Uptown | Advanced Beauty Clinic

Until recently Uptown's Peony Herbal Hair Therapy treatment was possibly Auckland's best kept secret - but the word is now out!

The treatment offered at Advanced Beauty Clinic on Mt Eden Rd is performed by qualified therapists from Vietnam, where haircare holds profound cultural significance.

In Vietnam, hair is traditionally viewed as a symbol of beauty and vitality and hair spa treatments for men and women are as prolific as nail spas in the west. Not only are they great for scalp and hair health, but also as a stress reliever, as neck, shoulder and hand massages are part of the treatment.

Thanks to entrepreneurs Tien Huynh, Audrey Chu and Maya Khuc, who originally hail from Vietnam, haircare heaven is now available in Uptown, Auckland.

Tien and Audrey have a background in hospitality, but in 2022 decided to pivot into beauty therapy. They are the front of house "maître ds", who greet you on arrival, and while they've done the training, they leave the treatments to the experts.

The therapists perform the clinic's signature Peony Herbal Hair Therapy treatment and in the future any staff from New Zealand will be required to go to Vietnam for training, so you will know the experience you receive is authentic.

A wash basin fitted at the end of a massage table is where the magic happens.

Not realising what I was fully signing up for, I opted for the deluxe package (1hr 15m). There is also a luxury package (1h 45m) that includes a foot and back massage. It started with a check of my scalp health, which I knew was going to be confronting as I'm constantly swapping shampoo brands, regularly have my hair chemically coloured and use a root cover powder between hair appointments, so it was no surprise that it needed some TLC. In Audrey's words "it was crying out for help". Other issues scalp therapy can assist with is hair loss and the removal of product build-up clogging the hair follicles after years of using supermarket brand shampoos that commonly contain silicone.

The therapy provides a detox for the scalp using traditional hot herbal water therapy that contains a mixture of 20 scalp-friendly herbs imported from Vietnam. Key ingredients include holy basil, camomile, ginger, lemongrass, rosemary and aniseed.

The pressure of the massage is firm and the cleanse thorough, interspersed with heavenly in-basin water showers and water poured over your hair, neck and shoulders – utter bliss. This part was the most pleasant surprise and a personal highlight of the treatment for me.

Following the treatment, we inspected my scalp again and it was less inflamed. Audrey suggested it probably felt "free" which was a perfect description. I'll add another word to that: "relieved". No more itching and scratching and my hair felt so soft and healthy.

I left with instructions to stop swapping shampoo brands and to lay off the chemical hair dye and search for a natural alternative.

Everyone's scalp story is different and the follow-up treatment recommendation unique to the individual. Once your scalp is in a healthy condition, it's more robust to cope with what you throw at it, though I'll now be following the Vietnamese tradition of regular herbal hair spa treatments to keep on top of my scalp health and enjoy the added relaxation benefits.

It is also not the only treatment offered at Advanced Beauty Clinic. Other treatments include skin boosting facials, fat freezing and paramedical camouflage tattoos that restore confidence if you have a scar or stretchmark that bothers you. The tattoos match your skin tone, rendering scars invisible.

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