Japan Center Beauty Clinic
Category: Hair Salons [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Japantown, Pacific Heights1730 Geary Boulevard
(at Webster St)
San Francisco, CA 94115 (415) 921-0135
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Garage
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- By Appointment Only: Yes
15 reviews
Neighborhood: Union Square
"Since I'm spending the summer in San Francisco, getting a cut from Carlos was at the top of my list. I used to go to him when he was at…" read more »
77 Reviews for Japan Center Beauty Clinic
There are other great hair places with stylists trained in Japan. Don't go to this one.
Their stylists are very cold and not willing to help each other. I had a junior stylist who did not know how to copy from picture, did not speak much English, and was having a hard time doing my hair. It was a weekday and the place was not busy, bull all other stylists stood silent to our problem even after we asked for help twice.
I consider myself not only the client to that particular stylist, but to Japan Center Beauty Clinic, and they have failed me. No matter how good their skills are, I detest their intention for being apathetic.
i use to always have Masa cut my hair, but i stooped going since i found a new stylist to cut my hair. he did a really good job with my hair, the service is good also. but $$ kind of on the steep side. i get compliments from friends who said i looked 10 years younger after the hair cut lol.. but yea if your looking for japanese / asian style hair cuts this place is a must.
I've been going here for the past year or two and I absolutely adore it. I usually try to get an appointment with Mie or Ageha (both HIGHLY recommended), but I've also heard good things about Saya.
What I really love about this place is that they actually care about what they're doing. I like how they put the cloth over your face so they don't get water on you before washing your hair. Most other places I've gone speed through the wash really quickly and I always have to wipe water droplets off my face.
With Mie, I usually bring in a picture of what I'm thinking of and she's always very helpful in suggestions for length and what would look best on me.
With Ageha, she's very helpful when I have no idea what kind of haircut I want. Like Mie, she's good at recommending styles that would look good on me and she also gave me some good styling tips last time I was there. (For adding waves quickly)
Another reason I keep coming back here is the massages. I LOVE how they'll take the time after doing the main styling to give you an upper body massage. I always feel so relaxed after getting my haircut here!
Price-wise I'd say they're pretty moderate. For a haircut+styling I usually pay around $50 (with tip). Though it seems in August they will be increasing their prices a bit.
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i got my hair cut here once and I got lots of compliments and I plan on coming back. My hair cut including the tip was 60 bucks. my hair is long. Ask for Noriko, shes really nice and spends lots of time on your hair, she knows what shes doing! Shes not there all the time so make sure you call ahead of time. Just bring a picture so you can show her what style you'd like. Im definitely coming back.
I've been looking for a great hair place for the past 4 years that I've lived here and I finally settled on this one!! I've been here twice so far and both times I've left VERY satisfied.
The first time I had Takashi and he was great. I brought in a picture because I had read on yelp that their english wasn't very good, but they're awesome at copying hairstyles from pics. But Takashi's english was actually pretty good so I was able to give more details to what I wanted in addition to the picture I brought. I loved how careful he was and how he took his time cutting my hair. Definitely felt like I was getting what I was paying for. At the end he styled it with some curls at the end and I got a glimpse of what I'd look like with a perm. I really liked it so I decided that I would get one the next time I got my hair cut.
SO...for my second trip I made an appointment for a cut and perm with Aya and she was also awesome! I brought pics again and she was honest and told me that the curls in the pics were done with a curling iron, but I was able to explain to her the waves I wanted and she totally delivered! Like Takashi, she also was very careful and you could tell she was thinking of what would look best on me.
What I love about both my trips is that I could tell that cutting hair is something they take pride in. Who wouldn't want that in a hairstylist???
I have been going here ever since I moved up to SF and I think it's the best haircut I've gotten on the West Coast. My old boss actually recommended this place and I'm soo happy that she did. I go to Masa and he's the definition of "Tokyo Cool". I don't really talk to him much (since my japanese is not very good) but I always think he does a great job. The only thing I noticed is that if you go there just to have a basic idea of what you want. (i.e. bangs, length etc.)
