The 1st Experiment after training

After coming back from Singapore, Money was itching to try out the techniques learned from Shunji and his team.  And boy, did Lady Luck smile on her that day.

In came Joyce, her regular all the way from Hong Kong who wanted to refresh her looks and told Money to do whatever she wanted... Hmmm...

Here are some pictures of the work done, though we forgot to take the pictures of how she looks before.

Oddly we would like to post more pictures but there's some issue with Blogger's uploading.  So here's some ideas on what we can do for short hair women.  We'll keep updating the blog with more inspirations.  I guess we'll just end here for now.

-Ed-

Training in Singapore

We sent half the team to Shunji Matsuo @ Wellington recently for a training stint to learn new techniques from the famed Fibre Zoom of Japan.  Even though Shunji's schedule were packed, he did managed to take some time off for us.
 Money, Ivy, Mavis and Carven attended this 2 day training and everyone was happy to have learned something under the great tutelage of Shunji himself.

Here are some pictures of what they picked up in Singapore

Here are just some pics of what they learned... For the real magic, do come in and experience it for yourself ;-)

The essence of any good style is in the cutting as some styles are just not possibly done with styling products alone.  In a good haircut, customers would easily maintain the style and at the same time reduce the time in styling their hair in the morning before rushing off to work.

We care not only for you to look good before leaving the salon, but also to look good the next day!

    A picture with Shunji after the training

-Ed-

Carven Yue, He Who Fears Oranges and The Singapore Adventure

By now, i guess many have you would have known that Carven has seconded to Singapore for 2 years to further learn more under the Shunji Matsuo Team @ Wellington.

Shortly after the trip to Singapore for training, charmed by the hussle and bustle of the Shunji Matsuo Hair Studio @ Wellington, he decided that he wanted to stay back and learn from the rest of them team before coming back to Midvalley to settle down and grow his career in Malaysia.

Carven and his fear of oranges

As for being his customers, do not have to fear. There's Money, Raymond and Ben-G left to handle your tresses while Carven sharpens his skills in the "Fine" Country. :-)

A special Thai Song dedicated to Carven!

We would like to wish Carven all the best in this stage of his career and we will annouce again his return!

-Ed-

Service with a Heart

As I was staring at the driver taking me and my fiancé to the resort in Koh Lanta (Krabi,) I was wondering how on earth would he communicate with all his passenger if he can’t even speak simple English? Thais are Thais, they will just smile at you trying their best to let you know that they know what they are doing and making you feel at ease all the time.

As the journey continues, you will still wonder if he is bringing you to the right resort. After 2 hours of ride from the airport, finally we reached the resort. As I was afraid that the transfer will be expensive from the resort to the airport on the day I leave Krabi, I was trying to tell the driver to come pick me up on the day I was leaving Krabi, he couldn’t understand a single word I was telling him in English but as usual he was smiling at me and speaking to me in Thai as though I would understand him but luckily for the both of us, the front desk from the resort Mr Pond was there to greet me and my fiancé with a smile and to my surprise he, Pond greeted me by my name. He then explained to the driver what my needs were and all were settled in an instant.

We were then taken on a buggy to the reception area and were welcomed the traditional Thai way. We waited for a little while Pond registered us and got the correct room on my request for a double bed. He then sat down with us and explained to us that the resort was half closed as it was the low season in Krabi now and also the management was refurbishing the pool and the Grand Suites as well as the restaurant that is above the pool.

He also told us that there is a restaurant in Saladan town that serve good Thai food. I thought it was nice of him as the resort other restaurant is open for business. He then proceeds taking us to our suite. It was a beautiful room. We were quite excited but the only thing was we had nothing to do... we decided to walk around the resort and have lunch at the poolside.

The next morning after breakfast, my fiancé and I decided to upgrade ourselves to a Villa and we spoke to Pond about letting us have a look inside 1 of the Villas and also check how much would we need to pay extra, he ask us to have a seat while he called the management. The next thing we knew, Pond told us that the management have decided to upgrade us without any additional charges. He then took us on the buggy and sends us back to the room to pack, after about an hour later he came and took us to the Villa... After unpacking we were going for lunch at Saladan town and again Pond was at the reception to greet us with his famous smile.

We got back from lunch and ask for the location of the Spa and Pond was there again helping us and ushering us there and translate whatever our questions was to the Spa operator and we made an appointment for the next day at 3pm.

