I Tried the Viral Japanese Head Spa Therapy| Effectively+Good

After noticing a handful of ultra-sensorial movies on my TikTok For You web page that showcased Japanese head spa therapies (as of this writing, #headspa has 168 million views on the app), I used to be tempted to provide my scalp a bit TLC of its personal. So—for the sake of analysis and the sorry state of my strands (and since there isn’t presently a head spa in my dwelling metropolis of San Francisco)—I flew to Los Angeles for an appointment with Sayuri Tchushitani at Head Spa EN looking for higher hair days.

What’s a Japanese Head Spa?

Although head spas have solely lately change into in style within the West, they’ve lengthy been widespread throughout Asia, and provide therapeutic massages that promote a wholesome scalp, robust hair, higher sleep, stress aid, and extra.

The remedy itself focuses on the scalp and hair. “It entails deep clear, detox, therapeutic massage to nourish the scalp and hair,” says Keiko Uehara, co-founder and CEO of Blow Me Away Natural Salon and Head Spa in Los Angeles. “It incorporates Japanese therapeutic massage method with natural merchandise to stimulate blood movement and promote wholesome hair progress.”

Associated Tales

The time period ‘head spa’ is used interchangeably to explain each the salon and the remedy itself, and its origins could be traced again to Ayurvedic drugs in India, which has lengthy relied on herbs and oils for hair progress and to nourish the scalp.

“In Japan, hair is taken into account an essential facet of magnificence and grooming, and taking good care of the scalp is seen as an integral a part of sustaining wholesome and exquisite hair,” explains Uehara, “It’s a custom in Japan to obtain a head therapeutic massage whereas doing different hair therapies and that contributed to the event of head spa in that space.”

Rising up in Japan, Tchushitani discovered firsthand about the advantages of those therapies. However when she grew to become a hairstylist within the West (specifically in New York, London, and Los Angeles), she observed a bent to cowl up scalp points with over-the-counter lotions and ache relievers as a substitute of coping with the basis trigger. “Many therapies put band-aids on the difficulty slightly than treating the issue on the supply,” she says.

So she determined to open a head spa of her personal that might provide a extra holistic strategy to hair care than what we’ve historically seen within the US. “Stress causes extra issues than we give it credit score for, and the pinnacle spa is a small sanctuary from all of that,” she says.

The advantages of Japanese head spas

Your motive for visiting a head spa might vary from treating cussed dandruff to enjoyable your thoughts after an extended day. No matter why you have an interest, we break down the entire advantages beneath.

Beauty advantages

Scalp points are a serious draw for head spas. Irritation, dryness, extreme oiliness, and dandruff are points that Tchushitani sees on a regular basis. She views the pinnacle spa remedy as a reset button on your scalp. A wholesome scalp helps facilitate wholesome hair, so customers typically discover a rise in shine and luster after their remedy.

Past that, head spas are stated to encourage hair progress. Although there may be restricted analysis on the subject, Kari Williams, MD, a board-certified trichologist, licensed cosmetologist, and pure hair specialist, sees the connection. “Sustaining wholesome hair progress is supported by way of using merchandise that can preserve the scalp and hair follicles freed from buildup and preserve wholesome blood circulation within the scalp,” she says. “So in that means, these explicit scalp care practices do assist and promote wholesome hair progress.”

That being stated, Tiffany Libby, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based mostly in Rhode Island, cautions in opposition to utilizing this as a remedy for a medical situation. “It sounds beautiful, and seems to be a self-care apply that could be a ‘nice-to-have’ not a ‘must-have,’” she says.

Holistic advantages

For Tchushitani, the advantages of Head Spa prolong past cosmetics. Sure, shiny strands and a fuller mane are nothing to sneeze at, however she is far more within the stress aid and sleep assist unwanted side effects.

In her dwelling nation of Japan, insomnia charges are among the highest on the planet. When she bought to the US, she realized the scenario was not significantly better. “Individuals don’t notice how negatively stress impacts their lives,” she says, “It’s so essential to seek out small methods to mitigate stress in your each day routines.”

That’s the place the pinnacle spa is available in. Her shoppers vary from youngsters looking for out anxiousness aid to middle-aged males preventing insomnia. No matter why they search out the remedy, most of Tchushitani’s shoppers go to sleep inside the first 10 minutes. Uehara additionally notes how the apply will help relieve rigidity and stress within the head and neck.

What occurred once I tried it

At Tchushitani’s salon, my head spa expertise started with a session. Utilizing a microscope, she combed by way of my half and confirmed me close-up photos of my scalp. Pink patches round my crown meant irritation, whereas oily clumps round my hairline meant build-up. Fortunately, Tchushitani assured me that this was nothing a bit cleaning couldn’t deal with.

As an alternative of leaping instantly into shampooing, Tchushitani adopted the session with a neck and shoulder therapeutic massage that included sizzling stones, a soothing sound machine, and a dimly lit room. She talked about that a lot of her shoppers go to sleep in the course of the remedy, which I might definitely relate to as my very own eyelids began to get heavy (however for the sake of this story, I stayed awake).

Subsequent, it was time for the wash. Not like at salons, the place water typically drips down your brow and suds make their means into your eyes, Tchushitani was meticulous. Her nimble fingers ran throughout my hairline with precision, making a small moat for extra water, and rapidly returned to the again of my head, her knuckles lifting, urgent, and shaking till the suds totally retreated.

Then got here the steaming step, which is what sometimes will get TikTok voyeurs commenting, “I would like this in my life!” Tchushitani hooked up an extra-large steaming bonnet to my head to open the pores on my scalp to permit for a deeper clear. From there, she gave me a deeper and extra concerned therapeutic massage, which was nothing wanting superb (critically—the shampoo-step therapeutic massage doesn’t even examine to this prolonged model). As soon as once more, I struggled to maintain my eyes open whereas she rubbed and tapped at uncared for areas of my scalp.

I ultimately got here out of my haze when she completed with yet one more neck and shoulder therapeutic massage which was great despite the fact that it signaled the tip of my dream state.

Tchushitani was gracious sufficient to complete my remedy with a blowout, which is out there for an additional cost. To cap issues off, she ended the appointment by revisiting my scalp underneath the microscope, which revealed that my pink spots had returned to their regular shade of peach and the oily blobs had vanished. As an added bonus, my blowout seemed bouncy and full.

Value

The fee for the remedy varies, however at Head Spa EN, Tchushitani affords two choices. The 40-minute prices $110 and the 60-minute prices $150 with an extra $60 cost for a blowout.

Scalp pleasant merchandise

If this remedy feels like what you want however you’ll be able to’t discover a salon close to you, don’t fret. These merchandise promote a wholesome scalp atmosphere, and a bit DIY-scalp therapeutic massage will help you replicate the enjoyable atmosphere of a head spa in your individual rest room.

Watch a (fairly disgusting, but oddly satisfying) scalp facial: