Glossary

A treatment of the scalp rather than the hair: cleansing, massage and care of the skin on the head, usually with warm water and over 45 to 120 minutes. The name comes from Japan, where salons have offered it for decades; today studios in Europe and North America use it for the whole family of scalp rituals. It is a wellness treatment, not a medical one.

In the directory: What is a head spa?

The original form: the scalp is treated like facial skin, with analysis under a camera, cleanse, exfoliation, a long massage under running warm water, a mask and a serum, in a quiet, precise sequence of 60 to 90 minutes. There is no protected definition; the word describes the approach a studio follows, not a certificate.

In the directory: Japanese head spa

The K-beauty routine applied to the scalp: scalp scaling as a deep exfoliation, then ampoules and serums, often combined with a facial or gua sha. It is the most results-driven style, judged on before-and-after images from the scalp camera.

In the directory: Korean head spa

In Vietnam the treatment is called goi dau duong sinh, hair washing for wellbeing: a long session with herbal shampoos, a slow scalp massage and generous time on neck, shoulders and arms, usually 60 to 90 minutes.

A scalp and head massage on dry hair, without basin or water, often in a reclined chair and sometimes with a scalp tonic. Pure massage and relaxation without the deep cleanse; the format hairdressers and massage studios offer most often.

In the directory: Dry head spa

The hairdresser's term for a shorter, product-led care of the scalp, often 20 to 30 minutes within a haircut or colour appointment. A head spa is longer, massage-led and booked as a treatment of its own.

The first step of most Japanese and Korean head spas: the therapist looks at the scalp through a magnifying camera and shows the image on a screen, before and after the treatment. It shows sebum, dryness and build-up around the roots; it is not a medical diagnosis.

Washing the scalp, often twice: a first shampoo removes styling products and sebum, a second one works on the skin. In Japanese studios the cleanse runs under a steady stream of warm water from a ring or a hose.

A deep exfoliation of the scalp with a peeling product, sometimes with a brush or steam, that lifts dead skin and build-up around the roots. The core step of a Korean head spa; Japanese studios call a similar step exfoliation or peeling.

The longest part of a head spa: pressure, kneading and acupressure on the scalp, temples and hairline, with wet or dry hair. Studios describe it as the part that relaxes; it also moves the skin against the skull, which many therapists call stimulating circulation.

Massage under running warm water, often from a ring or a shower head held above the scalp so that the water pours steadily, sometimes called a waterfall. Typical of the Japanese style.

Water enriched with carbon dioxide, used in Japanese head spas to rinse the scalp. Studios say the fine bubbles loosen sebum and residue; the sensation is a slight tingling.

A care product applied to the scalp after cleansing and left to work, often under steam or a warm towel for five to fifteen minutes. Clay masks absorb sebum, oil masks are for dry scalps.

Warm mist from a steamer over the head while a mask works. Studios use it to soften the scalp and open the follicles; it is also the moment most people fall asleep.

A concentrated care product applied to the scalp at the end, often with a pipette or a comb applicator and massaged in. Korean studios speak of ampoules, Japanese studios of serums or tonics.

A massage of neck, shoulders and sometimes arms and hands, part of most head spas of 60 minutes or more and the main part of a Vietnamese one.

Drying and light styling of the hair at the end. Included in many treatments, an extra in others; the studio page says which.

A fully reclining chair or bed with a basin at the head end, so that the guest lies flat during the water steps. The bed, more than any product, is what distinguishes a head spa studio from a salon backwash.

A handheld magnifying camera, often 50 to 200 times, connected to a screen or tablet for the scalp analysis before and after the treatment.

A hood or arm that releases warm mist over the head while a mask works. Some studios use a warm towel instead.

A soft silicone or bristle brush used during the cleanse or the scaling to loosen residue without scratching the skin.

A smooth stone or metal tool drawn over scalp, neck or face with light pressure, borrowed from Chinese practice and common in Korean-style treatments.

A studio's word for a longer treatment that combines several steps, often 90 minutes or more with mask, steam, facial elements and a longer massage. Rituals are the most expensive items on a menu.

A tier of the menu: basic, extended, complete. Menus are usually staggered by length, and the shortest package contains the parts that matter for a first visit.

In the directory: How much does a head spa cost?

A treatment for two people at the same time, in one room with two beds or in two rooms. Listed under features as treatments for two.

A voucher for a fixed amount or a named treatment, sold by most studios online or at the desk. A value voucher lets the recipient choose the treatment later.

In the directory: Giving a head spa as a gift

The studio has no fixed opening hours and works only with booked slots. Almost all head spas work this way in practice; a treatment blocks a room and a therapist for an hour or more.

The studio links a booking page on its website, its own or a booking service such as Treatwell, Fresha or Salonized. The directory records the link the studio itself sets and counts the studio as bookable online.

In the directory: In numbers

A marketing term for a cleansing-led treatment with exfoliation and a clay or charcoal mask. The skin does not store toxins that a wash removes; what the step does is remove sebum, product residue and dead skin.

Many menus promise help against hair loss. A head spa cleans and massages the scalp and may improve the skin's condition; it does not treat the causes of hereditary or hormonal hair loss. The guide sums up what the evidence says.

In the directory: Head spa and hair loss: what it can and cannot do

The oil the scalp's glands produce. Too much makes hair greasy and shows as yellowish deposits in the scalp camera; too little makes the scalp dry and flaky. Studios choose cleanse and mask by what the analysis shows.

A name some studios use for a treatment built around the water massage: long rinsing under warm or carbonated water with little product. The emphasis is on the water, not on masks.