Head spa opens in New Mexico

The spa asks customers to get familiar with their scalp.

Tracy Nguyen recently opened Moc Head Spa, which focuses on scalp treatments. Nguyen is originally from Vietnam, and when she visits the country one of her first stops is at a head spa. So, she decided to open a business that offers the service in Albuquerque. The spa, which she says is the first head spa in the state, opened last week at 10131 Coors NW.

“There are so many head spas in Asia,” said Nguyen.

She joked that nobody knows what their scalp looks like. Her spa is not about beauty; it is about taking care of yourself, she said.

“We take care of the hubbies, the kids, the parents, the sister, brother, we take care of the whole community,” said Nguyen.

When a customer goes to her spa, the first treatment is a scalp examination. They walk past the main ream to a back room where there are seats similar to a hair salon, but instead of a vanity in front of the chair, there is a monitor with a camera attached by a long cord.

A staff member, such as Elisana Bltran, sits a customer down and explains that she will use the camera to look at the customer’s scalp up close.

“There is nothing like knowing your scalp,” Bltran said.

She puts the camera right up to the client’s head, gently moving it to the left, right and back. The monitor shows a live feed of exactly what is on the client’s scalp for customers to view.

She said one of the most common problems in New Mexico is dandruff from dry scalp, especially for people who moved here recently. She also helps people who have oil and residue build up as well as thinning hair.

Depending on a client’s problem, she would recommend certain shampoos and conditioners as well as different massages and light treatments. The therapies start at around $100.

“This is a health need,” said Nguyen.

That is why when her landlord told her a hair salon was moving out of the shopping center, she jumped at the chance to open up something unique in its absence, Moc Hair Spa.

Nguyen is also the owner of Goldust Nail Lounge, a nail salon in the same shopping center as her new spa.

Being an entrepreneur was not what Nguyen thought she was going to do with her life when she moved to America 15 years ago.

She was offered a scholarship at the University of New Mexico and ended up graduating as a nurse. She worked at Presbyterian Hospital for eight years but needed a break after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Just because she left being a nurse behind doesn’t mean her nursing perspective doesn’t affect her work. Now that the spa is open, her next goal is to work with cancer patients.

“They lose their hair, you know,” Nguyen said. “Those patients need attention for their scalp.”