From Hair, Facial, Nails and even Eyelash Extensions, All-Japanese salons have been flooding Singapore in the past 3 years!
Read on to find out what makes Japanese salons so special and why they’ve been gaining in popularity!
1. Impeccable Service
If there is one word to sum up why Japanese salons have such a huge following, the word would be SERVICE.
From the warm greeting when you first enter the salon till the moment you step out of the salon, Japanese salons make you feel super pampered as they go the extra mile to make you feel comfortable.
COVO Japanese Hair Salon @ Keong Saik Rd / Katong
COVO Japanese Hair Salon for example, goes beyond service to design spacious cubicle spaces to give each customer more privacy during the hair service!
2. One Person does the hair service from the start till the end
Unlike other salons which tend to have stylists attending to multiple customers at one time, Japanese salons tend to have only ONE person doing the hair service from the start till the end.
Izumi Hair Salon @ The Central SoHo
Izumi Hair Salon takes it one step further by attending only to one customer at a time. Izumi believes that it is important for her to do EVERYTHING herself from hair washing to haircut and colouring as it gives her a better idea of the customer’s hair texture, allowing her to create a hair design that is 100% suited to the customer!
Her level of attention is possibly why her prices may be a little steep for some. Given her incredible credentials from renowned Big Apple’s hair maestros, however, we are sure that you will definitely get a haircut and colour you LOVE from Izumi!
3. Cleanliness impresses
Hair lying all around on the floor. Brushes or equipment that doesn’t look like its been cleaned for months - The cleanliness of some hair and beauty salons in Singapore leave much to be desired.
Well you’ll never see that sight in a Japanese salon! Inculcated in their DNA to do their part to keep their place and salon clean, you’ll often see stylists taking up the broom to sweep up the excess hair when he/she gets the chance!
Combined their level of cleanliness with their often minimalistic design and you’ll get a welcoming salon like Bump Hair Design where you’re happy to step foot in time and time again
Bump Hair Design @ Holland Village
4. Provides oh-so-yummy Japanese snacks and beverages that make you feel like you are in Japan
Branche Hair Salon @ Capitol Piazza
Imagine sipping on a complimentary piping hot speciality Rose coffee roasted by renowned Japanese coffee roaster Kawakami Atsuki while deciding on your next haircut – wait, WHAT?
Yes, this is the extent that luxury Japanese hair salon Branche Hair Salon goes to satisfy your palate as they provide a wide selection of beverages from Japanese coffee to champagne during your hair service!
If they would go so far for your palate, just think… how much further would Branche go to make your mane happy?
5. Attention to Detail
Another reason why they’ve been so good at what they do… is their attention to detail!
With a strong understanding that a returning customer is more valuable than getting a new unfamiliar customer, they ensure that they give their best and pay attention to every detail so that every customer will have a strong chance of coming back. This is very important especially in a service as delicate as eyelash extensions. Instead of using cheaper and faster lash extensions in bunches, each lash extension is carefully applied one at a time using the highest quality lash extensions from Japan!
In Japanese hair salons, you may also find another practice a little peculiar: the covering of the face with a paper during the hair wash. This prevents water from getting on your face AND prevents any awkwardness when your eyes meet your hairdresser during the hair wash.
Art Noise Japanese Hair Salon @ Holland Village
Yes, this is the level of attentiveness you receive from Japanese salons!
6. Industry-Leading Hair Colour Designs
With their drive to keep improving themselves, it is not surprising to find Japanese salons at the top of their game with various hair services.
In the arena of Hair Colouring, CLEO Hair & Make is definitely one of our top choices.
Beyond just creating vivid colours, the team of creative stylists here are able to mix and match to create an artwork like no other!
CLEO Hair & Make @ The Central
7. Making the Impossible Possible with Salon-Exclusive Treatments
Many stylists say that it is (close to) impossible for ladies with fine hair textures to get a perm that lasts. With their drive towards innovation, Art Noise appears to have done the impossible with the creation of their new Chiffon Perm!
Incorporating Art Noise’s own SHA hair treatments, the Chiffon Perm deals minimal damage to the hair and creates big curls that have a more 3D effect… and best of all, is suitable even for ladies with fine hair!
