How to Choose a Head Spa: For Restless Nights, an Oily Scalp or Dry, Damaged Hair

Some days you want a break from thoughts that will not switch off. Some days your scalp feels oily and heavy by the afternoon. At other times your hair feels dry, frizzy and hard to style after colouring or heat styling.

All of these are called a “head spa”, but what each person wants from the treatment can be very different. The best place to start is a simple question: today, do you most want to care for how you feel, your scalp or your hair?

Jai Chan has three main Thai-style tea head spas: Deep Sleep, Scalp Purifying and Silky Moisture. All three take 60 minutes and cost THB 1,290, so you can compare them purely on what you need.

Which one? Start with this table

If your scalp is oily but your ends are dry, tell the team before the treatment starts so they can help you decide what to focus on that day.

If you want your mind to slowly settle: Deep Sleep Head Spa

Deep Sleep Head Spa suits days when your body is tired but your mind will not rest. The treatment uses tea leaves, butterfly pea flower and lavender with a warm compress, slow massage rhythms, sound therapy and the scent of lavender.

Rather than focusing on deep cleansing or hair conditioning, this programme puts gentle rhythms and a calm atmosphere first. It suits people who feel tension in the head, neck or shoulders, spend all day at a screen, or simply want an hour away from everything.

It suits you if:

• Your mind keeps working even when the day is over
• You feel tired and tense in your head, neck or shoulders
• You enjoy lavender, a warm compress and slow massage
• You want the most restful atmosphere of the three programmes

60 mins · THB 1,290

Deep Sleep Head Spa is a relaxation treatment, not a treatment for insomnia. If you have ongoing sleep problems or they affect your daily life, please talk to a doctor or a sleep specialist.

If your scalp is oily, flaky or has build-up: Scalp Purifying Head Spa

Scalp Purifying Head Spa is designed for days when your scalp feels oily, sticky or not fresh even though you wash your hair regularly. It combines Thai kaffir lime, lemon tea and lemongrass with a scrub of sea salt and gotu kola extract.

The focus is on cleansing the scalp and clearing build-up from oil, sweat or styling products. After the treatment, your scalp feels clean, airy and lighter.

It suits you if:

• Your scalp gets oily easily, especially in the afternoon or evening
• You regularly use wax, hairspray, dry shampoo or other styling products
• Your scalp feels heavy, sticky or flaky
• You want to focus on cleansing more than on adding moisture

60 mins · THB 1,290

This treatment helps keep your scalp clean, but it is not a treatment for dandruff, hair loss or scalp conditions. If you have severe itching, wounds, inflammation or unusual hair loss, please see a dermatologist to find the cause.

If your hair is dry, frizzy or chemically treated: Silky Moisture Head Spa

Silky Moisture Head Spa suits hair that has lost its softness from colouring, bleaching, perming, straightening or regular heat styling. The treatment combines warm coconut oil and honey with Thai coconut milk, green tea and wild honey, with nano steam during the conditioning step.

The focus is on adding moisture and caring for how your hair feels: softer, less rough and easier to style, while still including the massage and rest of a head spa.

It suits you if:

• Your hair is dry, coarse or frizzy
• Your hair has been coloured, bleached, permed or straightened
• You often use a hairdryer, straightener or curling iron
• You want to focus on conditioning your hair more than on deep scalp cleansing

60 mins · THB 1,290

Please tell the team when you last had a chemical hair treatment. If your scalp is still irritated or has a wound, wait until it settles before booking.

JAI CHAN Signature Jasmine Tea Rinse: when jasmine tea becomes part of the ritual

One step that reflects Jai Chan’s Tea Wellness idea is the JAI CHAN Signature Jasmine Tea Rinse.

After massaging the scalp, neck, shoulders and upper back with warm coconut oil, the therapist slowly pours two coconut-shell bowls of warm JIAN CHA jasmine tea through your hair and over your scalp to rinse away the first layer of oil, before the Shampoo & Hair Cleansing step.

This step brings together the soft scent of jasmine, warmth, the sound of water and the feel of the pouring tea. It turns the moment before the wash into a ritual you notice with several senses, and it is a signature that links Jai Chan to JIAN CHA’s tea expertise.

