Vintage-style barbershops have been opening throughout the city—think tufted leather couches, roomy chairs with nailhead trim, and dark wood paneling. One can’t be faulted for thinking that men are rediscovering these traditional grooming centers.

Actually, they’ve always been there, but now you can also have a cold drink and chill to a curated music playlist while having your hair cut by a bona fide barber.

“Men have always been going to barbershops,” said New York-based stylist Mark Bustos. “Even if there are salons with multiple stylists to choose from, there are men who still prefer the precise cuts they get from their barbers.”

Making a connection

That said, Bustos says cutting hair is more than simply taking a pair of scissors to a customer’s hair: “It’s about making a connection with the client.”

The busy stylist gained the respect and admiration of thousands for his #BeAwesomeTo Somebody movement, where he spends Sundays going around New York, offering to cut the hair of the homeless on the street. He approaches people he thinks might benefit from a haircut, although he is aware that he might be rebuffed. After all, he is wielding a sharp pair of shears.

“It’s the same with paying clients; I don’t just begin cutting. I touch the client’s head, feel its contours, and I know how long it has been since his last haircut,” Bustos said. “Hair grows half an inch a month, so if he’s a regular client, I can tell immediately. I don’t even wait for them to tell me how long it’s been.”

This rapport with clients is what he wants to cultivate with the staff during training sessions at Bench Barbers, the newest service from the Bench group. The company owned by businessman Ben Chan recently opened its first branch of Bench Barbers in Glorietta 4, beside Bench Fix Salon and Bench Expert for skin and body care.

The roomy barbershop took over what were once the massage rooms of Bench Fix Salon at Glorietta. Now, Bench Barbers is described as “a modern-day man cave that offers top-notch pampering service.”

The opening kicks off the 30th anniversary of Bench in 2017.

Natural progression

“It was a natural progression for us to open Bench Barbers after the success of Bench Fix Salon,” said a company official who requested anonymity. “Although our stylists are trained to cut both men and women’s hair, there will always be men who prefer barbers.”

The company has tapped popular actor Alden Richards and model John Spainhour to represent the brand. Aside from haircuts priced at P350, other services offered at Bench Barbers include shaving, beard grooming, “manscaping,” nail cleaning and rubdowns.

Bustos was also introduced as the brand’s newest ambassador for its Bench Fix Professional Styling Tool, Clay Doh.

While in the country, he partnered with Bench Fix Salon to visit the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Haven for the Elderly, Tahanang Walang Hagdan, and Boystown, where he and a Bench  team cut the hair of the residents.

“I make it a point to go around giving free haircuts in whatever city I find myself in, and I’m glad that Bench has always supported me in this endeavor,” he said.

Bench Barbers, 2/F Ayala Glorietta 4. Visit  benchtm.com/shop; facebook.com/benchtmofficial; follow @benchtm on Instagram.