Caution: Vanity Post.

Every Mondays to Fridays at our nearby mall, there's a promotion going on with the barber shop named "Expresscut". It's a haircut plus 30 minute half body massage for only P100. (USD $2.50).

I was set to get a haircut today and a hair cut would cost P65. So I figured availing of the promo with the bundled massage for an additional P35. is a very good deal.

So first off is the haircut. I requested for a shorter cut than the usual cause it's summer and for a more refreshing look and feel.

Then the dreaded stinger hit me. The barber asked if I undergo any treatment for thinning hair. I said no. He then went on with a sales-pitched tone about a hair grower that thickens the hair. Gone are the glorious days when I used to have my hair cut in a salon either at Ricky Reyes or David's salon with an experienced hairdresser. I used to get comments on how shiny, healthy and thick wavy hair I got. Now I get a sales talk on hair-growing treatment.

Since my barber forced the topic of the hair thickening (yes, you would be forced against your will if the barber was cutting your hair and you can't move one bit), I figured I'd ask some questions. Apparently the information I gathered is that it is a hair thickener/grower called "Herbalin" (or Herbulin). It is a liquid based treatment made from 42 different herbs with no chemicals that is applied to the thinning hair region every night. My barber then continued telling me success stories of how many of his customers have bought the treatment and have seen actual results.

Of course all this is astonishing if you're just listening to the barber while having your hair cut. I was of course in my "speculation mode" all the while just letting my barber talk while I sit there. I figured the least I could do is search for it on the net and check out some testimonials in addition to the credibility of the product and at the same time check if there are any side effects or things worth noting. And then my barber showed me the box. It had some unfamiliar writing. Upon closer inspection, I saw the bold letters "Made in Pakistan". No offense to those from the country, but if I can't read the instructions on the box, I'm most likely not going to be interested at all. It's a good thing my time was done and up next was the massage. Ahhh... time to relax and enjoy some much needed pampering.

I had to move to another special chair designed for massage. I was told to sit while my face and upper back would be attended to. I thought I was going to have some quiet time relaxing and enjoying the massage when all of a sudden, the masseus asked the exact same question the barber asked me earlier... if I did anything about my thinning hair. Oh no ! Not again !

I kinda gave the cold shoulder this time and told him that the barber already told me about the liquid treatment they're selling. He didn't ask too many questions and instead just marketed the product. He did a bit of small talk as well telling me that his regular clients include huge Americans, one of them who broke his massage chair for being overweight and the other having such a huge physique that he couldn't lift.

Overall, it was a good massage. I got my little pinky twisted though while he was attending to my hands. I also got my neck turned to the extreme right and left which is something I haven't felt in my lifetime. I requested that my lower torso not be massaged cause it's a ticklish-prone area for me.

And so my trip to the barber shop became something worth telling.