I have been to this place for many years now. My original hair dresser was gone couple years ago and I started having Keiko as my hair dresser. Keiko always gives me good recommendation and in addition to good haircut. She is very honest and would tell me they do charge a lot for hair color. I went to a different place to do highlights this time and I could totally tell the difference between professional highlights and regular highlights. In Japan Center Beauty Clinic, your every hair gets attention when you are doing a highlight coloring. In other salons, you might get a quick highlight work when they put a highlight cap on you to do the coloring.
Keiko could totally tell I cut my really long hair somewhere else. It was before Chinese New Year at the time and I wasn't able to make an appointment with her. I went to other place to have haircut and it was nice too. However, the hair becomes heavy when it grows longer and that's how Keiko could tell the difference. She spent an hour working on my hair cut this time, which was a much longer period compare to other times when I went to her just for maintenance.
Like I always highly recommend her service to other people, I want to spread out the good words that Keiko is an exceptional hair dresser. She told me she would be going to Japan couple weeks in August so book your appointment early! I am attaching a picture of my hair in the back.
Yesterday was my first time getting my hair done here. It was amazing. I had an appointment and did not have to wait at all. My hairdresser was Keiko, who, I must say, did an amazing job with my hair. I brought in several pictures, and she gave me advice on what would look best on me. The pictures required a natural wavy perm, but I wanted my hair straight. Still, Keiko was able to give me the same layered cut even though the picture was different from what I wanted. Plus, my new bangs look awesome. Let's see.. I paid $45 + tip--that's cheaper than the other salon I used to go to. I would definitely recommend this place!!
I have been going here for a year to get my hair cut by Sohey, and I have had a great experience every single time. When I arrive, I never have to wait more than a few minutes. I love that the hairwash comes with a hot towel under your neck and a quick massage. I always get a great cut, and then because my hair is short, Sohey washes my hair one more time to rinse out the short hairs. I have had much more expensive haircuts, and they do not even compare in quality and service.
My mother is a professional stylist and my entire life she's the only one that's ever touched my hair, naturally. She's the only one I ever trusted, never had to have given direction, she just did amazing things with my hair constantly. The best look for me was really short, fun, layered look... and then I moved to San Fran from New York and it was over. I decided to grow my hair out and once I couldn't handle it anymore, I was stuck. No mom, no hope for me.
A friend recommended the Beauty Clinic and I just made and after reading reviews and being desperate I made an appointment (same day) with Agaha
I wanted very short hair again, but how could I explain the exact style this when I never had to? I was terrified, because this was a dramatic cut - my hair was long (mid back) and i needed it to end in the middle of my neck.
I brought in several pictures and within an hour I had exactly what I wanted. It was perfection! Short, layered, so versatile - I could do tons of different variations.
My mom LOVED it as well and I just couldn't be happier. Agaha is amazing and I love her. Oh, it also cost me $45 (plus tip). Unreal. My mom's salon would charge someone like me at least $85.
LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!
Here's before and after
Before (about 6 months before the cut and my hair was now about 5 inches longer)
http://i35.photobucket...
After:
http://i35.photobucket...
http://i35.photobucket...
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If you want to try Japanese thermal hair straightening, then you need to see Mitch "Michiaki" at this salon. He spent over a year working in Santa Monica, just straightening hair at a very high end salon. He is really good and super experienced. It doesn't matter what type of hair you have or what your ethnic background is he can do it. Just be sure to go to Mitch if you wan the best experience. If you are a newbie to hair straightening, you should call first. I'm not sure if you can do the process if your hair is highlighted. Also, the process takes several hours to do and involves multiple steps.
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It's no joke when people say that they're extremely polite here. Noriko-san hung my jacket, put my bag in the closet, and even gave me a Japanese brand candy to suck on while she talked about her endeavors in Osaka and how she manage to find her way to SF.
