I used to go to salon Nalu / Number76.
The results were good, but over time my appointments were getting longer and longer.
The stylist I ‘nominated’ was spending less and less time with me, and assistants were doing the vast majority of the work, while she worked on other customers. I figured they’re just overbooked because they’re the salon promoted by every foreign Japan YouTuber ever, so I went to another place.
In the beginning it was great, but once again over time the service has gotten worse and worse. It’s gotten to the point where they always begin at least 10 minutes late, and my stylist spends a total of 15 min on my hair max, while the assistants do basically everything. My appointments are super long because I’m left waiting while they work on other clients.
Is this just the norm here? Should I suck it up and accept the overbooking? Or should I start looking for another salon?
Bonus, if there are salons that prioritize one client at a time or juggle clients reasonably, does anyone have any recommendations?
10 comments
I think it’s pretty common to have a double booking, at least I’ve seen it a lot, but maybe not the extent you describe. Maybe your stylist got more and more popular as time went on.
I feel like it is normal in my home country (the US) and in Japan for assistants to do things like shampooing, while the stylist handles the consultation and cut. My stylist is often finishing up another client as she works with me (especially if she’s doing something like coloring someone’s hair, as there’s downtime for that). But I don’t feel like I’m neglected or anything. I’m paying for her to do the cut, I don’t really care who shampoos me!
However my appointments alway start on time and I’m not made to wait long because she’s working on someone else. If you’re salon is doing that, then they’re likely not scheduling things correctly. I feel like it’s normal to overlap clients, but not normal to do it poorly so that people are waiting a long time.
Go to a one person salon. Plenty of those out there. (I am guessing you are in Tokyo, which I am not, so no recs possible from me.)
I’m going to a fairly buzzy multi person salon now but assistants just shampoo my hair – the hairdresser does pretty much everything else. I get left alone for a while during perms of course.
I have not experienced that before. At the ones I have been to they take a full hour to cut my hair. I’m a guy and have short hair so I actually prefer a faster cut, but they always take a full hour which is the appointment time. Sometimes they will leave for ~5min to finish up on the client before me tho.
On the HotPepper Beauty app you can choose the option „one stylist does everything from start to finish“
I hate when I specifically choose a stylist, even pay extra, but then that stylist would ask the assistants to do almost everything. So, I’ve changed salon several times, and found the current one where they don’t do that. The assistant would blow dry and help here and there, but that’s it.
I really like Anne at Sin/Den and she only does one client at a time
I’ve never had that happen before at the few salons I’ve been to in Chiba/Tokyo, go somewhere else. It sounds really frustrating especially if you’re paying a fee to get a specific hairdresser.
My hairdresser will have an assistant help with applying color/bleach (as in, assistant applies it on one side of my head while she does the other) or washing if they are busy. I don’t mind that, but I would get pissed if I was in your situation.
I usually go to Sinden in omotesando but needed just a trim for my bangs once, so a friend booked me one over hot-pepper at Number 76. I was very underwhelmed by the service and came out feeling that perhaps they were not too pleased I didn’t book a full blown cut / consultation for my first ever visit. Which is fine, but it did not feel like an exceptional place and I didn’t like how rushed the whole thing felt so I’ve never been back. Grew my pesky bangs out and happily returned to Sinden, which I highly recommend.
Try Eclat in Daikanyama. Ask Yoko for a cut and Kyosuke for color. They have assistants of course, but only your hair dresser will cut or color your hair. Assistants will wash, dry and style (though your stylist will take over when free).