Hair Salon

Yes, dear readers. Since I will be heading to Tokyo for the Midnight Mess event this upcoming weekend, I decided to get my hair done in honor of the occasion. As such, I banked on my friend's recommendation and went to the beauty salon B2C Raffine in Sannomiya, across from the Don Quixote. Armed with two friends that I dragged along with the promise of candy, I walked into the beauty salon and attempted to pick a hair color. No cut, just color. I am not rich, you know.

Going to the beauty salon in Japan is an experience, one I highly recommend since it is the total opposite of an American salon. In America, salons are get in, get the hair cut, get out establishments, but here in the land of the rising sun, they definitely take their time doing things.

After picking out a red-brown color with a lighter brownish streak, they put me in a chair in front of a mirror with magazines, and placed my friends at the windowsill to look pretty. They (being two girls) wrapped me in the standard hair cutting cloak. This was then followed by a layer of cellophane around my neck to prevent anything from touching it, dye or otherwise, and then was proceeded by yet another cloak thing, only shorter. To top it all off, another round of cellophane and little ear covers. I was boiling, and this was just the beginning.

They started with streaks, the younger apprentice doing the back while the more experienced woman did the front and sides. How do I know she was an apprentice? She asked how to do streaks, that's how. The streaks and the root dyes were done by the same two women, but when it came time for the whole head dying, the head beautician and the other experienced woman took over. After being let to sit, I realized that the clock read 8:15; I arrived at the salon at 6:50.

Shampooing. They really get into this part, complete with scalp massage and neck rub! I had my hair washed at least 3 times, and before the drying began I had an upper back and head massage. The head massage was basically her smacking my head around lightly for 5 minutes, but the upper back one was nice. That girl had a very firm grip, to put it lightly. And since my back is so messed up, extreme tension is necessary. I guess that cut back in my massage time...

In the end, after they put my hair in a cut little curl thing, they realized that my hair was not as red as I had requested. As such, the head beautician told me to come back on Wednesday to have it re-dyed, and that I would pay for it then. They are so trusting in this country...