She's a great conversationalist! I loved that she wanted to get to know me more. Homegirl was extremely flattered/surprised to find out that I came all the way from San Jose and took the day off to get my hair did by her! Noriko-san's English is not bad at all, you can easily tell she wasn't born in the US but it's not like a struggle to hear what she's saying. Also, she likes to apologize for everything (a habit us Asian women have taken on and can't really shake off).
There are about 3 chairs right next to the entrance and literally 4 feet away from the front desk which is to say that their "waiting" room area is hardly a room at all. I counted about 10+ (?) stations and maybe four sinks where they wash your hair. Lots of male stylists work here as well and they carry that awesome J-rock hairdo that everyone wants.
Most salons have different brands, hair models, colors, et. al. plastered on the wall, but this salon was different. They went for a more minimalist ambiance so you don't see any clutter. Each stylist has their own little cart that carries scissors, hair sprays/gels, sheers, combs, towels, and brushes so they can just roll that around if they needed to move to different station.
So I showed Noriko-san a picture of what I wanted my hair to look like but we both agreed that my hair's too dry from all the previous chemical abuse via home bleaching by yours truly and decided to cut off 4-5 inches off so I can start over and have healthy hair again. My hair used to be mid-back length, now it's shoulder, but I love it!
Pictures will not justify the work she's done on me, you have to go and try it out for yourself! She styled my hair and made it look awesomely JDM without making it seem too hard to do it yourself. Noriko-san will show you how to recreate the look and explains it very clearly.
This hairstyle is defintely low maintenance, and I can always just curl the ends of it to make it look spiffy, but at the same time she cut it so I can style it "punk rock" if I wanted to be a bit edgy by just adding texturing gel or pomade.
Paid $43 for the cut, but gave $60 coz she's fantabulous. Posted pictures of the price list, and will soon post up pix of my haircut.
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So I've been here a couple times before in the last couple years but didn't take the time to write a review cos I've been lazy... until a couple weeks ago when I had my best experience thus far!
I wanted to get a magic straight perm since I've waited a year and a half since the last -blah- one I got in Chinatown (which fried my hair into yucky squiggles after a week!). I walked in to make an appointment on a Friday and got one for the following Monday (score!). I was told the entire process should take 2-3 hours cos my hair isn't that long (about shoulder length). It was sort of a gamble on what to expect cos I didn't have a person in mind. The guy I saw last gypped me on my massage and cut my hair in 15 minutes.
I walked in 15 minutes early but was seated pretty quickly. My stylist was KENJI, the newest staff person there as of the date this review is written. To be honest, his English is still pretty limited but he is very welcoming and kind. It was easier for the both of us to speak Japanese, so that's what we did to make sure I didn't walk out like I did at the Chinatown salon where no one really spoke English (or Japanese for that matter, duh).
Anyway, I was there for FOUR HOURS, not 2-3 hours, so aren't we glad I had the last appointment of the day? It was one of the first times Kenji did a magic straight perm on non-Asian hair (hapa hair is annoying cos it's somewhere in between that fine blonde/brunette hair and coarse dark brown/black hair) so I was kind of scared. In my fear, I told him to take as much time as he needed, so I guess he needed 4 hours. The good news is in that time I got to learn a bit about what they teach students in beauty school in terms of perming, dying, relaxing, and random tidbits about hair in general.
So during the time I was there, I was brought to the sink for rinsing around 3 times = 3 scalp massages! xD The perm chemicals don't smell as good as the ones I had done in Japan, but still it wasn't as foul as the place in Chinatown (yeah yeah yeah, I'm done ragging on that place!). I was also told that I can't wash my hair for ONE WEEK!! That was unusual cos all the other times I've gotten straight perms (shukumou kyosei), it's typically the first 3 days where you can't wash your hair.
