Japanese Women and Men are obsessed with their hair! Japanese Woman are known to have the shiniest and healthiest black hair but don’t expect to see so much of that now. These days they all sport dyed, streaked, permed and straightened hair. These days, the Men also spend as much time on their hair as Women do.
Don’t be surprised to see a Hair Salon on every block. Make sure you find a Salon by word of mouth since finding one yourself like I did at first can be really expensive and disappointing. The first time I went to a Salon, I found this section on hairstylists in one of my favorite fashion magazines. I was immediately attracted to the newest and latest IKE-MENイケメン( the “IT” guy/good looking guy). He was one of the top stylists in Tokyo so I booked an appointment with him.
The minute I walked in, there were at least 5 women at the counter. They all said IRASHAIMASEいらっしゃいませ(welcome) at the same time and I was pretty overwhelmed. One girl then led me to the changing area to give me a gown. Then another approached me and led me to the waiting area. Then another came along with a stack of magazines and apologized for the wait. I was there for like 3 minutes.
I was then greeted by the IKE-MENイケメン( the “IT” guy/good looking guy). He really wasn’t that great, but all I cared at that point was my hair…but by looking at his, I was a little scared. He had the typical Japanese Male DO, a spiked and streaked mullet!
I told him what I wanted, he agreed and I was led to the washing area. I was then given a blanket by another guy and was given a cloth to cover my face. I wasn’t surprised at any of this because “service” is always top on their list. The blanket is given to cover up your legs if you have a skirt on and just incase you feel cold. The cloth to cover your face is so you don’t get splashed in the face and so you don’t have that awkward contact with the guy that’s washing your hair.
Then I went back to my chair and was asked what I wanted to drink. I chose tea with yuzu..yum! Never will they serve you just water and old coffee. Then comes the sudden touch of hands on m shoulders. A woman comes by and asks me if I want a massage. HELL YA!
After my cut, I wasn’t too happy with it because instead of doing what I wanted he constantly wanted to give me the latest trend. But the weirdest part was when another woman came by after the cut and started tapping me on the head with her hands. It was supposed to be some kind of head massage but I just wanted to slap her!
So, this is why I want to give you a little advice on hair salons. Go to a place where you know someone has gone to before and loved it. I found out the hard way. But the good news is that I did find a really good one that my cousin has been going to for many years . The place is called ZAZA in Kagurazaka.
My hairstylist has a lot of celebrity clients and is really great at giving you what you want. Although at first she was pretty annoying, along with the other staff who constantly praised at whatever you did, made comments about almost everything you wore and said , so much that it all started feeling really obnoxiously fake…I’ve gotten used to the whole thing because that’s just the way it is here. Let’s just say if you’re having a bad day, this is a perfect place to boost your ego and get a great haircut at the same time.
Haircuts aren’t cheap here so expect to pay for what they give you, SERVICE at its best!
