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Phenix Salon Suites Reflects on Successful Rise of the Barber Campaign

By: Phenix Salon Suites |  1 Shares     25 Reads

The World’s Leading Salon Suite Brand Hosted Suite Swaps Between Three Barbers in the UK & US

July 15, 2025 // Franchising.com // LAS VEGAS – Phenix Salon Suites has been recognized as the world’s leading salon suite brand ever since it opened its first UK location in 2021. The brand has maintained steady growth internationally and domestically, and earlier this year, hosted a new and unique campaign to celebrate not only its internationally renowned brand but also three incredible barbers who operate their own businesses within Phenix Salon Suites.

Dubbed Rise of the Barber, this campaign officially launched on May 27, when two barbers from the UK and one from the U.S. took part in “Suite Swaps.” The swaps allowed the two UK-based barbers to work out of a Phenix Salon Suites location in the Bronx, NY, fully immersing themselves in New York City's barber culture. The following week, the U.S.-based barber then did the same in Manchester, UK.

The participating barbers were Drey Amaro and José Rui Fernandes, owners of J&D Barbers Studio in Manchester, UK, and Joshua “Chec” Pacheco, owner of Studio Chec in the Bronx, NY. Together, these barbers have over 25 years of experience mastering their craft, which has only continued to flourish while operating out of Phenix Salon Suites.

For Chec, his passion for barbering stemmed from the reactions he would see on clients’ faces when they saw the finished product. “It makes me feel fulfilled every single time,” said Chec, who opened his first salon suite at 25 years old. “Phenix is truly the ideal location for my business, the community is great, everyone is determined, hardworking and most importantly helpful. Phenix’s initiatives, like this Suite Swap, truly reignite my passion for barbering. I love how Phenix Salon Suites wants to connect people in the same industry but from different countries through their passions, and I’m thrilled to be one of the three barbers participating.”

Fernandes and Amaro both share a hometown, a business and a passion for barbering that started early on at ages 13 and 15. They opened within Phenix Salon Suites two years ago, shortly after it made its debut in Manchester.

“When I decided to open my own business, I chose Phenix as it gave me the freedom and independence I was looking for to run my business on my terms,” said Fernandes. “The Phenix community is beyond supportive and is full of like-minded professionals who are driven just like Drey and I. We’re honored to have been chosen for this Suite Swap as it offered an opportunity to connect with other talented barbers and grow our skill set, learning new techniques by observing how others approach their craft.”

In a show of support for the campaign, CEO Brian Kelley took a redeye flight from San Diego to New York City just to receive a haircut from the visiting UK barbers, while Phenix’s UK Operations Director, John Gillespie, made the trip down from Edinburgh to Manchester to get a cut from Chec during his time abroad.

This is the first Rise of the Barber initiative for Phenix Salon Suites. The goal was to celebrate the brand’s continued growing presence across the world, plus the increasing popularity of barbering as the craft has been on the rise for several years now.

To learn more about Phenix Salon Suites, visit https://phenixsalonsuites.com.

About Phenix Salon Suites

The leading salon suite franchise is a salon suite rental concept that offers an opportunity for Lifestyle Professionals to operate their own business in a private salon suite within a larger, well-located salon. Phenix Salon Suites is not in the business of selling haircuts. The brand licenses individualized suites so professionals can service their clients in a safe and secure environment. Founded in 2007 by beauty expert and celebrity hairstylist Gina Rivera, who has family roots in the industry dating back to 1929, the Phenix suites concept has reinvented the salon industry. The company began franchising in 2012 and today has 400 locations across 33 states with continued plans to expand internationally. Recognized 12 years in a row on Entrepreneur’s Franchise Top 500 list, Phenix Salon Suites is acknowledged as an industry pioneer with franchise opportunities available in a number of key markets throughout the United States. For more information on franchising with Phenix Salon Suites please visit www.phenixsalonsuitesfranchising.com/.

SOURCE Phenix Salon Suites

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Media Contact:

Bridget Peterson
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