Why jasmine tea?

Jasmine tea is made with Camellia sinensis tea leaves, which contain compounds such as polyphenols and catechins. A study of the composition of several teas found that the jasmine and green tea samples had high levels of phenolics, especially catechins, compared with the oolong and black teas in the same sample set (Vu and Alvarez, 2021).

For hair, a study in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology tested Camellia sinensis extracts on hair exposed to UV light. It found that the catechin content of the extracts was linked to less UV damage to hair protein and less UV-related colour change, with the effect depending on the concentration of active compounds in the extract (Davis et al., 2022).

What is important to understand: this research studied tea extracts with controlled composition and concentration on hair samples in a laboratory. It was not a clinical trial with spa guests, and it did not study brewed jasmine tea as used in a spa. The research was funded by The Procter & Gamble Company. It helps explain where the idea of tea for hair comes from, but it should not be used to claim that the Jasmine Tea Rinse protects against UV, repairs hair or treats scalp problems.

At Jai Chan we use jasmine tea as part of the Tea Wellness ritual and as the first rinse to remove oil, with the focus on scent, warmth, sound and touch, which is what makes a head spa different from a regular hair wash.

Quick recap: which one should you choose?

• A break from busy thoughts and a rushed day: choose Deep Sleep Head Spa
• An oily, sticky or flaky scalp, or product build-up: choose Scalp Purifying Head Spa
• Dry, frizzy, coloured or often heat-styled hair: choose Silky Moisture Head Spa

If you are still unsure, there is no need to diagnose yourself. Just tell the team how your scalp and hair feel and what you want from your time with us, and they will help you choose the programme that fits.

Want more than 60 minutes?

For a longer ritual from head to toe, ASMR Regal Thai Serenity takes 120 minutes and brings together a hand mask, a facial, an ASMR sensory session, a Thai-style head spa and a floral tea hair rinse in one treatment.

Frequently asked questions

Can Deep Sleep Head Spa treat insomnia?

No, it is not a treatment for insomnia. The programme is designed with an atmosphere and rhythm to help you feel relaxed. If you have a long-term sleep problem, please talk to a doctor.

My scalp is oily but my ends are dry. Which programme should I choose?

Tell the team about both before you start. If oil and build-up are the main issue, you might start with Scalp Purifying. If your hair is clearly dry and damaged, the team may suggest Silky Moisture, depending on your hair and what you need that day.

Can Scalp Purifying Head Spa treat dandruff or hair loss?

It is not a medical treatment. The programme focuses on cleansing oil and build-up. If you have severe dandruff, inflammation or unusual hair loss, please see a dermatologist.

I recently coloured or chemically treated my hair. Can I have Silky Moisture?

Tell the team when you coloured, permed, straightened or bleached your hair. If your scalp is still irritated, has a wound or is sensitive to touch, wait until it settles or speak to a specialist first.

Does jasmine tea make hair grow longer or stop hair loss?

There is currently no evidence from Jai Chan’s Jasmine Tea Rinse that supports this. The research mentioned in this article studied concentrated tea extracts and UV damage in a laboratory, not brewed jasmine tea or hair growth.

Treatments in this article

• Deep Sleep Head Spa — 60 mins, THB 1,290
• Scalp Purifying Head Spa — 60 mins, THB 1,290
• Silky Moisture Head Spa — 60 mins, THB 1,290
• ASMR Regal Thai Serenity — 120 mins, THB 2,290

Scientific references

1. Vu DC, Alvarez S. Phenolic, Carotenoid and Saccharide Compositions of Vietnamese Camellia sinensis Teas and Herbal Teas. Molecules. 2021;26(21):6496. PubMed
2. Davis SL, Marsh JM, Kelly CP, et al. Protection of hair from damage induced by ultraviolet irradiation using tea (Camellia sinensis) extracts. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. 2022;21(5):2246–2254. PubMed · DOI

Let the team help you choose

Jai Chan is on the 3rd floor of Siam Discovery in central Bangkok. If you are not sure whether to choose Deep Sleep, Scalp Purifying or Silky Moisture, tell the team about your scalp, your hair and how you like to relax, and they will help you choose before the treatment begins.