Bijin is in the airy health and beauty complex within the Kunlun Hotel on Huashan Lu. Old-timers might remember it as Beijing Hair Culture, once home to the one-name Matsume. It’s a classy space: glass doors and walls, stylish stylists and a mezzanine level with a high ceiling. The salon opened in 2003, and stylist Sun started in 2008 when he moved to Shanghai. The USP here is experience – Sun alone has been cutting hair for over twenty years, and stylists are rarely hired straight out of college – plus high-end products: Schwartzkopf colors and other brands from the US and Japan. Despite being in a hotel, Bijin clients are mostly expats who live in the area, rather than guests passing through. Their reputation has been built up through word-of-mouth and the trust of returning customers, who are mostly coming in for cuts, colors and perm treatments.