Anyway, in the end there was lots of drying involved to make sure my hair was completely dry. Another stylist (Masa) helped with the drying and I feel bad cos I should have tipped him too. Oops... The haircut took about 20 minutes and was basically a trim and some thinning cos it didn't make sense to cut it shorter when I spent so much on straightening it. xD The cut itself was a bit on the basic side, but that didn't matter too much in the end cos I looked and felt great~
My total was $275 for the straight perm + cut for shoulder-length hair. Of course it's more than what you'd pay at a non-Japanese salon, but I will tell you that you'll get what you pay for and paying $275 (plus tip) is definitely worth it cos my hair is not fried and looks great!! The only reason I didn't give 5 stars for this experience was cos I didn't get a shoulder massage and cos the entire process was a bit long.
All in all, I will definitely be going back!
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I've been going here for years with Aya. She's fantastic - she always gives you what you want. She's busy on weekends, so make sure to book in advance.
Best haircut EVER.
I made an appointment with Noriko-san and I got the best haircut of my life! I'm from originally from Minnesota and I'm used to stylists back at home quickly cutting my hair and then shuffling me out the door after taking too much money from me. The Japan Center Beauty Clinic was not that at all.
Everyone there was so nice and polite and Noriko-san was wonderful to talk to as she cut my hair. I brought in a picture of Hamasaki Ayumi and she cut it exactly how I wanted. She seemed to really care about giving me a perfect cut and the results are spectacular. I feel like a J-Pop princess now! I almost never walk out of a salon liking my hair and this time I couldn't have been more thrilled. She was so wonderfully meticulous and spent over an hour with me getting it exactly right. At the end, she even gave me a head, neck and shoulder massage before teaching me how to style my hair. How cool is that?
I actually cannot wait to go back and see her again. The price of the cut was $45 which is great for the exceptional service. Be prepared to want to leave a big tip though!
My salon hopping days are over -- I'm never going to go anywhere else again.
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I made an appointment with Aya, since everyone in here seems to think she's great. My hair cut was JUST OK. i showed her a few pics from the magazines they had there and it didn't look the same really...my cut looks like my moms. i like the young cute bangs thing with long straight layers...but instead i got the totally volumnized mother look with thick bangs. WOW.
Another thing that really irritated me was that her fingers and breath smelled like ciggarettes!!! I smoke occasionally too, but i hate it when fingers & breath have that strong odor. She obviously had one before she did my hair...i was suffering when she washed my hair as she leans over and exhales... :\
If you make an appointment with her, please tell her to wash her hands before she does ur hair....oh and bring her a piece of gum.
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I love the haircut I got here a few months ago. I would like to have another one. How come no one picks up the phone here so that I can schedule an appointment??
I wanted Noriko to cut my hair but she was on a vacation. So, I was scheduled with Aya. I didn't take any magazines with me so I explained how I wanted in detail. Yet, I got an average hair cut/style. I probably can get the same hair style at any salons. It was very difficult to make an appointment because they don't have a receptionist and always busy.
I usually don't go to get my hair cut professionally. I don't like the stylists trying to tell me that I need to get a lady's haircut -- or give me weird looks when the picture I show them is the hot hairstyle of a guy. However, after many recommendations from friends, who have amazing hair, I scheduled an appointment.
The weather was terrible, and I had to ride my bicycle through the rain to JTown. Soaking wet and sweaty, I went into the salon and showed my cute stylist (I can't remember his name for the life of me.) a folded picture of a j-pop haircut I'd pulled of a trendy website.
He was so meticulous. At the end he showed me how to style it. The hair washing was luxurious and the yelp reviewers weren't kidding about the mini massage. I felt so spoiled. JCBC rocks.
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Aya is the mistress of bangs and layering -- 6 weeks later and my cut STILL looks good. Can't wait to go back again for my next cut. Just bring a pic or peruse one of the many style books at the salon. I like this site for ideas: http://www.rasysa.com/
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I thought moving from Orange County was going to be awful because where was I going to find someone as fabulous as my regular hair dresser to cut my hair?
After a few months my coworker suggested I go visit Aya at the Japan Center Beauty Clinic, and she was right, $43 for a fabulous cut/style/wash/dry...and the added bonus, the mini massage.
Thanks Aya!
