We Tried It: A caviar (yes, caviar) hair treatment
What it is: The Kérastase Chronologie Caviar Ritual at the Red Door Spa, where “breakthrough caviar pearl technology” infused with antioxidants and vitamins is meant to strengthen and nourish the hair
Who tried it: Zoë Ruderman, Deputy Director, Style & Beauty
Why I did it: The treatment promises smoother, glossier hair (I don’t know any woman who wouldn’t want that) and keeps cuticles closed, plus it involves a scalp massage (again, who wouldn’t want that?)
Level of difficulty: The hardest thing was not falling asleep during the massage part of the treatment (clearly, this is an issue for me)
Courtesy Zoë Ruderman
Going for a caviar hair treatment sounds like one of those things only the diva-iest of the divas do (like demanding that someone separate their M&Ms by color or bathing in water bottled in Fiji). And while I’m not a diva nor will I ever be one (don’t have the voice or the acting chops), I wanted to know what it felt like to be one, if only for an hour. So I booked an appointment at the Red Door Spa in Union Square, N.Y.C.
The treatment started with a shampoo, during which I managed to stay awake despite a lovely scalp massage. Then I was brought over to the chair where my single-serving packet of caviar awaited. Now, to be clear, these aren’t actual fish eggs. The sealed packages house little beads that look like caviar or big pearls, but are filled with a “high concentration of antioxidants and vitamins.” My stylist towel-dried my hair then mixed a creamy substance (I found out later it’s Chronologist, a conditioner-like product that further nourishes strands) into the beads.
Courtesy Zoë Ruderman
She applied the mixture to my hair, massaging it into my scalp and right down to my (split) ends. After wrapping me up in foil and a headband, she put me under a heated dryer for 10 minutes then rinsed out my “cav” and blew dry my hair.
Apart from the relaxing massage, it wasn’t much different than a typical blowout. Well, I thought it wasn’t. Then I stepped outside the salon and ran my fingers through my hair. It felt soft. Like, really soft. And when I carefully examined my reflection in a window (what? I’m a diva, divas are allowed), I noticed that my split ends were was less offensive than when I’d walked into the salon.
That night my boyfriend even told my hair looked really shiny and felt really soft. (In all frankness, I had prefaced that with, “Feel my hair. Doesn’t it look really shiny and feel really soft?”) And it did — and not just until my next shampoo. After more than a dozen shampoos, it’s still got that post-caviar look and feel.
The Verdict: Let’s put it this way. I was so happy with how my hair looked that I took what I believe to be my very first selfie (see: above). Man, I’m turning into such a diva.
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