Is the Haircare Spa the Next Big Wellness Travel Trend?

Condé Nast Traveler

5 hours ago

'Hair is the only appendage we carry around after it's dead,' says Bridget Desrosiers, master stylist and in-house trichologist at Miraval Berkshires. She turns her laptop toward me to display the high-definition photo of my scalp she'd just taken. 'See, those are baby hairs growing,' she said, counting seven short, thin strands. She then pointed to gunk pooling in each magnified follicle. 'And that's oil.' I recoiled.
In our private session on hair and scalp wellness, Desrosiers explained the science behind hair regrowth, from the anagen (growth) to exogen (shedding) phase, performed a 'scope' of my head, and helped me make my own nourishing scalp oil that I could take home with me. I scooped fragrant dried calendula, witch hazel, rosemary, and lavender out of giant glass jars, blitzing them in a spice grinder. I told Desrosiers how badly I wanted to regrow my hair—and how much money I'd thrown at products that promise growth and density.
'Hair is dead,' Desrosiers said matter-of-factly, advising me to steer clear of any product that claims to 're-bond.' 'They don't get back together; they don't text,' she joked. That's why scalp health is so vital, she said—and why brushing (and scalp stimulation in general) is so important for growth. You can slather your head in fancy products, but if you're not opening the follicles, none of it is getting in there.
Miraval Berkshires' spa offers housemade herbal scalp treatments and consultations with hair experts, or trichologists.
James Baigrie/Courtesy Miraval Spa
At many of the world's top wellness resorts, haircare is a growing offering. It's no longer sufficient to boast a single obligatory salon chair, tucked away for the occasional mani or blowout appointment. Top spas are increasingly taking a holistic approach to haircare, putting the scalp in the spotlight. Facials give guests glowing facial skin long after checkout, so why not offer the same love to the skin that sits just a few centimeters higher?
Destination spas have always tended to have some salon component, especially if they're attached to a hotel that hosts weddings and bridal parties. Unlike facials, however—which comfortably straddle that line between health and aesthetics—hair services have historically been relegated to the purely cosmetic (cuts, blowouts), or as a brief scalp massage during a full-body massage, but rarely the main event. That's starting to change, especially as stand-alone head spas (also known as scalp bars) are becoming more popular in the States, offering holistic treatments that target scalp health, without any scissors in sight. Many of these spots, like Blow Me Away in Los Angeles and Hanare 87 in Brooklyn, take inspiration from Japanese head spas and offer treatments that include some combination of scalp analysis, steaming, massage, and masking.
The Tryall Club in Jamaica is taking its cues from India, recently incorporating Indian head massage (champissage) into their signature massage, which focuses on acupressure points along the head, neck, and shoulders and uses circular strokes to improve hair and scalp condition.
Courtesy Tryall Spa
While Japan has some of the most known head and scalp treatments, the newly refreshed Livity Spa by Tryall Club in Jamaica is taking its cues from India, recently incorporating Indian head massage (champissage) into their signature massage, which focuses on acupressure points along the head, neck, and shoulders and uses circular strokes to improve hair and scalp condition.