I'm cheap about my hair, really cheap. I don't own a hair dryer, I have one tube of product I remember to use about once a month and I use Trader Joe's shampoo. I usually wait until I'm in LA to go to Rudy's Barber Shop in LA for $27 cuts, but the last time I went I got a great but high-maintenance doodad that kinked in all the wrong ways without a blow dry.
Left in dire need of someone to chop my hair up so it looks cool straight out of the shower, I went to Shohey at the clinic. Cute, choppy bangs & shaggy on the ends, just the way I like it. $43 bucks, which I'm told is a bargain in SF. A plus, you get to peruse $18 Japanese fashion mags while you get your hair did. Get your picture taken at Pika Pika, grab a crepe at Sophie's and the experience is pretty much perfect. I heart you, JTown Mall.
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You definitely need to call for appointment. I didn't get a chance to figure out what kind of haircut I want, but just showed up.
Based on the other Yelp reviews, I made an appointment with "Aya" and got a fantastic haircut. I gave her some general guidelines of getting layers, some banks, and that I wanted to leave it long. She cut my hair, then blow-dried it to check the shape, trimmed some more before giving me some techniques on how to style it.
Best part: nice washing of hair and mini-massage after haircut.
1-star less because it's a bit pricey for me.. $43 for haircut/wash/dry. And I plan to come back so I gave her a good tip on top.
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I've been there twice. It was OK. I guess I'll have to go to Michiaki whom everyone recommands. Be careful with making appointments though cuz once I made an appointment and they didn't call me in advance that the stylist I made appointment for cannot be there that day. I had to go all the way from San Jose and that was very disappointing. They said that they tried calling me but the phone number I gave them was wrong. But when I checked what they had written down it was actually the right number. I hope they are not just making an excuse.
Mie Toyoda cuts my hair~
she does a great job, leaving me quite happy~
also, i think shes pretty and her hands are soft~
I personally enjoyed my haircut but my friends had mixed reviews. You have to go in their with a clear idea of exactly what you want. Generic asian layering is fast, cheap and easy here. I would recommend either ONLY working with those stylists mentioned on Yelp, or trying to match the style you are going for with each stylist. Although the basic "cute japanese layered cut" can probably be done across the board with anyone working there, anything else is beyond that is not a guarantee.
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It's my first time here and Masa did my cut. I had a photo ready and had been preparing for this haircut for an entire week. It's short, different than I'm use to. I've always been a layered long hair kind of gal. So already my first time and I showed up late- so I thought GREAT they're gonna butcher my hair now. However, Masa was still very nice to me and offered to take my bag. Even though he knew very little english, but he understood what I want. Asian hair can be difficult sometimes. I was very impress at how professional they were. I sure did feel like a superstar afterward & may have have gone a little overboard with my tipping. But he desserved it b/c he made my day!~ Thanks Masa for opening the door for me on the way out!!!!
I hear aya is good. I will probably make an appointment with her the next time just to see if that is true. I hope Masa understand....
This is what you do. Call for an appt a couple days before. On the day of your appt, show up maybe 10 minutes early. When you arrive, look through the Japanese magazines and choose some styles for yourself. Point to the punkrocker/conservative/cutesy hairstyle you want to your stylist. He/she will let you know what will work and what won't work. He/she will wash and massage your hair and head! (it's the simple things in life that make me happy) English can be so-so, but you manage. I've always been very pleased with the service I receive. The stylists are so kind and polite. Sometimes, I don't even care what my hair looks like because I know when I go home I'll style it the exact same way I always do. Pay them the reasonable price they charge, then overtip them. Then, go and treat yourself to a bowl of udon or something.
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Went here during the summer and meant to write a review about this place.
This place is great!! I love the way that Aya-san cut my hair. She was really polite and did the best that she could to give me the style I showed her from a Japanese website. For 47 bucks she not only cut my hair the way I wanted but, also, gave me a good hair wash with a relaxing head massage. I almost fell asleep in my chair. She took her time and before she cut my hair, made double sure that I wanted that amount of hair cut off.
