Buddy & Membership
The same butler, as often as you wish.
About Buddy & Membership
A Buddy is a butler at The Salon who serves you time after time, who comes to know your tastes and the meaning of your silences, until he or she feels almost a part of yourself. Membership is a system whereby a month's hours are paid for in advance and used in units of one hour.
With a Buddy, what changes on your next visit?
A relationship with a Buddy is one in which what was learned last time flows into the manner of the next service. How quickly the door is opened, how strong the tea, the pause before speaking in the study, the moment a lap blanket is offered by the fire. The more time you share with the same butler, the more your smallest preferences are understood before you put them into words.
There is no need to settle on a single butler from the start. You may visit the Manor as a Bronze member or a visitor, be attended by butlers who differ in gender, age and particular strengths, and then, at Silver or above, name your Buddy. The butlers of Queen's Butler, a general incorporated association, each remain at your side according to their own judgement.
Membership at Queen's Butler is not a system for competing over the number of visits. Please first consider how many hours you need, and how far you wish to deepen your relationship with one butler. Whether you spend regular time at the Manor, or extend service to your travels and your home, will change which rank suits you.
Read more about what a Buddy is
How do the four ranks differ in monthly fee, hours and priority booking?
| Rank | Monthly fee | Hours granted | Priority booking | Buddy | Service beyond the Manor | Places |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | ¥110,000 (incl. tax) | 16 hours | 14 days ahead | Butler of the day | — | 10 |
| Silver | ¥200,000 (incl. tax) | 32 hours | 21 days ahead | Named | — | 4 |
| Gold | ¥380,000 (incl. tax) | 48 hours | 30 days ahead | Named | Chauffeured pick-up twice a month; butler visit once a month | 2 |
| Platinum | ¥900,000 (incl. tax) | 64 hours | 45 days ahead | Dedicated contract; fixed weekly slot | Unlimited chauffeured pick-up (to and from 5 locations); butler visit twice a month | 1 |
Monthly fees are shown inclusive of tax. Hours and frequencies are upper limits; should a butler's availability not allow your request, we will propose an alternative date.
Start from the rank closest to the relationship you have in mind
Bronze, for those beginning to visit the Manor
16 hours a month, priority booking from 14 days ahead. A first step, in which you meet several butlers and discover how you like to spend your time.
Read more
Silver, for those who wish to name a Buddy
32 hours a month, priority booking from 21 days ahead. The same butler comes to know your tastes, and each visit continues from the last.
Read more
Gold, for those extending service beyond the Manor
48 hours a month, priority booking from 30 days ahead. Includes chauffeured pick-up twice a month, companions free of charge, 20% off additional use, and a butler visit once a month.
Read more
Platinum, for those binding their calendar closely to one butler
64 hours a month, priority booking from 45 days ahead. A dedicated contract, a fixed weekly slot, unlimited chauffeured pick-up, a nameplate, and a butler visit twice a month. One place only.
Read moreIf in doubt, choose your rank in these five steps
Come to know the Manor
If this is your first time, we suggest a visitor's stay, from the door to the farewell. Judge for yourself the atmosphere of the house and the distance the butler keeps.
Consider the hours you need each month
Choose from 16, 32, 48 or 64 hours the amount you can use without strain. Unused hours ordinarily do not carry over to the following month.
Consider whether you wish for the same butler
If you enjoy the encounter of the day, Bronze; if you wish to name the same butler as your Buddy, Silver or above.
Consider service beyond the Manor
If you would like chauffeured pick-up or butler visits included, please look at what Gold and Platinum offer.
Build your preferred dates
Check when priority booking opens for each rank, and let us know several candidate dates. Priority booking is not a guarantee that a date and time will be secured.
