Spas can do your body a world of good. Ease tension, iron out knots, offer your mind and form a little TLC. So you can imagine how intrigued we were when the term 'head spa' began cropping up on our For You Pages. While a relatively new concept as far as Western beauty remedies go, scalp treatments are commonplace at most salons throughout Asia – and the Japanese head spa specifically originates from, you guessed it, Japan.
We were first introduced to the scalp treatment on TikTok, the source of all our recent beauty fixations. So what does it involve? Each appointment begins with your hairstylist running a camera through your hair to analyse the health of your scalp. The footage will pick up on excess sebum, buildup around the follicles, flaky dead skin and inflamed scalps. It also provides as satisfying before and after moment, so clients can fully absorb the results of a deep clean.
From there your hair stylist determines the next step in your tailored treatment, based on what your scalp needs. This is usually followed by a thorough double cleanse with shampoo, then a bonnet is placed over the head to allow for a soothing steam, products are lathered in, pressure points are massaged – and depending on where you go, sometimes a mini facial and decolletage massage is added on for ultimate relaxation. Everything is rinsed off and followed with a blow dry.
If you're wondering where you can book in for this kind of treatment in Australia right now, we've got you covered with where to get one, below.
1. Soma (Perth)
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Location: Fremantle
Known for: Soma's signature head spa treatments runs for 75-minutes, beginning with a mindful intention-setting consultation over herbal tea. They'll start with a restorative scalp treatment and double cleanse, a soothing facial cleanse with hot towels, a hydrating face mask and nourishing hair mask. They of course have the iconic halo waterfall on hand too.
2. The Scalp Spa (Canberra and Sydney)
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Location: Bankstown and Braddon
Known for: The signature head spa treatment, along with hair growth and stimulation packages, and other nifty body treatments like derma-planing and lymphatic enzyme.
3. M Kami (Melbourne)
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Location: Docklands, Deepdene and Melbourne CBD
Known for: M Kami Japanese Head Spa treatments combine scalp detox and cleansing with neck and shoulder massage and a warm steam therapy for a total mind relaxation. If you have a sensitivity or a preferred product, mention it during booking and your therapist will accommodate where possible. All three studios run by appointment, and weekend slots – particularly at Little Collins in the city – book out 1–2 weeks ahead. Walk-ins are accommodated when availability allows, but are not always able to be accommodated.
4. The Head Spa (Perth)
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Location: South Perth
Known for: The Head Spa's beautiful spa space offers both 90 minute and 2-hour sessions, both of which will have you sat in a hairdressing chair imported from Japan. You'll be given a soft robe to change into, followed by a scalp analysis and a detoxifying steam cap therapy using a Japanese mist machine.
5. Salon Apothecary (Adelaide)
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Location: Torrensville and McLaren Vale
Known for: Opt for either a 60 or 90 minute session, and even book in doubles or groups. The salon's one-hour Japanese scalp spa treatment utilises cutting-edge technology to enhance the penetration of nourishing ingredients into your scalp. They even have a certified trichologist on site to provide expertise.
6. Tokyo Head Spa (Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney)
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Location: Find all spa locations on the Tokyo Headspa website
Known for: A stringent focus on the head, scalp and face. It's all shoulders up from here. Tokyo Headspa is a traditionalist haven in every sense, with Japanese studios and therapists ushering you through the cultural experience.
7. Usfin Atelier (Sydney)
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Location: CBD
Known for: One of our most trusted Sydney salons, Usfin Atelier offers a scalp treatment identical to the videos you're watching on TikTok. On top of manual elements like a deep massage and scrub of the scalp, Usfin also integrates technology like a nano steamer and high frequency device to restore your scalp to full health. Hair is nourished with a curated lineup of La Biosthetique products. Prices start at $95 for the treatment and it can be easily tacked onto your haircut or colour.
8. The One Skin Lab (Sydney)
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Location: CBD and Chatswood
Known for: One Skin Lab was one of the first cosmetic clinics to offer scalp spas in Australia. But there's more than just scalp treatments on offer here, as this clinic has a full suite of Japanese-style treatments. If you are looking to try the head spa, we recommend the 90-minute Planet Venus CO2 treatment.
9. Atama Head Spa (Brisbane)
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Location: New Farm
Known for: After travelling to Japan to learn about the history and technique of head spas, Gabriel opened Atama in 2019. A holistic hair and scalp treatment is priced at $180, while 60s minutes for the full head spa experience will set you back $290. Not necessarily a regular treatment in these times, but one to splash out on for special occasions.
10. Lamp Hair (Sydney)
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Location: CBD
Known for: For a Japanese hair treatment, it only makes sense to book in at a Japanese salon. Lamp Hair in Sydney's CBD has offered head spas since its inception and uses Christophe Robin products.
11. KODA Cutters (Sydney)
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Location: Bondi and CBD
Known for: Aside for being one of the best in the business, KODA Cutters also offers a heavenly signature Hair Facial tested by yours truly. Hair is steamed and nourished with its range of Davines products, and if you're after a little scalp love, simply add on its Virtue Scalp treatment while you're in the chair.
Feature image via Pinterest.
