English Hair Salon Tokyo Review: What to Expect at Number76
Last Updated on October 29, 2025 by Audrey
Looking for a good English-speaking hair salon in Tokyo? Here's where I went and my tips!
When I visited Tokyo this year, one of my goals was to get my hair done in a Japanese hair salon. My friend got her hair done in Asia and had told me how much cheaper it was. Since getting a balayage or global bleach would run me $600-700 a visit in California, I decided to try going to a hair salon in Japan, and it was so worth it.
I got my hair double bleached and colored pink and red at Number76 in Shibuya, and it was one of the best things I did during my trip! But before my visit, I spent days researching which salon to go to.
Here’s all the hair details with a price breakdown, and why I recommend Number76 for your hair needs (total cost: $360)!
Pre-Visit Booking
I had grown my old balayage out for several months, so my hair was mostly virgin hair with some lightened blonde ends. I wasn’t really sure what I wanted for my new hair color, but I knew that since I was going to go to Japan, I wanted to do something fun and maybe a little crazy: super light and to cut bangs.
Mind you, I haven’t had bangs since high school. That was 11 years ago, and it was an oily sidebang mess. You can totally have bangs even with an oily forehead, by the way!
So I was looking for a hair salon in Tokyo that had proficient English speakers, balayage or global bleach options, and was good at cutting bangs. Many of them were located in Harajuku, my favorite fashion district that is a neighborhood in Shibuya.
Choosing Number 76
I spent days scouring Instagram and TikTok, and had a couple of other options that I’ll mention later in the post. I fell in love with two stylists from Number76, Yoshiatsu Iijima and Yurina Gomi, and ended up booking with Yurina Gomi. Honestly, I was a little anxious because she only spoke Japanese, but since the salon welcomes English speakers, I decided to take a chance.
Prices were already listed on their site, so I knew how much the visit would cost. I was able to book easily online about 1 month before the date and chose one day after I arrived, just in case there were delays getting to Tokyo.
I accidentally made a second appointment because I didn’t know if the first one went through, as the confirmation email was delayed by a few hours. If that happens to you, make sure to cancel the second appointment!
After that, it was just a waiting game!
Pro tip: I don’t recommend booking the same day you land or scheduling time-sensitive activities the same day. My appointment took 6 hours!
Number76 Hair Salon Experience
My appointment was at 11 AM, so I had breakfast with my boyfriend and then hopped on the train to Shibuya! Number76 is located on the second floor, with a cafe on the first.
As soon as I came in, the music was bumpin’ with really good American rap music. Someone greeted me right away, and I didn’t have to wait long at all. When I met my stylist Yurina, I immediately fell in love with how cute and nice she was! One of the other workers helped me translate what I wanted, and it was fine even with a language barrier.
We talked about what I wanted, and they warned me that I might not be as light as my inspo picture because my hair was so dark, which I kind of figured.
Then we (I mean, she) got to work and she cut my hair and bangs first. They already looked cute even before she styled them, so I knew I was right to get bangs done in Asia! She cut off about 5 inches (with consent) and told me it would help save a little money since they didn’t have to bleach as much hair.
Overall, the experience was amazing. Multiple stylists help work on you, so I was never left waiting when it was time to wash or bleach.
Everyone is super kind and nice, and I even bonded with one of them because we both love and have tattoos. There’s an iPad for games, small snacks, and a phone charger. They always covered my ears with little plastic ear covers, and they place an eye cover when they wash your hair so you can close your eyes in peace. They even gave me a head and shoulder massage!! What?!
How it turned out
In total, for a double global bleach and design color, it took a little over 6 hours. My hair lightened a lot with the first bleach, but not so much with the second, unfortunately.
My inspiration photo was two-toned, with pastel pink in the front and a vibrant red in the back.
The result was a lot lighter than expected, which I think was due to using warm water to wash my hair instead of cold water. My American stylist uses ice-cold water, which helps retain the color. While the warm water felt much nicer, I have a feeling that’s why it turned out so light. But I didn’t mind the red being lighter, and I think I actually prefer it over the vibrant red.
