For years the scalp was the part of beauty nobody looked at. We cleansed, toned and layered serums on our faces, then washed our hair in two minutes and thought no more about the skin underneath it.

That has changed. Scalp care has borrowed the language of skincare, with its scrubs, serums and masks, and the head spa is where the idea has found a home. The ritual comes from Japan, it has filled social media with videos of water falling in a perfect arc over someone’s hairline, and it is now arriving on high streets a long way from Tokyo.

One of them is in Alderley Edge.

A studio of one

Headspa.ce is on the first floor of Bridge House on Heyes Lane, less than a minute’s walk from the train station. It is the work of one woman. Sarah Brennan founded it, and she is the person who opens the door, assesses your scalp and carries out every step of the treatment herself.

There is one client at a time. No row of basins, no chatter from the next chair. The room is yours from the moment you arrive until your hair is dry, and that is what makes it feel so personal. With this bespoke service and discreet location, it is no wonder a stream of celebrities has passed through Headspa.ce’s doors, with Molly-Mae describing her experience there as “an 11/10”.

Sarah tells the story of how it began.

“Having qualified as a hairdresser around 25 years ago, I’ve always had a passion for making people feel their best through their hair and scalp. However, I always worked hairdressing around a hectic corporate career, which culminated in me juggling family life and an executive role in a global financial consulting firm based in London. Living in Cheshire, this meant a weekly commute to the City and lots of travel abroad which, of course, also meant lots of time away from my husband and two children. After many years of doing this, and a unanimous decision amongst our Exec Team to sell the company, I realised it was time for a change. I had no idea what that change was, but I knew it had to be something that excited me, brought me back to my roots in some way and allowed me to express my entrepreneurial side. It was by sheer luck that I discovered the practice of Japanese head spas; whilst researching skincare on a Korean website, I found a section on hair and scalp care which just so happened to show a video of the treatment. Back then, head spas in the UK were virtually unheard of, but when I saw the halo of water, and read about the rituals and benefits for the scalp and hair, I knew I had found what I wanted to do.”

First, the close-up

This is the part that sets it apart from a very good hair wash.

Before any water is run, the scalp is examined under a professional analysis machine at up to 200 times magnification. On the screen is a view of yourself you have never had: the surface of the scalp, the root of each hair, whatever has built up between them.

It is beauty that begins with looking. What the camera shows decides what happens next, so the treatment that follows is planned around your scalp and nobody else’s.

Then, the ritual

The treatment itself is deliberately slow and incredibly thorough. There is massage for the head, neck and shoulders. There are oils, serums, scrubs and masks, steam, and gua sha tools. And there is the halo, a ring that sends a soft curtain of water over the head, the image that made the head spa famous.

It ends at a styling station with a chilled drink and a professional blow-dry. The whole visit takes between two and two and a half hours.

Why it has caught on

The scan is what makes it feel of the moment. We have become used to seeing ourselves measured, by the ring on a finger or the watch on a wrist. The head spa brings that same curiosity to the hairline, then follows it with something no device can offer: a pair of hands, and time.

I can only tell you that it is the most magical two hours.

The address: Headspa.ce Luxury Head Spa, 1st Floor, Bridge House, 2 Heyes Lane, Alderley Edge, Cheshire. Open seven days a week, by appointment. headspa-ce.co.uk