Well-being has gone to our heads in Europe. It is the headline that could be drawn from Treatwell’s latest study, the largest beauty and wellness booking platform in Europe, which reveals that head spa is the hairdressing service with the greatest growth in Europe. In the first half of 2026 alone, bookings at这些 establishments have increased by 32.7%.
The offering has also diversified. From barbershops that offer scalp spa as an extra complement to care for the hair to exclusive proposals that pamper the scalp as a way to calm stress and relieve the suffocation that the fiber of the hair suffers due to excess cortisol on the scalp.
This evolution reflects an unstoppable trend: body and mind care cannot be separated. Chronic stress not only complicates digestion and can grip the muscles. It also devours hair health mercilessly. It’s time to stop and let yourself be pampered.
First, Exfoliate
The stylist María Roberts, ambassador for René Furterer, admits that “until very recently the concept of taking such good care of both hair and scalp was fairly little known. The reality is, as we say at René Furterer, that to have healthy hair, one must have a scalp in perfect condition.”
Her salon (Madart x Studio25. Av. Villanueva de la Cañada, 3, Quijorna) already incorporates a hair spa where the scalp is filled with care. “We perform different protocols depending on the treatment the client needs, always personalized. We have anti-hair-loss protocols, hydration protocols or simply relaxation with a scalp massage,” she explains.
After a prior diagnosis, “we apply Complexe 5, a pre-shampoo treatment, ultraconcentrated in active ingredients of 100% natural origin, which stimulates the scalp for stronger hair growth. If we detect a sensitive or reactive scalp, we will apply
Although each protocol is individualized, Roberts insists on the necessity of exfoliating “one must exfoliate, yes. That said, do it properly with a gentle massage, not rubbing hard and in a circular manner. We live in a very polluted environment; we use many products that adhere to the hair follicle, such as dry shampoo, gels or waxes, or our own sebum… Ideally exfoliate every 7-15 days”.
A Moment of Disconnection
At Japanese Head Spa they have developed an experience that merges hair care with maximum relaxation. The Ritual Essential Head Spa includes a cranial massage, revitalizing facial treatment, a water diadem, and express drying.
This protocol is designed to release tension in the neck and scalp, activate endorphins and improve hair health while you disconnect from everything. Because beautiful hair starts by keeping cortisol in check.
Camera Diagnosis
In its obsession with giving each client individualized attention, stylist Rosanno Ferretti has developed together with Maletti the Spa Garçon Èclat. Presented exclusively at the Rossano Ferretti Hair Spa of the Four Seasons Hotel Madrid, this device scans the scalp with a high-precision camera to diagnose pathologies that prevent proper functioning and to apply the indicated treatment, whether exfoliation, hydration or a massage to revitalize microcirculation.
“It is equipped with galvanic current, photobiostimulation and electroporation, three techniques that greatly improve the absorption of active ingredients compared to applying them by hand. In addition, we have incorporated the innovative Aqua Peel which provides a deep purification of the scalp, a microbubble shampoo that allows us to perform a gentler cleansing without sacrificing efficacy, and a controlled heat massage to elevate relaxation,” explains the Italian hairdresser.
Innovative and Vibrant
Miguel Bling, the young talent behind You Glow Salon, points out that after a gloomy mane there is often a person overwhelmed by emotional chaos, stress, anxiety, or simply a rough patch. “We are pioneers in Madrid in bringing a technology from Italy called Vibbro Hair Spa. Through our own AI we perform an analysis of the scalp and of how the person feels physically and emotionally”.
The hair treatment is performed on a bed with vibrational technology “that triples the results. After a deep scalp analysis with the K-Scan by Kérastase, we move to the scalp spa and carry out a detoxification of the entire scalp, going from mid-lengths to ends with a pre-shampoo”. After the mask, ozone is applied “to intensify the treatment’s effectiveness”.
To enhance the sensory aspect of the experience, it features the classic cascade of a Japanese ritual and “a Shirodara bowl that gives an Ayurvedic massage on the forehead. This achieves incredible relaxation”.
The Pioneer of Hair Neuro-Science
If there is someone who is excited to see the rise of hair spas (or head spas, in a broader sense of the term) it is Claudia Di Paolo, founder and creator of Claudia Di Paolo Hair Wellth. Almost fifteen years ago she opened her scalp spa against the odds, when dedicating an entire space to hair beauty seemed an eccentric idea.
Long before the current head spas revolution, this pioneer made an exponential leap. Three years ago she created her own brand and transformed that intuition into a category with science and methods of its own. Thus was born Neuro-Wellness™ Capilar, the first of its kind in Europe. “It was a personal health experience that stopped me in my tracks and changed everything. In that pause I understood what today is the heart of my work: hair does not grow from the fiber, but from the scalp — living skin in constant dialogue with the nervous system and with emotion“.
Her technique does not speak of roots and tips. It does not stop at the scalp either. It takes the experience into the realm of neuroscience, the field that manages emotions and feelings and that is expressed through the skin, hair and all our organs. “Neuro-Wellness™ Capilar began at Rosewood Villa Magna as the first Neuro-Wellness™ Capilar in Europe. Today it is present in many of the major international wellness references, such as Four Seasons, Six Senses, SHA or Clinique La Prairie”.
The technique starts from evidence: hair does not flourish when the body remains on high alert. “Under sustained stress, the microcirculation of the follicle diminishes. The follicle only comes back to life when the body finds its calm, when the parasympathetic nervous system takes the lead,” she explains. “Our method treats the scalp as what it truly is: the visible boundary of a nervous system. Through touch, rhythm, and breathing, we accompany the body toward that deep calm where regeneration becomes possible again.”
The massage extends to the jawline. “The accumulated tension chiefly hides in the jaw, temples and the nape.” By freeing those areas, we deepen the calm of the nervous system and enhance everything that happens on the scalp. We do not treat isolated zones. We treat a system.” Those who try it describe it with one word: lightness. “Many say they feel their head breathe for the first time,” the expert acknowledges.
