“What are you passionate about?” This frequently asked question might be easy to answer for most people, but there are some who find it hard to answer it, given that they haven’t found what sets their soul on fire yet.
This was the case for Jon Chua, founder and senior barber and stylist of Shetzue’s Razor, a neighborhood barber shop where men can “come as you are and leave as a better gent.” Jon found his passion being a barber after two failed businesses.
Jon admitted that the reason why his first two businesses failed—an internet cafe and a bar—was his young and immature mindset back then.
“I was young. Running a business was not my forte. That time, I still wanted to go to parties, hang out with friends and play online games,” he recalled.
Jon’s family owned a salon in 2012, but he was never into it. In 2015, he discovered pomade, a scented ointment applied to hair, and tried selling it. Unfortunately, it was not sellable during that time. Out of nowhere, he randomly told himself, “I should try cutting hair.”
He got razors from their salon and started clipping his brothers’ hair after watching a video clip on YouTube on how to do it.
“When my brothers saw the results, they cried because I messed it up. But it didn’t stop me from doing it because I felt happy doing it even for the first time. It popped in my mind that five years from that time, I would have my own barber shop,” Jon happily recalled.
With his eagerness to learn more about this art of barbering, he started doing his research, watched more how-to videos, and even went to run-down neighborhoods to practice and hone his skills on kids and men who needed a haircut.
Practice indeed makes perfect. After months of self-teaching, Jon developed his own style and techniques for cutting and shaving.
“I told my friends to try this hair style I perfected, so I started cutting their hair, and they were fascinated,” he shared.
After that, his friends and friends of friends began to reach out to him to do their hair. That led him to open a makeshift barber shop in his garage with one barber chair and an ordinary mirror. Eventually, his clientele grew, and he decided to transfer his makeshift barber shop to his living room to make his clients more comfortable. Finally, he opened a small one-man-show barber shop and called it Shetzue’s Razor.
The name Shetzue is inspired by the name of his character in online games.
Jon, with his skills and new-found talent, met a lot of clients along the way: PBA players such as Dondon Hontiveros, JR Quiñahan, Kevin Barkley, Prince Capiral, Gryan Mendonza and Mac Tallo; businessmen; rappers from the United States; politicians; and internet sensations like Joseph Sabello also known as El Isog. He even got invited outside Cebu and outside the country to cut clients’ hair and train barbers.
His most on-demand hairstyles are called Taper Fade and mullet. Sometimes, clients show him pictures of what kind of style they prefer, but most of the time they want him to choose what is best for them.
One thing led to another, then Jon recently opened a bigger and better space, and this time hired barbers he personally trained to join his team, to accommodate his increasing number of patrons.
Now located on Apitong St., Cebu City, Shetzue’s Razor has four sleek barber chairs with own barber basins so clients won’t have to move from the chair to the wash area; classy elegant furnishings with welcoming friendly atmosphere; imported razors, clippers and barber equipment sterilized after every use; modern black chandeliers and a cozy lounge that serves coffee and sandwiches.
Its signature haircut includes shampoo, blow dry, facial cream and a hot towel. If you’re up to something relaxing, its All-In Service includes a haircut, massage, facial massage, shampoo and beard line-up or shave. It also offers hair dye and a hair cut package for children.
In spite of its luxury surroundings and finer service, Shetzue’s Razors was designed to be a homey place where gentlemen could come in, relax and take their minds off things.
Shetzue’s Razors is open every day from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m.