Perfect for the aging masochist.
Although some would say they’re something to be proud of, it can be hard to resist the urge to pluck a pesky grey hair. In fact, most above a certain age would probably admit to surreptitiously pulling out a stray silver strand or two (or 10). Usually, it’d be in the privacy of a bathroom or bedroom—with any evidence quickly disposed of.
But what happens when the stray grays become a little too much to handle? Most people would probably decide to either dye their hair, or just admit defeat and embrace their new hair color—after all, grey hair is very in right now. However, there is another option—at least if you live near JR Akabane Station in northern Tokyo by the Tokyo border with Saitama Prefecture.
This “other option” is called Shiraganuki Honten (literally White Hair Plucking Main Store). Opened in September of last year, this establishment is a salon dedicated to the art of plucking grey hairs. Why pull them out yourself, when you can hand over your yen and have a stranger painstakingly pull them out for you?
宮城からお越しのお客様😃
このあとのEXILEのコンサート楽しんできてください!#白髪 #EXILE pic.twitter.com/hk0eXmMG9W
— shiraganuki (@shiraganuki) October 20, 2018
Translation of tweet above
“A Customer from Miyagi. Please enjoy yourself at the Exile concert [you went to after your plucking].”
Armed with a keen eye for signs of aging and some trusty tweezers, your professional plucker will work on you however long you need, or rather, however long you are willing to pay for.
Shiraganuki Honten has two main courses. Their 30 minute course will run you 3,980 yen (~$36 US), while a 60 minute session costs 7,480 yen (~$67 US). However, if you still want more time after an hour of plucking, then every additional 10 minutes will cost you 1,000 yen (~$9 US). For those on the fence about getting plucked, Shiraganuki Honten even offers a special discount for first-timers: 2,980 yen (~$27 US) for30 minutes.
As for how many white hairs you can expect to disappear during your visit, the Shiraganuki Honten website says that their employees pluck at a rate of 30-70 hairs every 10 minutes. Given all the plucking going on, it’s only natural to wonder if the plucking process is painful. The website tries to put people at ease by explaining that although it varies from person to person, most people say it is not painful. Nevertheless, if you do find it painful, don’t worry because you can call it quits at any moment.
Honestly, we’re not sure who asked for this, but if their Twitter page is anything to go by, it’s an idea that seems to have been embraced by some!
1/12 雪の降る東京へ、
福岡から出張の為お立ち寄りくださいましてありがとうございます。3ヶ月前からご予約ありがとうございます^_^
全体的に多く、目立つ箇所を中心に抜かせて頂きました。#白髪 #白髪抜き #赤羽 pic.twitter.com/Rn4IbwE7sS
— shiraganuki (@shiraganuki) January 12, 2019
Translation of tweet above
“Thank you for visiting us all the way from Fukuoka while on a business trip. Thank you for making your reservation a whole three months in advance. We plucked a lot of white hairs in easy to spot places.”
In a strangely satisfying move, the salon keeps track of how many grey hairs they’ve plucked from a customer via tweets. These tweets show images of plucked hair along with messages noting how many hairs were plucked. For example, one tweet says that one customer got a whopping 400 hairs plucked in one 60 minute sitting. One can only hope that this did not result in any bald spots.
本日は葛西からご来店ありがとうございます。
1時間掛けて前と後ろを400本抜きました😊 pic.twitter.com/KgYC8ITRJh— shiraganuki (@shiraganuki) December 24, 2018
Translation of tweet above
“Thank you for coming from Kasai. Over the course of an hour we plucked 400 hairs from the front and back [of this customer’s head].”
Oh, and what about the idea that plucking a grey hair causes two to grow back? That’s a myth, apparently—so that’s one less reason not to get your hair professionally plucked!
Shiraganuki Hoten Information
Shiraganuki Honten/Shiraganuki Main Store (白髪抜き本舗)
Located a five minute walk from Akabane Station
Address: 115-0045 Tokyo, Kita-ku, Akabane 1-29-8
〒115-0045 東京都北区赤羽 1-29-8
Open: Thursday-Sunday 10 a.m.-8 p.m. (last appointment: 9 p.m.), other days possible via special arrangement
Source: Shiraganuki Honten Official Website via SoraNews24
Image: Pixabay
