Ana Perju set up at her spa station.

(BAILEY ZIMMER / iNFOnews.ca)

The smell of essential oils cling to the air, vines and soft curtains hang from the ceiling and soft music fills the room of Ana Perju’s head spa in Kelowna.

Perju creates a space at AP Hair Bar for her clients to unwind and focus on recentring and reconnecting with themselves in a fast-paced world through a scalp therapy experience.

“I'm a mixture of everything. I'm a Heinz 57, you know? I'm all about just being, and finding the real you and just getting back to yourself,” she says. She wants her clients to feel better when they leave the spa than they did when they walked in.

The head spa services begin with a change into white bathrobes and dressing gowns to ensure the most comfortable session.

Using a high-tech camera Perju analyzes the surface of the scalp looking for any potential damage or breakage to the hair follicles. This allows her to determine the specific products her client needs to have the most successful treatment.

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Image Credit: AP Head Bar

Deep breathing followed by a sound bath set the tone. It's followed by sensory head rubs and warm trickles of water. Steam and waterfall therapy, as well as a detox mask, are all part of the rejuvenation session. 

“I've always been really connected to having a space for people to just kind of let go,” Perju says. “I've always loved the aspect of even just shampooing somebody in the sink and just kind of watching them release.”

Among her many hair and scalp tools, Perju also says she has “magic hands” that can help her clients feel the most relaxed they’ve felt in months.

Perju exfoliates the scalp, places hot stones on the chest and neck area, and drips oil onto the forehead.

Modelled after services in Japan, the oil dripping is supposed to relax the nervous system and put the client into a calm state so they can fully enjoy their treatment. After the exfoliation, oiling and washing, Perju gets to work and uses her crystal rolling ball tools, her head scratchers and scalp brushes.

Perju has been working as a hairdresser for nine years and has started her head spa nine months ago. She says clients trying the head spa are skeptical at first, but once they try it, they’re hooked and keep coming back.

Her favourite part of providing this service is seeing her clients sink into their chairs completely overwhelmed with relaxation.

“Just the look on their faces, just the energy that I feel from them afterwards, honestly, that's what kind of feeds my soul. I kind of helped create this person to be fully relaxed.”

Her sessions start at one hour and can last up to two hours, with prices ranging between $115 and $199 depending on services.

Check out the head spa services here.

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