At 3pm the next day we arrived at the Spa and guess who was waiting for us? Pond was sitting down at the reception table and greeted us.  Lastly, the day we were leaving, there was a different driver and car waiting for us after we had checked out, we found out later that the actual driver that was to pick us up was in a accident a few days earlier and had asked his brother to come pick us up instead.

Amongst all the countries that I have travelled to, this is the first time that our entire request was fulfilled with no fuss as every action and services were delivered with full sincerity and warmth. Being in the service industry myself, I believe that it is vital for a person to provide good service to everyone and not just a limited/ targeted group of people........ This should be the way of life and it has to be from the heart.

*To Mr Pond of Cha-Da Beach Resort Krabi, my fiancé and I would really like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for making our holiday and my birthday a very memorable experience and enjoyable one.

My personal exprience Raymond Chew

Feature of the Month Competition

Its been a while since we last posted anything as we have been so busy!  But finally after much procrastination here it is!

The Shunji Matsuo Hair Studio Mid Valley Feature of the Month!  Tadda!

Don't hold your breath yet!  Let me explain.  We are pretty sure by now that you would have been to our Fan Page in Facebook (if not you can find it here in a link somewhere on the left) 

Any customers of ours for the month of October who spends RM50 for their hairdo is eligible to join this competition.  What we will do is that we will take a picture of customers before they go, and then we will then select the best 20 pictures to be posted into an album on our Facebook Fanpage. This will go on for 1 year till September 2010.

From there, to vote, just look for your picture or your friend's picture, click on "LIKE" and that counts as 1 vote already.  We would appreciate if you could also take the time to click on the icon "Become a Fan" to be updated with the latest news and promotions in our salon.

The Monthly Winners will walk away with Kerastase Products up to RM 300 and a Casual Photography Session with Peter Tan worth RM500!  But wait!  This is not all of it yet!  The 12 monthly winners will then be in the running to win the Grand Prize of being our Ambassador!  (It has LOTS OF PERKS!)

-Ed-

Manicurist on the way!

Good news!  We've finally got our Manicurist!  She'll be on board 15th September 2009 onwards and will be using OPI products.

We'll update you guys again with pictures about her and her experiences.  Watch this space!

Pricing should be up by end this week.

Laters.

-Ed-

Shunji Matsuo Mid Valley Specials!

Dear Friends!  Here are some Specials for you to look good  for the festive season.  ;-)

These Special Packages are available from Tuesday, 8th September 2009 onwards. 

Cheerios!

-Ed-

Shunji Matsuo Mid Valley Services & Price List

Please find our service menu as below

Schedule of Days Off for the Team

We are now open 7 days a week and please be informed of the respective days off for your favourite Team Member!

Mondays: Ben-G and Ivy

Tuesdays: Money and Juno

Wednesdays: Carven and Jessica

Thursdays: Raymond, Mavis and Jolin.

So plan your days to avoid any disappointments when you come over to look for your favourite Team Member!

Tea Tree Hair & Scalp Treatments

A lot of times hair treatments for scalp is perceived as treatments for hair loss, oily scalp and dandruff.  But have you ever thought of enjoying a treatment even though your scalp is healthy?

Introducing the Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Hair and Scalp Treatment.  This is one of the services available for all to enjoy as part of our Signature Pampering Treatments.

Relax. Recharge. Refresh.

Made with essential tea tree oil, this complete line of Tea Tree products stimulates the hair, skin and senses while delivering a whole range of health and beauty benefits. Experience the revitalizing tingle of Tea Tree Special, the citrus sensation of Tea Tree Lemon Sage, and the soothing scent of Tea Tree Lavender Mint.  All 100% Natural Tea Tree Ingredients.

Feel the cool minty sensation as the lympo massage detoxify and invigorate your scalp and your senses from the daily challenges of the environment, work and life. 

 

  The ritual begins with a wash with the Tea Tree Special Shampoo.  After towel dry, the Tea Tree Hair & Scalp Treament is applied then followed by the lympo massage for 10 to 15 minutes.  The hair is then wrapped for 15 minutes for the treatment properties to work on the scalp and the hair and then followed by a rinse.

 

After the rinse, you will actually feel a cleaner, more relaxed scalp and more volume on your hair.  This treatment serves to exfoliate the scalp and to remove excess sebum as this process helps to rejuvenate the hair roots and encourage better hair growth.

 

The entire experience for men will take up to 1 hour while for women will take up to 1 hour 15 minutes. 

