My Favorite Boy: Haircuts in the pandemic

Haircuts are an adventure.

Throughout the pandemic, I’ve been making a pilgrimage to Sophie’s Salon and Spa in Makati, to have my hair done by the amazing Roberto Orleanes. While I realize many other people have figured out how to cut their own hair, I have not been as brave. I would still rather take a day off from work to see Roberto for a haircut, and Dana for an orgasmic head massage, shampoo, and color.

A month ago, I got a haircut. Lucas was so enamored of it that he insisted he have the same haircut. I asked him if he wanted to go to one of those kiddy barber shops with chairs decorated to look like arcade machines, but he said no. “I want Roberto to cut my hair.”

So we went to Roberto.

Lucas was so excited. When I woke him up that morning to go to the salon, he said, sleepily, “Yay haircut day!”

We got drive-thru breakfast, and drove to Makati. Oneal dropped us off at the salon and then left to park.

But Lucas was not feeling it. “I wasn’t expecting it to be like this,” he whispered.

Dana and Roberto quickly sensed his discomfort, and so Roberto said, “Ma’am sige ayusin ko muna hair niyo.” Lucas sat on my lap as Roberto gave me a trim, and Dana updated my highlights. They showed Lucas how the shampoo sink worked, and the clippers. They showed him the blow dryer and spritz bottles. When it was time to wash my hair, he stood on a stool and helped Dana.

He had so much fun that he agreed to sit in the chair and have his hair washed, but he still wanted to be on my lap when Roberto cut his hair. We had to keep shifting because the haircut tickled him, and he would start curling up like a kitten. When it was time to blow dry, he had so much fun pointing the blow dryer (on cold, and the lowest setting) in his face! He was giggling and running around, talking to everyone and checking everything out.

Since we were there already, I told Oneal to get a haircut too, so Lucas helped Dana wash his hair, and helped blow dry too.