant, government-mandated policy: only haircuts allowed.
Normally, haircuts only contribute 10 to 20 percent of Piandre’s sales. “And traditionally our haircut is not that expensive,” adds Zulueta-Lorenzana. Priced between P400 to 1,000, she reveals how the earnings of all twelve branches were similar to what one branch used to earn.
On the staff level, Zulueta-Lorenzana says: “They could be earning a lot. As in P100,000 a month,” referring to some of their hair stylists’ potential earnings when tips are factored in.
While more people experiment with cutting their own hair at home, Zulueta-Lorenzana was encouraging to her friends who wanted to try it out, yet understands that there are other considerations to cutting your own hair for the long term.
“I saw a lot of people buying [scissors] on Lazada, [around] P1,000 [to] 2,000… maybe after a few uses, you throw it away… If your scissors are not sharp when you cut hair, the hair folds.” In contrast, a pair of scissors could cost Piandre up to P 50,000. “It’s a tool for professional use.”
Prior to their reopening on June 7, Piandre offered some in-home hair services, yet they didn’t officially advertise it.
“It was really to give in to our clients,” explains Zulueta-Lorenzana. “Our clients were calling us, ‘hindi na ako kilala ng asawa ko’ (my spouse doesn’t recognize me anymore) and ‘hindi ko pinakasalan yung matandang toh’ (I didn’t marry this old person),” pertaining to the loss of hair color.
“Especially among certain people, they’re used to going to the salon every week,” adds Zulueta-Lorenzana. Piandre staff, who have developed years of personal relationships with clients, relayed how clients felt after being able to resume this routine: “Parang masakit na masakit their whole body, and then finally gumaan daw yung feeling (It was as if their whole body ached, then finally they felt lighter).”
By July 7, Piandre was allowed by the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to offer all hair services; expanding merely haircuts to include hair color and hair treatments.
Their home services are now officially being promoted. Beyond hair services, home bookings may include manicures, pedicures, and body waxing, among others.
Zulueta-Lorenzana admits that “the confidence hasn’t at all been lifted” among locals leaving their homes. Yet she believes: “If we have to live with this for years, it’s unsustainable to just be staying home. You have to be careful and choose the places you feel comfortable with… Kasi (because) I can see… I can see how it’s affecting people mentally… especially the seniors.”
More than a willingness to serve, the next consideration is, are people willing to come?