Chot and Cherry Reyes: A cut above the rest

MANILA, Philippines - A basketball court and a hair salon may be worlds apart, but they come together quite nicely in the world of Chot and Cherry Reyes.

Chot is coach of the Talk n Text team in the pro league Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), a former national team coach (to the FIBA Asia in Tokoshima, Japan in 2008), and the only four-time Coach of the Year awardee of the PBA. Cherry is owner and top head/main mane of the Philippine chain of Essensuals Toni&Guy, a franchise of the UK-based up-market salon.

It was basketball that brought the two together. Cherry explains: “Chot was a varsity player of the Ateneo Blue Eagles. I applied to be a student manager of the team to be exempted from PE, but Chot claimed I just wanted to be close to him!”

The hairdressing followed, albeit with less deliberate intention. Cherry continues: “I took a leave from Ateneo in second year college as I got pregnant, and with nothing to do, I learned how to cut hair. I never thought that it would be the start of my profession as a hairdresser.”

Happily, the two – Chot and Cherry, basketball and hairdressing – joined forces: Chot and Cherry got married, and basketball and hairdressing became successful careers for each one, with wholehearted support from the other. Says Cherry: “I started watching all his games as a college varsity player, and I haven’t stopped since; then watching him coach through the ranks – from coaching high school, to college, to the commercial ranks, the national team, and now in the PBA for the last 17 years. Chot is the president of the company that owns Essensuals Toni&Guy, and is thus involved in policy-making and other executive functions in the salon. While I run operations as managing director, he takes care of our Board. I also take advantage of his expertise as a public speaker and teamwork trainor, asking him to motivate the staff from time to time aside from conducting team-building sessions for us – for free, of course!” He also watches the bottom line, keeps an eye on markets and industry trends, a “coach” of the business end of this hairy enterprise.

The hairdressing part reciprocates, too. Cherry says she does cut Chot’s hair, “but when he loses a game, he opts for another stylist, Nelson. His haircut depends on whether he wins or loses. But when we’re in fighting mode, definitely he gets his hair cut by any of my stylists. Most of his players opt for a skinhead so they can go to a barber, although some players of his and from other teams go to our salon for a haircut.”

Her salons – there are now three, at 6750 in Makati, at Megamall in Mandaluyong, and at Trinoma in Quezon City – has a long list of celebrity clients (Smartmatic’s Cesar Flores was seen having his haircut at 6750 when he was still in town), but one now definitely stands out: long-time client Noynoy Aquino, now P-Noy to the nation.

Then presidentiable Aquino told The STAR during the paper’s “So you want to be president” series that he had no stylist, but that he has his hair cut by Cherry Reyes. Before his proclamation, then president-apparent Aquino caused a near-riot at the Trinoma mall when he popped in for a haircut; a horde quickly gathered outside the salon, and the ever-amiable man – much to the chagrin of his rather lean security detail – obliged the photo- and autograph-seeking crowd. These days, P-Noy has bowed to security and logistics concerns by having “home service.” Last month, Cherry packed her tools and hied off to Times Street to do his shorter-than-usual SONA cut, a souvenir photo from that occasion we found on Facebook (see photo above).

“I’ve been cutting his hair since he was a senator, and he hasn’t changed one bit,” is all she’ll say, refusing to say whether she charges him her regular rate or whether he gets a presidential discount.

Cherry has been in the trade for over two decades, and in 2002 got the franchise for Essensuals Toni&Guy, founded by Toni Mascolo, OBE, which now has over 400 salons in 41 countries and annual turnover in excess of £175 million. Toni&Guy places emphasis on education and training, and Cherry says she had to undergo rigorous training before she was granted the franchise. This emphasis on training is imparted to her staff, and even beyond – Cherry teaches and shares her skills with students at Miriam College’s adult education center, something she has been doing for the last 12 years.

And she has much to teach and share. Clients appreciate her sense of style without resorting to the flamboyant. She says she considers a client’s face shape and hair texture, “but most important his/her personality and presence” when determining a cut. “Our weather and season are also factors in hair styling,” she adds.

“A good cut/style should bring out your features and bone structure beautifully. It should reflect your personality and sense of style and should be in proportion with your body to create a polished silhouette from head to toe,” she says. Cherry also eschews the usual salon chatter (i.e. gossip) when she works: “I don’t talk when I cut hair. As I always tell my clients, hindi ako multi-tasking!”

With all the heads that have been subject to her shears, she says the best client is “the one who knows what he or she wants and yet is open to my inputs, knowing full well that what I want is best for him or her.”