My Journey with Laser Hair Removal Places in Japan: A Guide

Asia is the capital on cosmetics and beauty, and one of the things I wanted to do whilst in Japan was to do "permanent" hair removal like laser treatments. Maybe TMI, but I was a pretty hairy child. But I could always only afford temporary solutions back home. I knew once I started to make money, this was what I wanted to save money for in Japan.

And I did.

Laser Hair Removal at Beauty Salons

My first experience was a Datsumo Labo, a very popular chain laser hair removal shop all across Japan. ("Datsumo" is Japanese for hair removal)

I chose Datsumo Labo over Musee and their other competitors because they had a very sweet campaign for the spots I wanted to do laser hair removal on, and I had seen online reviews of this place from their sister stores outside of Japan. I thought, why not??

So I made my appointment at a nearby Datsumo Labo in Kansai, and went into a consultation with a staff members.

The Consultation

This was mandatory before starting any sessions with the salon, and for any beauty salon for that matter. It's possible to skip most of the "consultation" (mostly just sales pitches) if you went in there and purchased a package plan with them straight away. However, they would still make you sign a bunch of forms and sit with you to explain all the important details on the forms.

One of them being the treatment they offer. Beauty Salons do not offer medical-grade laser hair removal. So if you're browsing on hotpepper beauty like I love to do, and you see a nail salon or a massage salon, chances are they are NOT offer medical-grade laser treatments. They are all usually IPL type laser treatments.

They are much weaker beams of laser, and even with the right skin types, can take a long time to see full results. Or any results at all, for that matter. I had to go through a total of 24 treatments to see maybe just a good patch of hair in my underarms gone.

You are allowed to book after 2-3 weeks of each treatment, and they usually ask you if you would like to schedule your next appointment before you leave.

The other thing they will brief you on is cancellation. In general, they will allow you to cancel and it is common curtesy to give them a call about this instead of just not showing up (though they will usually try to contact you if you didn't reach out - I found this out when I missed my appointments by accident since I forgot about them). Different salons will have their own rules, but at the time I was with Datsumo Labo, you had to call 24 hours prior. There will be penalties for those with a package plan and did not call to cancel before that. For example, if you purchased a package plan for 6 sessions and you did not call to cancel, you will have one less session on your plan. Essentially they treat it as you showing up even though you didn't.

During the consultation, they will also warn you about when you should cancel - like if you have an open cut or if you were on any medication for a cold or flu, as they will not follow through with the treatment if you've taken certain medication. This will also count as a penalty and you will lose a session in your package if you tried to show up with the medication in your system. Why? I believe this is to prevent dark spots on your skin or something, but I'm not sure.

You can opt to choose a plan, which can be a good deal or you can choose to do one time treatments. Prices differ depending if it's a "small" (S) part, a "medium" (M) part or a "large" (L) part. S part would be places like upper lip, nipples, eyebrows, fingers, toes, etc. M parts would be something like the knee, elbows or underarms. L parts would then be divided by lower leg, upper leg, lower arm and upper arm.

In Japan, if you would like to do Brazilian, they call it VIO.

V is the large crotch area

I is part between your legs

O is your butt area

Usually none of these include the bikini area, and that is usually considered part of the upper leg. So do make sure you ask if the bikini area is the area you want to do only, not the insides of your undies :)

Oh and of course, all of the initial consultations are done in Japanese. So I recommend bringing a friend who speaks Japanese with you if you have planning to go these salons.

Treatment

Overall, my experience at Datsumo Labo was wonderful.

Upon entering, you must fill in a checklist sheet and then sign saying you acknowledge that you didn't lie. The checklist will ask you if you were sick within the week (read above about the medication), if you've done other laser treatments recently, etc etc. If you admit to any of these things, they will deny you treatment.

(not saying you should lie about these things, but...)

The facility I went to, and the subsequent other salons I have tried were also very clean. They were always individual rooms with a massage bed. The staff will give you a few moments to change out of your clothes (you can leave certain pieces of clothing on for the areas you aren't do, of course - they will instruct you).

You must shave beforehand the areas you are going to laser on! If you do not shave, they will charge you 1500 yen for the shave. This will be mentioned in the consultation.

They will provide wipes, hairband and paper underwear if necessary. So take your time to get yourself comfortable before the treatment.

IPL lasers do not hurt at all, even on coarse hairs - so don't be too afraid!

