Korean head spa is a wild ride The story of how I was scrubbed, washed, and massaged for an hour and a half
Not long ago, TikTok was talking about practically nothing else. With the rise of K-beauty in our hearts and on our shelves (including Sephora), Korean beauty treatments were everywhere. The conversation revolved around Korean skincare routines (spanning 10, 11, 12, or even 13 steps), PDRN and essences, Korean manicures, and the coveted Korean head spa. Decidedly harder to book than the rest, this ultimate scalp ritual has finally landed on our radar. I got to experience it firsthand in Milan, invited by Klarna.
Korean head spa: expectations vs. reality
Even though I had stumbled across a few viral clips on my TikTok feed, I didn't entirely know what to expect. Truth be told, I pictured a standard hair wash paired with a slightly longer massage. That wasn't quite the case. Stripped down to my waist, I lay down on a treatment bed tucked under a cozy blanket. From that moment on, everything happened. The therapist massaged my face, neck, and shoulder blades. She washed, exfoliated, lathered, brushed, and rinsed my hair and scalp multiple times with brisk, invigorating motions. The fragrance of the products filled the room, while the sound of cascading water deeply relaxed me. No one spoke; my eyes stayed shut. At one point, I had a hair mask on my scalp and a sheet mask on my face, prompting the specialist to begin massaging my arms and hands as well. I was so unprepared that I still had all my rings on. While all of this was underway, a cloud of warm steam enveloped my temples, right after a rhythmic water halo waterfall. To wrap it all up: an energetic blowout using a wooden paddle brush. Long story short, I stepped off that bed feeling transported to another planet, pleasantly taken aback, but thoroughly relaxed.
What it is and what this made-in-Korea scalp treatment involves
Personal experience aside, a Korean head spa is an intensive, holistic ritual that transposes the principles of Korean skincare straight onto the scalp. The concept is anchored in the skinification of haircare: no rushed salon blowouts here, but rather a full ritual starting with a 200x microscopic scalp scan to track down sebum, dandruff, and dry shampoo buildup invisible to the naked eye. It then moves into exfoliating peels powered by chemical acids, purifying steam sessions, neck and shoulder massages, and a continuous water halo hydrotherapy arc. A seamless hybrid of Korean dermatology and sensory ASMR designed to reset cortisol levels and clear pores suffocated by pollution and hard water, it brings an elementary truth back into focus: you can't have dream hair if the very foundation it grows from is neglected.
What do we think about in the shower (or during a Korean head spa)?
Throughout the session, which lasted around an hour and a half, my mind drifted between everything and nothing at all. I was entirely immersed in the sensory landscape, sound, touch, and scent all playing their part. For someone with an overactive brain, that alone is quite the feat. But what crosses your mind when you're in the shower? Klarna has the data. According to their consumer research, when Italians step into the shower, they tend to think about: winning the lottery (35%), planning their next vacation (29%), wishing they could fly for a day (9%), wondering if their cats genuinely consider them part of the family (7%), and pondering who first figured out how cheese is made (5%). Oddly enough, finances didn't crack the top recurring musings, despite dominating other moments of daily life. Fun food for thought, right? Perhaps I’ll ponder that during my next Korean head spa appointment.