I settled into a salon chair at Head Spa Nagomi while my practitioner, Kai Fujimoto, wove a tiny digital camera through my wet hair. It provided a 230-times-magnified view of my scalp on a nearby laptop screen. There, my noggin glistened, its dimpled, moon-like surface studded with swaying, dark-amber stalks: my individual hairs and their follicles.
“This is an ideal condition — literally, a dream scalp,” Fujimoto said, beaming victoriously at the results of the treatment he’d just administered.
This had been my third head spa treatment of the week — for research, of course. No wonder my scalp was so squeaky clean.
Luxurious Chinese and Japanese-inspired “head spa” treatments began gaining popularity on social media in 2022. Videos of scalp-scrubbings amid plumes of aromatic steam and an arc-shaped “waterfall bath” teased an enthralling spa experience that some influencers claimed would “change your life.”
Head spas generally offer a detailed scalp analysis, repeated deep cleanses, hydrating treatments and various forms of head and neck massages. They’re all slightly different, however, with unique touches — an herbal foot bath at one, full body massage tables at another, wind chimes dangled over your head at the next.
Practitioners claim the treatment offers myriad health benefits. The scalp is the “soil” from which the hair grows, they say, and nourished soil produces healthier hair. The treatment isn’t a cure-all for conditions such as psoriasis or eczema, doctors tell me, but it does detoxify and hydrate the skin. And repeated scalp scrubbing aids circulation, bringing blood flow and nutrients to the area. All of which strengthens hair follicles and can help prevent dandruff, itchiness, inflammation and, possibly, hair loss.
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Scalp treatments have been popular for centuries in many parts of Asia, including in Vietnam and Korea as well as China and Japan. But as of 2021, there were only a few head spas in L.A., including San Gabriel’s Cai Xiang Ge, which opened that year, and Blow Me Away Organic Hair Salon and Head Spa, which opened in the Beverly Glen area in 2016. The trend proliferated in late 2022, largely due to momentum on social media, in Asian communities such as Arcadia, San Gabriel, Temple City and Rosemead.
Now there are head spas scattered all over town, and existing locations are expanding. Cai Xiang Ge is debuting a Beverly Hills location in April; Tou Dao Tang, in Temple City, is expanding to Glendale this spring; Yang Si Guan (a.k.a. PureLux Scalp SPA) in San Gabriel, West Hollywood and Irvine is opening Pasadena and Newport Beach locations later this year. And there are still head spas on my list to visit. Newcomers include Brainwashed LA in Sherman Oaks, ResetSpot in Burbank and Fujimoto’s Aqua Lucca Head Spa in West Hollywood.
“It’s hit peak popularity,” says Michelle Yehuda, owner of Brainwashed LA, which opened last February. “People are realizing your scalp is something you need to take care of. It’s not something we were taught growing up. But also, it’s very relaxing — we hold so much stress in our head and shoulders. A lot of my clients just doze off.”
I went on a head spa marathon, visiting so many establishments in succession that my head felt tender by the end. These are six of our favorite places in L.A. to experience the trend. Each has a distinctly unique take. SkinGuru Spa feels more like an aesthetician’s studio while Head Spa En is reminiscent of a luxury hair salon; Head Spa Nagomi offers authentic Japanese touches while Cai Xiang Ge incorporates traditional Chinese modalities; M Head Spa is luxuriously massage-forward while Tou Dao Tang, with its use of organic herbs, has an especially down-to-earth vibe.
Whichever head spa you choose, there’s an almost primal comfort in having your head lovingly, meticulously cared for by another human being.