The technician will also put a towel or sunglasses over your eyes to protect you from the laser, so if you are having a longer treatment, you can take a bit of a beauty nap whilst this is happening. they will also apply gel to all the areas you are laser to protect you from the heat of the laser, so definitely you won't feel discomfort.

Once you are finished, you will change and go back to the reception area. There is a vanity area next to the treatment rooms if you so wish to reapply make up or fix your hair after a long session. If you have a package plan, they will ask if you would like to make the next appointment. While they sort that out, you can sip on the tea they give you, and then you'll be on your merry way.

The only downside to Datsumo Labo is the delayed results.

Especially if you don't have two times a month to go to these appointments, seeing results will be a slow battle. And this is where I implore all of you to explore medical-grade laser hair removal.

Laser Hair Removal at Skin Clinics

(Keiseikai Clinic at Shinsaibashi)

The process is very similar to going to a beauty salon, except this is strong beams of laser!

And with stronger beams, comes larger risks. And larger price points.

In hindsight, prices for medical laser can be very expensive. One treatment for underarms is considered an M part, and can go for 5000 yen or more for one session. However, you will see MUCH MORE noticeable results - given that you are exposed to the machines that suit you!! And that the clinics don't try to scam you...

Let me get into this.

I changed my Datsumo journey to a medical one after failed attempts at IPL laser, and simply not being able to commit to so many appointments. The first clinic I went to was recommended to me on facebook in Osaka called "Maro Skin Clinic".

They were honestly great, and I saw immediate results after one session. However, this clinic was a bit far out from my way home after work, so I had to find something a bit more centralized to me. (also they were almost always booked out and closed early, so it just didn't work for me - but if you are in the South Osaka area, I do recommend this place!)

The second clinic in hindsight promised a lot of great things, but I realized they didn't and will not deliver the results I want. Here's why:

"The Scam" ???

Let's talk about what I liked about this clinic first. They were extremely friendly, and at the time they had a good deal for VIO and underarm treatment, so I wanted to give it a try. They also did not charge for not shaving, so you can essentially not have to worry about shaving before your appointment or if you've forgotten.

But I realized a few sessions in that they were a bit sus, when I remembered my previous experience with the other clinic.

The first thing was that they only allowed appointments every 4 months. I remembered this was not the case at the other clinic, and was later confirmed at a more recent clinic that they were indeed very sus. 8 weeks, or about 2 months is the average wait in between each session. Another technician at a different clinic mentioned that it might be common to push the wait time to 3 months so their clinics' hair growth can all come back (and get their money's worth), but 4 months is pushing it. Usually if you wait this long in between sessions, your treatments become less effective since we might not be damaging the hair follicle enough for hair loss to happen. Something like that. I'm not expert so don't shoot the messenger... but anyway, that's what was happening.

The second thing: any missed appointments will incur an extra 4000 yen fee for your next visit.

I noped out of that almost immediately.

Shopping for the Right Clinic

I recommend all of you going for medical laser to shop around, and don't lock yourself in a plan until you are satisfied with the clinic and what they offer. Google the place and take a look at their website.

Just because they are a skin clinic doesn't mean they are all good.

Websites that give you a list of the medical grade machines they use at the clinic is a good sign that they might be decent. Having different machines on their offering often means you can choose which machine you want, and some might be better for some people while not work at all for others. Though I feel that it has more to do with what level they set the laser on... who knows.

Medical laser treatments should also have a doctor on site to oversee any issues you might have. Of course, the sessions are still conducted by a technician, but let's say you were to have some peeling or scars, a doctor may be able to consult with you before your treatment.

Medical lasers will give you a pricking sensation and may hurt. So that's mostly the downside to it. But I would endure a bit of pain to be able to be hair free in three to four sessions, which is how long it took for me to be about 98% rid of hair in my underarms! I would absolutely recommend this over IPL salons.

Just before leaving Japan, I went to a multi-store chain in Osaka called "Keiseikai". Their main business is mostly cosmetic surgeries, but they have a very well-equipped floor for laser treatments. It's very easy to book with them, and while they do close a bit early, they're almost always never busy - so it's easy to get an appointment. The staff there are really friendly and because they have so many different laser machines, you can kind of pick and choose which one to try.

I hope this helps any ladies and gentlemen looking for laser hair removal treatments in Japan and are wondering how the general process is like.