When I left, she followed me to the door and thanked me. WOW! Japanese people sure know how to give good service!
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I used to go to Blow Salon in Berkeley when I lived in Emeryville, but then my stylist quit in order to each cosmetology school and then I moved to SF. So I went to the Japan Center Beauty Clinic after reading the reviews on Yelp. I had no problem getting an appointment for the following day. Noriko cut my hair and she was nothing less than pleasant. The massage during shampoo was great and I loved the hot towel that my neck rested on. I even got a brief head and shoulder massage between the hair cut and blow dry with a nice scented head massage oil.
I brought in a few pictures of the styles that I found on this website:
http://www.rasysa.com/...
I got a great new cut that's easy to take care of, gets lots of compliments, and can style in a variety of ways.
$43 + tip.
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I had Saya ! I took a picture in and she delivered. I also told her I wanted the same length...I thought she would have trouble with this because most hair stylists cut your hair shorter just because its fun! but she didn't :) My hair is the same length but now with layers so it's not so heavy and has more volume.
She taught me how to comb my new hair so I would be able to re-create the same look. She even made me re-teach her to see if I was paying attention ..haha
She's a cool person. She'll always ask for your consent before doing any major. Like making my bangs into an A line style or just a straight cut. Also she cut my bangs a little at a time to see what length I desired, not just chopping it at whatever length she wants. She was so cute as she laughed out loud when I pointed to a picture of Britney Spears and said 'ugly!'
For the guys: My boyfriend got Kenji. He too gave him good advice he never knew. Like that gels are not good for him since my boyfriend's hair is soft, so hair sprays will work best. The only down side was my boyfriend claims that he tried to make him look like a girl...
That gel they use to style most of the guys hair is called gatsby. It's available at the Nijiya supermarket down the street for about 13 dollars.
Out of no where...but:
Did you know there is a room in the back with two seats to cut hair? I didn't until that appointment, it's pretty nice to sit back there so people walking around don't stare at you while you get your hair cut..making you think you made a horrible mistake...
Honto ni subarashii!!!
(That means, absolutely fantastic!)
If you have Asian hair, I highly recommend this place. I was tired of going to poshy salons for $60+ haircut only to have something that just didn't keep its shape after the appointment. My haircut here was with Mie for about $45, and she did a really good job. I can always tell how good the haircut is by how little maintenance I have to do (read: wash and go, maybe blow dry if going outside). Basically, I do nothing to my hair, and it still looks good, therefore, this place is good. (Great logic, right?)
The only downside is that English is not the first language for some of these stylists, so you'll have to flip through the Japanese fashion magazines to decide what you want.
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love LOVE this place! Price is totally reasonable and they do the best job. I drive out from Stockton to get this place and is completely worth it.
Ask for Junya...there's usually a wait but quite frankly he is teh sex.
My mom and I just walked in. No appointment. They told us to come back in an hour and when we did, they took her immediately. I didn't get a cut but after watching everybody else there, I really wanted one. Everyone looked so beautiful! My mom's hair is awesome now. I'm so jealous.. it looks better than mine!
I've been getting my hair cut here for almost a year now, Michiyaki my usual stylist (excellent) was completely booked, but my hair couldn't wait so I decided to use one of the other stylists, Saya for a cut and color. She fixed my dark brown roots and gave me a nicer shade of blond than I had before, I couldn't be happier with the way my hair turned out. Both MIchiyaki and Saya are far more talented than any other hair dresser I have been to in San Francisco, (and there have been many).
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I decided to try this place after hearing how great they are. I was looking through their window and saw a guy stylist finished a girl's cut and she looks great, so I walked in there to try to make an appointment with him but he is booked so I had a female stylist. Her English is not too good but she is very nice and patient and she does give you head massage during shampoo and also after the haircut. My haircut didn't turn out what I had in mind but she did do a good job and I feel great! Price was only $45 for my long long hair, what a bargain! I will definitely make this my regular salon. Excellent service!
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Hair Stylist: Michiaki
Price: $43
Reservation: Yes and almost a must.
