Fancy spring cleaning your hair, scalp, and soul? Try a Japanese head spa in 6 steps

A marbled frame containing a close up image of a woman's head and shoulders, with a towel on her head, with a Japanese shoji door in the background.

My quest for healthier hair has taken years – and plenty of trial and error. But the thing that’s made the biggest difference so far? Scalp care. That’s why the notion of a Japanese head spa has gripped me since I first heard about it.

With over 70K monthly searches and 35k TikTok hashtags in 2025 so far, Japanese head spas have been enjoying a boom in popularity. Focusing on scalp care – along with calming techniques that aid one’s mental health – these head spas have long been commonplace in Japan and other parts of Eastern Asia, and are now garnering attention in the Western hemisphere.