Hair Aftercare
The day after my appointment, we were out and about! I took a day trip to Yokohama, saw Mount Fuji, and did all the things to do in Tokyo.
Thankfully, my hair looked super beautiful during my entire Japan trip! The biggest problem I had was learning how to take care of my new bangs. I haven't had bangs for 11 years, remember?
I bought hair rollers from Yodabashi Camera (they have everything there), as well as red hair conditioner and a mini curler from Don Quijote to manage my new hair during my trip.
Fast forward to now, and I still have the same pink hair. I’m paying about $220-280 for root touch-ups back home in California. Yurina gave me 3 samples of hair treatment aftercare, too. I expected my hair to be pretty dead after all the turmoil I put it through, but surprisingly, it’s still healthy and super soft.
Hair Price Breakdown
So, what was I expecting to pay? Based on the online prices, I expected to pay around $250-$300. However, when I first booked the appointment, I thought I was going to get a balayage, but I ended up doing something totally different.
My total price was $370, not bad considering I picked a pricey ion hair treatment to protect my hair. This normally would have cost me $600+ in California, not including a tip.
👉 Pro tip: No need to tip your hairstylist in Japan! Tipping is not a custom and can even be seen as disrespectful at times.
Expected Cost Breakdown
- Design bleach: chest area: ¥17600
- Hair cut and Shampoo: ¥6,600
- Second bleach: ¥12,100
- Ion Protection treatment (Optional): ¥9900
Expected Cost: ¥46,200 or $320
Actual Cost Breakdown
- First Bleach: ¥12,100
- Second Bleach: ¥12,100
- Ion Treatment (Optional): ¥9900
- Hair cut and Shampoo: ¥6600
- Design Color: ¥15400
Actual Cost: ¥56,100 or $370
The reason for the discrepancy: they charged me less for the color because my hair was a lot shorter after the haircut. I also thought the Design Bleach was one combination, but they charge separately for bleaching and coloring.
Other Tokyo Salons
Here are some other places I was really interested in before I booked with Number76. I looked for salons that could do a balayage and fun colors, just in case I changed my mind about what I wanted, which I ended up doing!
- Luxen Hair: I don’t think they’re English speaker-friendly. I sent one of their hairstylists a DM on Instagram, but they didn’t reply. However, their balayages look amazing.
- Vicca Hair Salon: English-speaking friendly salon in Harajuku that does a lot of short hair styles and vibrant colors.
- BONDZSALON: I initially booked with Miyu for a balayage, but I didn’t see a ton of example photos, and the salon was a little out of the way from the city center. She speaks English, and the salon is internationally friendly.
- Baroque Tokyo: International hair salon in Omotesando, I didn’t book with them because I thought I wanted a balayage.
- P.S. Gemmie (formerly MEY Tokyo): English-speaking friendly salon that does a lot of textured layered hair cuts.
Japanese Hair Salon Booking Tips:
- Don’t book on the same day you land in Tokyo because you may end up missing your appointment
- Reserve the whole day for your appointment if you plan on double bleaching
- Bring a meal! My boyfriend ended up bringing my onigiri halfway through my appointment because I was starving. You can bring food as long as it’s not super smelly.
- Have Google Translate on hand just in case you have a question! I had a whole paragraph typed out, but I ended up not needing it since there were two English speakers in the salon.
- I recommend scoping out the salon and hairstylist you want on Instagram before making an appointment.
- Although I didn’t use it, some salons use the HotPepper app to book their appointments
Video of my hair experience
The Verdict: I Loved Going to a English Speaking Hair Salon in Tokyo!
I loved my experience with Yurina and totally recommend Number76! My entire experience was a blast, and I got to enjoy my brand-new hair for my entire trip in Japan. There were some bad bang days, but that was a me problem, really.
If you’re looking for an English-speaking hair salon and want a nice, sweet stylist who can do global bleach and balayage, and cut beautiful haircuts, this is the place for you.
Hope you enjoyed my review, and this is your sign to GET YOUR HAIR DONE IN TOKYO! So worth it! If you have any questions about my experience, feel free to email me at audrey@getlostinjapan.com or pop a comment down below! Happy traveling 🙂
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