Thanks a lot for reading!

Visiting Hong Kong in 2023

This year as I was making my way back to Canada, I returned to Hong Kong. I have family in Hong Kong, and I'm actually a permanent resident there. So going to Hong Kong is quite easy for me as I have family to rely on and other conveniences like unlimited length of stay and what not.

However, it's not quite always my favourite place to visit. Those of you with family in other countries can probably understand the sentiment. I always feel like visiting Hong Kong can be a chore. I need to visit X family member, have dinner with Y and Z family member. And then there's a group dinner with ABC - a family friend. The list of these tasks goes on especially if you still have lots of relatives in Hong Kong, and long time family friends of my mom's and dad's.

Luckily, my Hong Kong relatives are all great people. And not having to travel with my parents and following them around like a little toddler this time during my visit to Hong Kong really helped make this trip 10 times more enjoyable.

And of course I also got to show my partner around my childhood city! Which was honestly the best part of this trip :)

The last time I was here was 5 years ago. At the time, I went for a close friend's wedding. So I didn't really get to see much of Hong Kong beyond shopping malls and eating.

This time, I had about 4 weeks all to myself. And I was 100% going to make the most of it.

It was the first time ever that I got to go to a lot of the touristy spots in Hong Kong, not just shopping malls or local neighbourhoods because my parents only know that area very well. I got to visit temples just to see them (as opposed to just paying respects), parks, small towns and other really interesting architecture that's been preserved over the years. I explored neighbourhoods I've only ever heard of by name, but never been to. I saw things that appeared in movies that were typically "Hong Kong".

And I had a blast.

Not only was I worried about relatives at first, but I was also worried in general about the entire environment of Hong Kong since there was another political shift. I was worried that the people around me would be very opinionated about the issue and would try to push it on me.

But they didn't. In fact, no one did. As always, I felt like everyone just went on with their lives as usual. Like nothing had ever happened before. Whether it's because they accepted it or just simply wanted to move on, I'm not sure. I just remember a time when Mainlanders were looked down on a lot by Hong Kongers. Tons of covert discrimination, which I'm sure still exist - but I no longer hear badmouthing like I used to from those around me. Of course, I think people are still annoyed by them. For example, my partner and I went on a bus towards Wong Dai Sin. A family of mandarin speakers (presumably mainlanders as they are usually the only ones speaking mandarin in public, and it was a national holiday so naturally lots of mainlanders visit) got on the bus and just spoke really loudly like it was their own home. People were clearing their throats, clearly trying to tell them they're too loud. But these mandarin speakers just kept going. No care in the world. Not getting the hint. But generally, I think everyone just learned to co-exist. Sentiments have definitely somewhat shifted there.

People also generally seem more relaxed?

Hong Kong has always been a fast-paced city. That's what it felt like to me. There are no other cities that run escalators as fast as the subways. Like dang, the escalators are running marathons on their own with each other!

But you used to definitely feel like amongst the people too. Crossing the road meant you had to be 5 steps ahead of you'd be in everyone's way. And you'd probably get stuck in the middle if you were too slow. Perhaps I had lived in Asia for awhile (Canada makes people more lazy and slow) this time and didn't really feel like the people were rushing around as much. Everyone seemed to have slowed down quite a bit.

Perhaps a result of an aging population too? Who knows.

Hong Kong has definitely changed when it comes to real estate development.

My family has mostly all moved out to the New Territories, and you can see even more development on the way in these parts. Stations that used to only have villages and houses are now being converted or mixed in with upcoming high rises. Even already pre-established townships are getting more high rises.

I hear housing prices have started to drop, though it still remains high for locals comparable to their cost of living.

Previously well established areas like the Hong Kong Islands have also seen change, but not in a good way. As I rode past many streets that used to fill up with store after store, it was a bit heartbreaking to see many of them - rows and rows of them - all just empty and abandoned. From what I hear, rent skyrocketed in those areas and lots of business either closed down during COVID and never returned or they moved to cheaper areas entirely.

I still think Hong Kong is very tourist-friendly. It's safe. The food is generally clean and delicious (trust your gut and don't enter somewhere you might not feel comfortable with). There is a great mix of nature and city, if you know where to go. But unfortunately I do think the surrounding areas outside of Hong Kong have become more of an attractive place for even locals to spend their money instead. Food is MUCH cheaper and the quality of eateries have improved tenfolds in most of Guangdong. If you had the correct visa, there is no reason not to go and have similar amounts of food for less.

