Causeway Bay’s upmarket shopping mecca Fashion Walk has been blessed with a slew of beauty flagship openings this autumn: from French perfume maison Goutal to the global debut of SkinCeuticals’ one-stop skincare shop, to Kérastase’s haircare concept store. Kérastase’s latest brick-and-mortar presence in particular features a hair spa powered by La Vie Hair and Beauty, a longstanding salon brand in Hong Kong specialising in treating all kinds of hair and scalp concerns. There are already Kérastase Hair Spas (website in Chinese only) located in Tsim Sha Tsui and Sha Tin, but this new opening is the first partnered with Kérastase’s Hong Kong flagship.
Born out of a world obsessed with hair hygiene, French brand Kérastase was established by L’Oreal Group in 1964 as a brand dedicated to hair care, at a time when at-home hair treatments were barely a thing. With a pioneering diagnostic approach, the brand created products that healed hair from the inside out, that could be done at the salon or at home.
Today, it continues to be a leader in the haircare world, with treatments that target everything from frizz to damaged scalp, fine and thick hair alike. One of its most iconic products is its L’Huile Originale, a gorgeously scented leave-in hair oil that fans claim to bring damaged strands ‘back to life’, as well as protects from heat of up to 230ºC.
Over at Hong Kong’s latest Kérastase Hair Spa in Causeway Bay, you can now indulge in the brand’s personalised salon approach to healing hair: the Fusio-Dose treatment.
The vibe
The Kerastase flagship is a retail store first and foremost. Hair spa clients are taken into the private room concealed behind curtains for their session, only available for one booking at a time. Here, the Fusio-Dose lab is spread out like a mixologist’s back bar, with colourful booster serums, shampoos, masques and conditioners laid out along the wall. In the centre, a plush leather salon seat swivels and leans directly backwards for easy rinsing at the sink. Lights can be softened for the duration of the treatment, which creates a warm, comforting atmosphere in contrast with the stark laboratory setting in the shop outside.
The treatment
Still bitterly dealing with the aftermath of an ancient balayage job — dry ends, flattened, lifeless roots and a hyperactive scalp that acts out in response to changes in weather, product and routine — I arrived at the salon in dire need of a hair detox.
The Fusio-Dose is essentially a personalised nutrient cocktail for the hair, blending one of five ‘shots’ of booster serum into one of five concentrates, which are different depending on what your two main hair concerns are. The treatment is ideal for clients who want a deep detox to target multiple hair concerns — one 90-minute session is billed as being able to totally transform damaged hair fibres.
Taking stock of the client’s hair condition, the Fusio-Dose treatment is also paired with shampoos and finishing balms that fit customer’s needs for a complete tailor-made haircare experience.
The experience
Kérastaste’s new flagship is relatively hard to find if you’re used to seeing Fashion Walk storefronts along its outdoor facade — the confusing Google Maps pin doesn’t help either. It’s actually located inside the shopping mall on the ground floor, so keep that in mind if you’ve booked a session.
Sitting in the salon chair, I undid my hair-tie to reveal my dry and damaged locks, which were met with a shocked ‘tsk-tsk’ from resident hair expert, Ruby. Whipping out a hair analysis scanner, she took a snapshot of my hair at the roots, at the nape of my neck and at the tips, revealing an oily, flaky scalp (in my defense, it was day two hair including a rushed lunchtime gym session), and small red patches along the skin that suggested that I slept with wet or damp hair at night (occasionally guilty). There were hollow, frazzled hair shafts from the mid-section to the tips, indicative of major protein and moisture loss. She also noted potential hair loss because of the inconsistently sized strands sprouting from each follicle.
Honestly, any multitude of combinations of the Fusio-Dose treatment would have improved my hair condition. But to target my suffering scalp and fragile locks, Ruby prescribed the Vita-Ciment concentrate to reduce hair breakage, mixed with the Nutrition booster to improve the condition of my dull, coloured strands and malnourished scalp.
After deep cleansing with an anti-dandruff and oily scalp shampoo, Ruby mixed the booster and concentrate into a spray bottle, and meticulously spritzed all my hair in small sections, massaging in the serum from root to tip — even massaging my scalp, neck and tense shoulders in between. The smell of the serum was divine, like a refreshing blend of summer citruses. My hair was already visibly shinier and each strand felt plumper between my fingertips.
With a quick rinse, the next step was applying a hydrating cream mask. Ruby attached a steam cap and allowed it to set for 20 minutes, leaving me alone where I took a quick disco nap as the cap billowed above me with comforting warm air.
Rinsing off for the last time, the final touches included a finishing serum and a leave-in blow-dry cream to help seal in the nourished cuticles as Ruby blow-dried my hair with a round brush. I was in such a state of relaxation, my eyelids were heavy, ready for an excellent night of sleep.
The verdict
At the end of the 90 minutes, I emerged from the salon room with bouncy, happy hair. My highlights looked brightened and less brassy, returning to a revived caramel tone. My fingers didn’t get stuck running through my hair anymore, and each strand felt more plump and smooth. It was a total 180º transformation in just one session, with visible results that lasted even after the next two washes.
I didn’t feel the need to hide my hair in a bun anymore, though noting that it takes extra effort to maintain my newly achieved healthy locks: I took more care to make sure I blow-dried correctly from then on, in an effort to protect my scalp and prevent thinning hair. For a crash course in better hair nourishment and a deep hair detox every month or so, the Kérastase Fusio-Dose hair transformation is well worth your time and money if you’re looking to drastically improve an unruly mane.
The Fusio-Dose Hair Transformation treatment is priced at HK$1,550, and first-time guests can take advantage of a special offer at HK$1,080.
