Follically challenged customers of Hotel Tetora in Japan are being offered a ‘baldy’ discount after cleaners had been complaining about the amount of mess that was left behind by customers who still had their hair. Cleaners had found that customers with hair were leaving behind clumps of hair in the hotel washbasins, bath and shower drains
A survey from 2011 found that Japan appeared to have the higher amount of bald men than in any other Asian country. The hotel quickly used these statistics to their benefit and has begun to offer a discount of five hundred yen per night, to any customer who is judged as balding by the staff on the front desk. Although the discount is not actually advertised, the policy has quickly spread by word of mouth amongst Japanese men.
Where did the idea come from?
The president of the Tetora chain in Japan is actually a bald man himself, who perhaps in sympathy to his fellow balding citizens came up with the clever idea. In fact, it was actually conceived two years ago and has been such a hit that the company now has a bald mascot, which is fashioned after the company’s president himself.
Naturally, some customers do feel apprehensive about having their hair loss judged by some strangers at the hotels front desk; however the cleaning staffs actually claim there is less hair to clean up after a bald customer – which is definitely worth the five hundred yen discount per night!
Many foreigners have felt that this was an excellent marketing promotion for the small hotel chain, and should be something that every business in the UK should be implementing immediately. However if you’re feeling too shy to accept the discount on the basis of your thinning hair, perhaps you could consider scalp micro pigmentation (SMP) as a compromise?
What is SMP?
SMP is a permanent hair loss procedure which creates the look of a buzz cut. Pigments are deposited onto the scalp with stunningly realistic results. For more information about SMP, speak to a hair loss expert about what the procedure is and whether it would be suitable for you.