I was there when there was a holiday specifically in Hong Kong only. I expected places to be crowded, but there really wasn't that many more people than a normal weekend out. It's possible people chose to stay home, but much more likely that people are choosing to visit China to make their money go just a bit further.

As there are still so many unique places and foods in Hong Kong, I certain hope the city gains more traction with tourists and its own locals again soon.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit.

All my previous worries had been very quick debunked. It's safety level is on par with Japan, though some areas are notably more sketchy of course. Nothing a little vigilance and being on higher alert cannot fix. Though I do generally blend in, making the target on the back of my head less prominent. Though there are huge populations of foreigners still scattered about, and locals are no strangers to them. Afterall, most many Hong Kongers hire home helpers to take care of elderly or the young, mostly from the Philippines - so seeing foreigners and hearing English isn't something that causes head turning or seal clapping. The political climate seemed to have... buried itself, mostly.

And all in all, there are still so many unique little fishing towns and temples that make the Hong Kong skyscraper landscape so unique. I highly recommend everyone visit before they may one day disappear.

Have you visited Hong Kong before? What were some of your thoughts on the city? Let me know!

Saizeriya in Hong Kong

I've been spending a good part of this month in Hong Kong, and I noticed so many Japanese shops had made their way into the city. Even restaurants. One of them being Saizeriya.

Yes, I know there are plenty of saizeriya litter all over Asia, but for those who don't know what Saizeriya is - it's a huge chain restaurant across most of the Japan, serving up really cheap but questionably and subjectively decent Italian food. (yes I know we all have opinions about it but we're not here for that)

The take away here is that it is quite cheap. You can easily order a small plate of pasta for less than 500 yen. They also have unlimited drink bar of teas and soft drinks. They also have cheap pizzas and meat plates that is very budget friendly and honestly taste better than some of the other wannabe Italian restaurants in Japan that charge you huge premium simply for being foreign, exotic and "Italian".

Anyway, here in Hong Kong, the first thing I noticed was that the entire yearly menu is available.

Unlike Japan where certain soups are ONLY available in the Winter or in the Summer, all the soups are available on the menu. In Japan, clam chowder is strictly a fall & winter season thing where as the minestrone is a spring & summer soup.

All the other sides, snacks and overall menu remains the same.

Drink bars are available as well, and their signature cheap wines. A glass of wine is $10HKD which is about 200 yen.

HK has clams instead of the mussles. They also have squid on the menu which Japan doesn't have. And they seem to have more pasta variety. With the meat plates, I've never seen salmon on menu before so perhaps an only Hong Kong thing? Or maybe Japan had it once and took it off the menu... We also have lamb chops.

And yes - we have pineapple pizza!!! YASSSSSSSSS.

Of course I had to order that :D

Now, with the food itself...

My family and I tried a range of foods here, mostly for my sake lol. The first thing I noticed with the wings and spinach side was that it was served in a bigger sized plate. With the wings, you can actually choose between getting only 3 wings or 8 wings. In terms of the taste with the wings - it's still spot on, and very juicy. But less crispy than the ones in Japan. Though I don't think they are going for that because there are plenty of crispy chicken in the Hong Kong market with Popeyes, Jollibee and KFC.

The pasta actually uses rigatoni and not penne. Actually none of the pasta dishes have penne as an option. The arrabbiaita is actually something I ordered frequently in Japan, and the ones in Japan actually taste spicier, though the pasta is much better cooked here in Hong Kong (whether that differs by chain, I don't know).

I enjoyed the food for the cheap price points just as much as I did in Japan. And it's something I would definitely go to again for a more budget friendly non-Chinese meal, for sure. Going to other Chinese fast food restaurants for dinner would cost you around 70-80HKD with a drink included, so depending on what you order/eat, going to saizeriya wouldn't be the most expensive dinner ever.

Unfortunately I didn't partake in the drink bar this time, but it only costs 13HKD to get. Just about 250 yen. Still very affordable!

I also heard that the menu for lunch differs a bit?? I wonder if it's something like in Japan where they offer soup & drink bar and some preset lunch items...

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THE MORNING AFTER:

Motherfucker, that MSG is reeeeeeeeal. I've been drinking water and my teas nonstop. MSG folks. Be wary of saizeriya and their MSG.