This world-renowned head spa method has landed in Australia

It’s unlike anything else

If making time for self-care and relaxation was at the top of your New Year’s resolutions, this is one treatment you simply can’t look past. 

While it pains me to say it, I have never really been the kind of person who is able to switch off from the world and entirely relax. 

During well-intentioned yoga classes, my mind lists off grocery items during every shavasana and flow – and don’t even get me started on sound baths. 

I’ve listened to those around me praise the wonders of regular meditation, but every time I pop in my earbuds and open my mind to a guided session I can never quite switch off my brain. 

So, when I was given the opportunity to experience a world-class head spa treatment, I couldn’t help but feel a little guilty, worried the intricate techniques would be wasted on my restless state of mind. Thankfully, I couldn’t have been more wrong.

The reputation of treatments of this calibre often precedes them, with luxury offerings in the higher price range usually giving off an air of exclusivity and secrecy. 

But walking into my appointment at Atama head spa in Brisbane, sopping wet from an unforeseen Queensland rainstorm, I was welcomed with open arms and a sense of radiating calmness by Gabriel Skalic and her team. 

Developed under the guidance of renowned Japanese Cosmetologist and Head spa Master, Tatsuya Yamasaki, Skalic’s newest premium offering – Zudo by Skalic – is unlike anything the Australian wellness and beauty industries have seen before.

Through each pressure point and touch, I could feel my mind coming to a much-needed halt. Image: Supplied

What is Zudo by Skalic?

I’ve been privileged to experience a range of head spa treatments and techniques in my line of work, and while most have been nothing short of bliss, it’s blatantly clear Skalic’s newest offering is in a league of its own. 

Yamasaki’s groundbreaking Zudo technique is known globally for its ability to correct posture, relieve tension and reduce signs of aging by creating a natural lifting effect around the face. 

Using precise and continuous deep-tissue pressure massage, the technique targets the fascia, temporalis, and frontalis muscles of the head and neck to reactivate the muscles that weaken with age, restoring blood flow and vitality. 

Unlike other head spas I have tried, the focus of the Zudo-inspired treatment extends far beyond just relaxation, “Zudo focuses on activating the dormant muscles as well as improving blood flow, and targetting pressure points with care,” explains Skalic. 

After studying the method for years, Gabriel Skalic is ready to bring the technique to Australia. Image: Supplied

After spending years dissecting the best (and worst) aspects of the growing head spa industry around the world – including studying directly under Yamasaki himself to learn the Zudo method – Brisbane-based Skalic has finally launched her own interpretation of the highly sought-after technique.

Informed by her extensive career as a hair, scalp and wellness expert, Skalic’s method – Zudo by Skalic – incorporates the inclusion of facial massage into the traditional deep-tissue treatment. 

“It's almost like a full-body experience through the head when you have a spa,” Skalic jokes as she explains what I should expect before my treatment, and not long after she begins, I can feel my entire body melting in response to her targetted technique. 

The treatment I can't stop thinking about. Image: Supplied

The treatment, from start to finish

There’s a reason this innovative treatment cannot be performed in less than 2 hours. Every aspect requires deep concentration by Skalic, who herself is the only person qualified to perform the Zudo method at Atama. 

Just as she does with every first-time client, Skalic began the treatment with a serene welcome and consultation session, talking me through each component. Then, beginning the treatment with what she refers to as a ‘dry head spa’, the wellness expert started the first of many deep-tissue massage components. 

After releasing months of built-up tension around my neck, shoulders and scalp, I was guided into a reclining position for a continued – and more intense – neck and head massage. 

Cementing the elements of the treatment, Skalic performed an intricate scalp, hair and face cleanse, all while continuing her signature massage technique. Finally, I was treated to a relaxing towel bath on my scalp, before finishing off the session with a salon-quality blow dry. 

When Skalic tells me some of her clients have been brought to tears after experiencing this treatment, it’s not difficult to understand why. Image: Supplied

Passionate about helping people reconnect with the intricate aspects of their wellness, Skalic is proud to be bringing such a coveted treatment to Aussie shores, with plans to share her newly mastered craft with clients all over Australia. 

But in addition to helping Aussies take some much-needed time for themselves to relax and unwind, Skalic hopes the lengthening and tightening effects of the treatment – when performed correctly – will help foster an age-positive approach to looking and feeling our best. 

In an industry so often void of age positivity, Skalic’s holistic approach to wellness and beauty through her latest offering is a refreshing take on what it means to take care of ourselves. 

The treatment is available exclusively at Brisbane's Atama head spa. Image: Supplied

When Skalic tells me some of her clients have been brought to tears after experiencing this treatment, it’s not difficult to understand why. 

Through each pressure point and touch, I could feel my mind coming to a much-needed halt, leaving me with a sense of lightness and clarity that remained long after I left the appointment. In just two hours, the intensity of the deep-tissue massage counteracted years of working a desk job and staring at a screen for hours on end. 

The head spa treatment was far more than just an intricate massage or thorough hair and scalp cleanse. It was a timely reminder about the importance of taking the time to look after my body, mind and soul – something even someone in my line of work is guilty of overlooking when life gets busy.

If I could recommend one thing to my friends and family suffering from a bad case of burnout and stress, it’s this treatment.

Originally published as This world-renowned head spa method has landed in Australia