 

Prices start from RM 135 onwards.

Featured in September Harper's Bazaar 2009 Issue

Our feature in Harper's Bazaar September 2009 issue for your viewing pleasure!  Click on image to enlarge

The Stylists @ Shunji Matsuo Mid Valley

Ever wondered if you knew the person who shampoo-ed your hair or gave you that lovely relaxing massage? The ones that makes your tea?  Or the ones that stand behind the Directors and the Senior Stylists aiding them quietly? 

They don't have their name cards displayed, nor will they get more exposure than the main cast of the show.  And yet they are the ones that complete the entire experience in the salon.

Jolin, Mavis and Jessica

Ivy

and finally Juno.

These are the 5 dedicated individuals who make up the entire team here at Shunji Matsuo Hair Studio Mid Valley.  So now it would be easy for everyone to remember who gave you that lovely massage! 

Ben-G, Senior Stylist @ Shunji Matsuo Mid Valley

Ben-G! The guy behind some of the magazine spreads we see locally. Ben-G has been travelling over the past few years harnessing his skills in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore to supplement his education in Malaysia as a hairdresser.

Ever since coming back to Malaysia in 2007 Ben-G has been actively working with local magazine shoots for Gucci, Prada, Guess, TOD's and many more. Having also worked with many chain salons in KL, he has finally decided to settle down to grow his career in hairdressing after many years of travelling and freelance hairdressing jobs.

Evening hairdo, being a favourite subject in his resume, Ben-G has always been eager to push himself to creatively cater to customers who come in for formal dinners and events.

A very determined individual, dressed to the nines for work, tenderly caring for his customers has a very diverse following from a mix of Japanese and local clients. No doubt being relatively new in the market, Ben-G has been slowly gaining loyalty from his customers as he believes in going to extra mile to ensure everyone looks their very best before stepping out of the salon.

 

Carven, Senior Stylist @ Shunji Matsuo Mid Valley

"Big mouth!"  "No my mouth is not big... my lips are thick".  Thats the usual banter in the salon when it comes to Carven with the rest of the team.  This young man hails from Raub has a lot more up his sleeves than his big mouth... ok ok... thick lips. 

He has great interest in the Japanese culture so much so he picked up the language in during work, most of the time mumbling to himself Japanese phrases.

Somewhat shy, Carven's career in hairdressing has taken him to places from the small auntie salons to the larger chains in the malls, namely Jantzen and A Cut Above.  However once he warms up to you, the chatter rarely stops.

He has brought with him the experience of blowing curls from the auntie salons and has remained a very popular choice for returning ladies who come over to the salon for a wash & blow.  "Its the long lasting curls that matters" said one of his regulars who comes over at least 3 times per week!  Japanese wispy curls for the young and lasting curls for the classic. 

Carven has also proved to be a lucky charm for some too!  Ask Iqbal Mazlan (pictured below), who recently won the Reality Show in Pilih Kasih, Malaysia's first reality show in selecting potential actors to work alongside Rosyam Nor.

Nevertheless, the debate rages on, big mouth vs thick lips. :-)

Raymond Chew, Director @ Shunji Matsuo Mid Valley

Raymond or Ray or BRO! is another one of our Directors we have in Shunji Matsuo Hair Studio Mid Valley.

Often patient and a man of few words, Raymond's fair skin tone and boyish charms leaves most clients in disbelief when he speaks about his experience in the hairdressing industry which is more than 20 years.

Though as mentioned above as being a man of few words, clients feel most at ease during consultation as Ray believes that connecting with the clients needs are most essential in creating a style that is both wearable and trendy at the same time without looking out of place.

Ray has been in the hair industry for more than 22 years after graduating from Vidal Sassoon in London. He has won numerous awards and recognitions i.e winning the 2004 Schwarzkopf Malaysian Hairdresser of the Year Award and also represented Malaysia in Shanghai after winning the Malaysian Hairdressers award by P & G in the same year.

Besides those accolades, Ray is also a certified Kerastase Specialist and a Certified Loreal Color Expert from the Loreal Professionel Color Expert Program. He also involves himself in grooming classes for high profile corporations and also does wedding consultations including hair and make-up for the brides.

Ray's work has also graced many fashions shoots for newspapers and major magazines like Her World, Female, Marie Claire, Bazaar and others, fashion shows for major fashions houses and hair shows. His portfolio of clients include a very strong following of both Caucasian and Asian customers as well as the Malaysian Elite.