David's Salon Premier

David's first salon was a single room on Makati's Pasay Road, with four chairs and a waiting list that formed within the first month. Word spread quickly among the capital's fashion editors, society women, and entertainment personalities: there was finally a colorist in Manila who understood how light interacts with dark Asian hair, and a cutter who treated the consultation as seriously as the service itself.

Over the following decade, the salon grew to three locations in Makati, but David resisted the temptation to expand further. 'Quality cannot scale infinitely,' he told Philippine Tatler in a 1995 profile. 'I would rather have three perfect salons than twenty average ones.' That philosophy held for 28 years — until 2008, when the Premier division was established as a distinct brand within the David's Salon family, designed to push beyond what the flagship had achieved.

The Premier salon on Ayala Avenue is the physical manifestation of everything David Cruz learned in four decades of practice. It was designed with architect Nico Florentino to feel like a private creative studio — intimate, warm, and entirely focused on the client in the chair. The team of 35 stylists are among the most credentialed in the country, with training pedigrees spanning London's Sassoon Academy, Seoul's premiere color studios, and New York's Bumble and bumble flagship.