Give yourself a Japanese head spa at home with this nifty gadget from the 100 yen store

We tried out the portable sparkling head spa and now we can’t ever go back to normal hair washing again.

While many of us spend our days working or studying, our Japanese-language reporter Go Hatori spends his days scouring Japan’s 100-yen stores in search of new and amazing products. While it’s often a hit-or-miss process, sometimes he comes across a tiny little gem that turns out to be a life-changer, and today was one of those lucky days.

▼ Say hello to the portable sparkling head spa.

This little piece of plastic might not look like much at first, but upon closer inspection, it’s clear that quite a bit of thought has gone into its design.

Designed to be attached to a PET bottle, this little massager head comes with a dozen little soft prongs for massaging the scalp, along with a spring-mounted centrepiece.

According to the instructions on the back of the pack, the massager should be attached to the top of a carbonated water bottle, and then gently pressed around the scalp before washing the hair. In Japan, “head spas” are luxury treatments where carbonated water is sprayed with pressure onto the scalp, with purported benefits said to include: the removal of residual chemicals, reducing hair loss, and helping the scalp to retain its natural PH balance.

The Carbonated Head Spa, or Sparkling Head Spa, as it’s sometimes called, is a pricey luxury that Go can’t often afford, so he had high hopes for this product. Testing it out on a table first, he was surprised to see the strength of the spray pushed out by the little massage head.

After a few practices to get the angle and pressure right, Go was ready to hop in the shower and give himself the budget head spa of his dreams.

Although the instructions clearly advise covering your face with the upturned palm of your hand to catch any falling water, Go was too excited to play by the rules.

After getting over the shock of his initial spray, which sent carbonated water into his eyes, he quickly got used to the process and went all out, massaging the sparkling water all over his scalp.

Normally Go would be a little concerned about using a cheap product on his hair, which he says is thinning with age, but he’d shown the product to his trusted hairdresser beforehand, who said he shouldn’t have any concerns about using it.

That gave him all the encouragement he needed to give it his all with an intense treatment, delivered with plenty of gusto and steely glares of determination to get his hair looking full and lustrous again.

After his self-applied sparkling head spa, Go washed and conditioned his hair as normal and felt like a whole new person. He said it felt just as good as the head spas he’s had in salons, as it gave him that same invigorating tingle on the scalp and it seemed to really penetrate in between the hairs to get rid of fine dirt.

If he had to think of any downsides to using the product, the only thing he’d be able to come up with was the fact that he went through a regular 500-millilitre (17-ounce) bottle far too quickly, so he would advise having a few bottles of carbonated water handy to really give you the best head-spa experience. 

While Go was incredibly impressed with the 100-yen head massager, and would recommend it to everyone in a heartbeat, if you have the money to spend, he suggests splurging on an electronic scalp massager like the one he regularly uses. This is one of Go’s favourite possessions, and being more expensive means its rotating heads are gentler on the scalp, making it feel like glorious little fingers massaging your head.

Still, if you’re short on cash and want to experience a head spa at home, the portable massage head from the 100-yen store is a great purchase that will invigorate your senses. It should be noted, though, that the product Go purchased was from a non-branded 100-yen store in Shinjuku so he’s not sure whether it can be found at major 100-yen chainstores like Daiso or Seria. If you do come across one during your travels, be sure to pick it up and give it a go!

And if you’re looking for more of Go’s 100-yen store recommendations, look no further than his emergency preparedness kit, to which the 100-yen head spa attachment has made an excellent addition.

Photos © SoraNews24  

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