Chiffon Perm by Art Noise Japanese Hair Salon
8. Bringing the Best from Japan and All Over the World to Singapore
Another thing we really appreciate about Japanese salons is their resourcefulness!
We’ve seen examples after examples of how Japanese salons brought in top quality products from Japan and all over the world to Singapore so we can benefit!
Rubik Salon has for example worked with a top haircare manufacturer in Japan to create an inhouse hair treatment that has rumoured to be REALLY popular among locals and caucasians alike! Apparently, it can reduce hair frizz by up to 70%… and the treatment results actually lasts for months (unlike typical treatments)! Yohei san calls it the Ferrari of hair treatments in the world… you have to try it to understand why its worth all the hype!
Rubik Hair Salon @ Raffles Hotel
NUA Singapore too is the first to bring in Depilar Hair Removal – a hair removal technique that is effective, painless and best of all, safe even for pregnant ladies!
We hear however that its most popular customers are actually Men! Men who find their hair growth unmanageable now have a solution in NUA Singapore. Maybe because the salon is located in a private area close to CBD area and because the therapists here are highly discreet, men too find it comfortable to come to NUA Singapore to solve their hair issues!
Depilar Hair Removal @ NUA Singapore
9. Services deal Minimal Damage to your Hair and Nails!
Even though they can design vibrant hair colours, most Japanese salons shy away from recommending vibrant colours as it usually requires bleach. Instead, they innovate by placing the right hair colour at the right places to bring out the best of your facial features, which is why they have so many variations of brown hair colours.
Still, we’re intrigued by the latest hair colour brought in by The Cottage from Devonshire Selected Hair Salons which allow us to get pink highlights without additional bleaching!
Pink Highlights by The Cottage by Devonshire Selected Beauty Salons
Even in nail colours, we find that Japanese salons are the pioneers in terms of no-damage nail colour. The most advanced no-damage nail colour at the moment is Paragel. Paragel is a soft nail gel that adheres gently on the nail surface – it does not require sanding and is easy to remove and reapply without damaging the nail at all.
Branche Nail Salon @ Capitol Piazza
You can still apply nail art, nail jewelry on it and it will still look pristine after 3 weeks!
10. Grounded in Natural and Organic Philosophies
Probably because it is so much a part of their culture, we find that Japanese salons are the ones most likely to adopt Organic and Natural Philosophies most authentically.
Organics Beauty is one such facial salon which uses 100% organic ingredients in its facials. This is not an easy claim to make as many products, even purported organic ones, contain at most 90+ % of organic material. However, owner Shizuka prepares many of the ingredients herself from the raw materials of french clay, spirulina, making the claim possible.
Herbal Brightening Facial at Organics Beauty
You may be surprised to note that her organic facials are actually very effective, despite the absence of harsh chemicals.
She’s therefore a great choice for those of you with sensitive skin… and even with ailments such as cancer as you can be sure she uses only top quality natural herbs in her facials!
11. Highest level of Efficiency when you need it
Unlike local salons which may make you wait for your appointment or have stylists who dilly dally with their private conversations, Japanese salons tend to be really on time and professional throughout the hair and beauty service. No chitchat among themselves or long waiting times – just a smooth experience from konnichiwa to arigato gozaimasu.
Some, like Queen’s Market, will even optimize their operations to make sure that you can get your beauty service done as efficiently as possible. As Queen’s Market is close to the CBD area, many of its customers are working professionals who have very limited time to do their nails. Owner Maki san has therefore made sure that she performs the beauty service as fast as she can without compromising on quality!
One of the ways she does so is to select high quality soft gel nails like Calgel. On top of causing minimal damage to your nails, Calgel is also really fast during the application process with no need to wait long periods of time before drying!
Calgel Nails by Queen’s Market
12. It doesn’t necessarily have to burn a big hole in your wallet!
Although Japanese salons are pricier than others, it doesn’t have to burn a big hole in your wallet if you know where to go!
Other than Queen’s Market which provides really affordable nail, facial and lash services, AVENTA Hair Salon @ City Hall Stamford Court is also one of the most affordable Japanese salons we’ve seen! Despite being a little more budget-friendly, we’re glad to find that service quality is still very high!
AVENTA Hair Salon @ City Hall Stamford Court
Are you a fan of Japanese salons?
Tell us your reasons why!