Choosing by what matters most to you makes the differences between ranks clear
| What matters most | Suitable rank | Why | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visiting the Manor regularly | Bronze | Begin with 16 hours a month and be attended by several butlers | Priority booking from 14 days ahead; 10 places |
| A relationship with the same butler | Silver | Name a Buddy and share 32 hours a month with the same butler | Priority booking from 21 days ahead; 4 places |
| Companions and service beyond the Manor | Gold | Includes chauffeured pick-up, companions free of charge, discounted additional use and butler visits | Priority booking from 30 days ahead; 2 places |
| A fixed day and a dedicated butler | Platinum | A dedicated contract and a fixed weekly slot, with fuller service beyond the Manor | Priority booking from 45 days ahead; 1 place |
What all ranks share
- Hours are purchased in advance and used in units of one hour
- A butler attends you at the Manor from greeting to farewell
- The Manor is used by one party, and parties of up to six may be discussed
- Preferences regarding our male and female butlers may be given when booking
- Only hours for which a booking could not be accepted owing to the Manor's own circumstances may be carried over, once, to the following month
What we cannot accept or guarantee
- Carrying ordinary unused hours over to the following month
- Any guarantee that applying when priority booking opens will secure your preferred date and time
- Use of the Manor unattended
- Meals served by the Manor
What is added as the rank rises
- Silver and above: naming a Buddy
- Gold and above: chauffeured pick-up, companions free of charge, discounted additional use, butler visits
- Platinum: a dedicated contract, a fixed weekly slot, a nameplate, and fuller service beyond the Manor
A continuing relationship of service beyond the Manor proceeds to a butler contract
A butler contract is an arrangement, separate from membership at the Manor, whereby a Buddy you have grown fond of serves you on a continuing basis at your home or elsewhere. The butler visits included in Gold and Platinum are attendance for a set number of occasions and hours. A butler contract, which builds a role around your daily life, differs in both purpose and terms.
Please consult us when, having deepened the relationship with your Buddy at the Manor, you wish for continuing service at home as well. Fees and details are discussed on enquiry. The butlers able to undertake a butler contract are limited, and not every butler named as a Buddy can proceed to one.
Begin within the Manor by observing how your butler speaks, holds a silence and handles the objects in his or her care. Trust is not decided by a table of privileges alone; it grows from service given time after time.
A butler contract with your Buddy
QIf I apply on the day priority booking opens, will I be sure of my preferred date and time?
No. Priority booking is the point from which we begin to take your requests; it is not a guarantee of a date and time. Should a butler's availability not allow it, we will propose an alternative date.
QCan unused hours be carried into the following month?
Ordinary unused hours expire at the end of the month. Only hours for which a booking could not be accepted owing to the Manor's own circumstances may be carried over, once, to the following month. They cannot be carried over again.
QFrom which rank may I name a Buddy?
From Silver upwards. For Bronze members and visitors, we take your wish as a preference and guide you according to who is on duty that day.
QMay I have a female butler as my Buddy?
Yes; both male and female butlers are on our staff. We will discuss the butler you have in mind while confirming rapport and availability.
QIs there a separate charge for chauffeured pick-up?
Gold includes chauffeured pick-up twice a month and Platinum unlimited, as privileges of each rank. A butler drives a black Alphard, limited to journeys between the Manor and five locations such as Tokyo Teleport Station. Pick-ups beyond the included number are confirmed on booking. There are days when the vehicle is unavailable.
QHow many hours does an overnight stay use?
Overnight stays are for one guest only and use 16 hours each. As each rank has a monthly limit, please consider this alongside your other planned visits.
About members' reservations
- Hours and visits are upper limits; depending on butlers' availability we may be unable to accept a reservation, in which case we will propose alternative dates
About your Buddy
- A Buddy agreement depends on the butler's availability and requires the consent of both parties. We cannot guarantee that an agreement will be made
- Only some of our butlers are able to enter into a butler agreement
You may also wish to read
Choosing your Buddy
How to judge rapport, and how to think about moving from naming a butler to a butler contract.
Read more
Prices at The Salon
Compare visitor, overnight stay and membership prices in one place.
Read more
Your first visit to The Salon
From the greeting at the door to the farewell: the course of a first visit.
Read more
First come to know the Manor and its butlers, then choose the rank that suits you
Tell us the hours you need each month, your wishes regarding a Buddy, and whether you would like service beyond the Manor, and we will let you know current availability.