The Good:
-Tidy setting
-Follow what you want
-Communication and Manners
The Bad:
-The place has many employees but it'll require you to have a reservation due to the place being book all the time
-The waiting seats are limited
-Some of the magazines are crumpled and ripped as if it was about a year old
Japan Center Beauty Clinic is a big neat and tidy area for your haircut. If you want a certain style they'll do it well and nicely. The atmosphere looks, smells, and feels clean as if everything was brand new. They do not post pointless things on the wall and if they do, it's not a simple paper with tape stuck to it. They will always clean the surroundings of the area where you will be sitting before you sit down to get your cut.
If you must wait for your stylist to finish there are a good amount of hair magazines on the magazine rack, both English or Japanese.
For a haircut, the process is that you will sit down with a towel around your neck. The seat will lean down into until you head enter the sink. cover your face with another towel so your face will not get wet. They'll wash and shampoo your hair. The whole process is done gently and slowly. Meaning that they'll not rush and be rough on your head that will discomfort you and makes sure you won't hit your head on the sink. They will tell you what they will be doing before actually doing whatever they are doing, for example before shampooing your hair they'll tell you that they will shampoo your hair. (unknown if you only understand English, I speak and understand Japanese so I know they'll tell you that)
When you get your cut either you bring a picture or choose one from the magazines or simply explain what you want and it's best for you to be pretty specific about it too. It didn't take long for him to study the picture and they will start cutting.
When the cutting ends, you will go back to wash and shampoo your hair. I do not know if they all do this but for me, I received a 30 second head massage. You will receive a blow dry and if your hair style requires a wax or gel. You will learn how to style your hair. I didn't really learn too much the first time so I had to go there again and ask again on another day.
You should ask, if you need a blow-dryer and if so. Ask if the angle and distance of the dryer matters. If you do not know how to use wax ask them exactly what you have to do from the start. My first time all they did was tell me to make a twisting motion. Maybe because everything could be second nature to them that they'll tend to forget that you are new to this certain style. So after going there again, He gave me a more specific instruction on how to style my hair, the angle and distance of the hair-dryer, the amount of wax I'm suppose to use, where to spread the wax on your hand, the hand motion and position on your head, where not to apply, if you should do it lightly or rough,
When you leave he will open the door for you.
Simplified Process:
1. Wash/Shampoo hair
2. Hair cut
3. Wash/Shampoo hair
4. Blow dry
5. Instructions on styling your hair
6. Pay
Overall the place was good, has a lot of stylist and the place was clean. Just remember to make a reservation before going, I was lucky enough to have one opening which was about a 45 minute wait but the hair magazines kept me occupied. If I have to rate this on a scale of 1-10 I would give it a 9.2/10 but yelp seems to only allow a 1-5 star rating.
I would recommend for this place to have a simple website with each stylist's profile, that would make things a lot easier for newcomers.
I was satisfied with the place and I will highly recommend you to go there. Why would I not?
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The only struggle I ever have with this place is with the receptionist. It's impossible to make her understand you over the phone when you call to make an appointment. I used to have to spell my name (7 letters) at least three times and now I simply give her my initial.
"What's your name?"
"K."
"K? K-a-y?"
"Yes (whatever you say. Just please pencil me in)."
Can we say "LOST IN TRANSLATION"?
But, I LOVE this place! Ask for Junya. He's the only one I go to for haircuts now. He's laid back, friendly, and understands precisely what works best for your face shape/hair texture. Not only does he give me the cut I want, but he makes it look better than I'd ever expected! Sometimes I go in only to get my bangs trimmed, and he charges me just $5 - and won't accept tips on it. Nice cuts, great service - all around a cool guy!
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This is the only place I go to for hair
Amazing service, suuuuuuper polite, clean..........and ALL SKILLS
MAKE SURE TO BOOK AN APPOINTMENT! They're ALWAYS busy =)
Ask for Noriko san........she's suuch a sweetie and does awsome bangs for you asian ladies out there