Haircut

On Friday I went to a salon to get my haircut. And it was the most luxurious haircut I have ever experienced. I went to a small salon in a neighboring town, that was equipped with only three client chairs and only had four employees working when I went. I arrived and filled out a member form, and they put my bag away in the closet. Then I was shown to my chair, and the main stylist came over to ask how I wanted to have my hair done. After explaining what I wanted to him, the shampoo girl wheeled up a sink and a tray of shampooing essentials behind my chair and shampooed my hair right there from my chair! You don't have to go to another room, they do it all from the same client chair. The shampoo process lasted a minimum of 25 minutes, because it is not just a shampoo, it is a head massage! She even placed a tissue over my face, probably to avoid water drops from landing on my face, or to protect my eyes from the overhead lights. She shampooed my hair twice I believe, but used two different products, conditioned it, and also began combing it out. All the while massaging and rubbing my head, even massaging my temples. 

After she finished shampooing/massaging, another lady came and combed out my hair and prepped it for cutting. Finally the main stylist came and he cut my hair. He is very friendly and we chatted the whole time, mostly about the differences between America and Japan. He also gave me some tips- for example he recommend a good sushi restaurant in my village, as well as told me that the grocery store lowers their prices after seven, so its good to wait and go in and do your shopping then! He cut my hair exactly the way I requested, and it turned out great. I had four inches cut off from the bottom, then the layers re-done. 

Getting my hair done in Japan was a fantastic experience and I can't wait to go again. Now I understand why sometimes people take a half day of vacation here when they want to go to the salon. America has a lot to learn about haircuts!