Japanese Hair Salon Defi - Boston, Massachusetts

Kathryn L

This is my favorite salon to go to. I always feel taken care of. I’ve worked with both stylists and they are both pros and they always give me advice on hair care!! The head message is so relaxing. Can’t wait to go back!

Samantha Anderson

I’ve been going here for 1.5 years and have been immensely pleased every appointment! Jack is my main stylist (cut, bleach, and henna), and he always does a phenomenal job! Hikaru does my tsuya mizu and not only can I feel the difference on my scalp, but it’s so relaxing that I almost fall asleep in the chair every time. ? Honestly, everyone here is wonderful, caring, helpful, and so creative. I can’t wait for my next appointment - highly recommend Salon Defi!!

Xin Zhang

I came here for perm and it was beautifully done. Since I had to book the appointment online, I wasn’t sure which perm service I should book because the description was very vague. I would recommend they give detailed explanations on differences between options. The hair stylist was super nice and welcoming. After our chat on what kind of perm I want, she suggested a different perm option and we went with it. She was patient and always ready to answer my questions. I would definitely come back.

Graciela Nunez

I have been going to this quality salon over a span of 6 years. I have travelled the world and have gotten incredible cuts in many countries. Jack does it best. His attention to detail and execution is unmatched. He spends the time to work around my strict parameters for what I like and always delivers a haircut that is low maintenance and grows out beautifully over time. I have long, fine hair and I have had terrible experiences in other Boston salons where too much is taken off, whether in length or layering. Leaving me with a thinning look. This never happens with Jack. He always nails a fresh look for me but keeps the integrity of my volume and length every time. I have been to some of the best salons in Boston as I have lived here for 15 years and I will now not go anywhere else. The hair wash is always perfect temp and thorough as he never rushes into anything.He is talented as he is honest about what works for my face and length, which I value immensely. I highly recommend him as well as his salon. You won't regret it.

anna m

I am very satisfied by the service I got at Salon Defi. Jack performed the Japanese straightening to my hair with great success! I was hesitant because by age and repeated coloring my hair had lost its natural wavy form and became unruly, frizzy, inconsistent (one time a product could work the next not) and distressed. Jack is experienced and the treatment he did was totally successful for my hair. And now my hair is nice and straight and smooth and manageable. A very big thank you! Also the employee who washed my hair and the other one who helped Jack were both polite and very likable.

Phan Alice

I have a great experience at Salon Defi! Takashi performed single hair color, cut, and treatment for me. He is very professional, meticulous and he paid great attention to details. He made sure that he understood my expectation of the hair color, and he did a great job consulting me for the cut (my bangs, adding more layers to my hair). He’s extremely gentle and careful during the hair treatment process as well. While I was the last customer in store on a Sunday, Takashi made sure that I did not feel like he was rushing to finish the day. Overall, I really enjoyed the experience!

Rebecca Lee

Amazing Salon! I just love the fact that every time I went in, I knew that I would come out feeling like the best of myself! Chika and Jack San give the most sophisticated, elegant and chic hairdos! Our entire family only go to them for haircuts, perms and colouring! Why risk it when you know you will be pampered by the best?! The salon is tastefully decorated, always meticulously clean, the hospitality is so welcoming and indulging! The staff just cannot be more helpful! Thank you Salon Defi! The world needs more consistency and standards like you provide! ?❤️

Normande Pierre-Louis

Getting japanese straightening done here was a fantastic experience! I have 4C natural hair and had asked multiple salons in the area if they could do this perm for me, salon Defi was the only one that was confident and said they could it, the other one that said yes was too far away (Hair's Talent). The person I spoke to over email was very kind and explained the process well to me. I was nervous at some point that they may not be able to do it, since so many salons had said no, but after the in person consultation Jack(Arata) was able to properly assess my hair to decide the best process for this perm. The salon has a very calming atmosphere and everyone I met was so kind.
When I came in for my appointment I'm pretty sure every hair stylist did my hair ?I had about 3-4 people helping Jack do my hair (Chika, Takashi, and the assistants) , considering it is 4C, more hands were needed to help remove tangles and apply the perm solution. Everyone had gentle hands and I appreciate their help.

Jack is very skilled in this process, I was already aware of that due to his experience from years of doing straight perms and doing other's hair similar to mine, but I knew he was extremely skilled when I watched the process of how he applied the solution to create a gradient of straightness so that my line of demarcation near the scalp wouldn't be too much of a stark difference, it's hard to explain this without photos, the final look is still very straight, but as someone who had this perm before, I can tell that the professional way Jack did the perm will protect my hair from breaking. It was fun talking to the woman who shampooed my hair (the head spa treatment is so relaxing and is a great massage by the way). It was also fun talking to Jack and Chika about the process as they were completing each step.

To keep this review short, I'd say my only concern was the hair cutting part, since not all the damage ends were cut off, but this is no concern since Jack has said it was to preserve length. Plus, it can always be cut during the next visit.

I paid about 800-850$ before tip for slightly under 6 hours, but keep in mind in order to get the best results I needed to do keratin treatment, either way, it was worth every dollar and will probably take less time for touchups.
I'm on day 2 now since the perm and look forward to being able to wash my hair and use the treatment they gave me.

Thank you to everyone at Japanese Salon Defi who was a part of this process, especially Jack, the hair stylist in charge of my hair perm. I look forward to to being a regular customer. 🙂