A butler's hands writing a letter of guidance in the Study

The Salon — Guide

The Salon Guide

Your first visit, etiquette, overnight stays and choosing a Buddy

Queen's Butler — Definition

About The Salon Guide

The Salon Guide is a collection of articles written by our butlers, so that you may learn how to spend your time and observe the etiquette before you visit the Queen's Butler Manor. From arrival to farewell, the silver bell, overnight stays and choosing a Buddy, you can pick an article by the questions that arise before booking.

If this is your first time, which article should you read first?First reading

Start here

Worries about the day dissolve in the order in which it unfolds

A first visit to Queen's Butler is not an experience you must master the etiquette to enter. Your butler receives you at the double doors, takes your coat and luggage, and leads you to your seat and your first cup of tea. Read how the day unfolds first, and you will see when to ask what.

Your everyday clothes are perfectly suitable. Nothing need be brought; only those who wish to bring books or refreshments should do so. Our butlers will tell you on the spot when to ring the bell and how to receive your cup.

If your questions before booking concern the fees or the nature of the Manor, please do not rely on the guide alone but also consult our FAQ and fees pages. This list centres on articles that explore the settings and the ways of choosing in depth.

Read about your first day

A butler awaiting a first-time guest in the gallery

First three

Three articles to read first

A butler welcoming a guest in the gallery

First visit

Your First Day at the Salon

From the moment the doors open to your farewell, confirming what to bring, what to wear and how to ask your butler.

Hands receiving a cup from a white-gloved butler

Manners

Salon Etiquette Q&A

How to address your butler, how to use the silver bell and how to receive your tea, answered question by question. Not a test of correctness, but a guide so that a first-time guest need never pause.

Difference

The Salon and the Butler Café

The differences set out by nature: a Manor reserved for one party, genuine butlers, and no meals served.

Reading map

Choose an article by the question on your mind

The Dining Room: yew table and chairs beneath the chandelier

What you wish to know	Article to read	What you will learn
Unsure how the day unfolds	Your First Day at the Salon	Arrival, luggage, tea, the bell, farewell
Not confident about etiquette	Salon Etiquette Q&A	Forms of address, the bell, receiving tea
Curious about a night at the Manor	A Day of an Overnight Stay	Evening to morning, how your butler waits, the keys
Wish to choose the same butler	Choosing Your Buddy	Compatibility, requests, the path to a butler contract
Wish to visit alone	Time of Your Own in Odaiba	The reassurance and quiet of time alone
Curious how it differs from other forms	The Salon and the Butler Café	Private hire, butlers, the Manor, refreshments

How do you find the way of spending time that suits you?Going deeper

Read deeper

Three articles on time and relationships, considered in depth

A butler bringing morning tea to the bedroom

Late stay

A Day of an Overnight Stay

From the evening lamps to morning tea, a night in which your butler waits and keeps the door.

Buddy

Choosing Your Buddy

Considering the butler you will choose again and again, by compatibility in conversation, distance and anticipation.

Solo

Time of Your Own in Odaiba

The quiet time alone that only a Manor reserved for one party, with a butler in residence, can offer.

A butler taking a top hat from the hat stand in the dressing room

Guide words

What the words in these articles mean

Butler	The one who receives you at the Manor, serves, watches over you and sees you off. Both gentlemen and ladies serve as our butlers
Buddy	A Buddy is the butler you choose again and again, who aims to read your intentions as though part of yourself
Apprentice	A participant in the Apprentice Butler Experience, who wears the butler's uniform and tries the bearing and the handling of the tools
Morning coat	Formal daywear; a full set may be worn in the Apprentice Butler Experience
My Lady	How your butler addresses the guest served at the Manor
Overnight stay	A booking for one guest only, spending the night from 20:00 until 9:00 the following morning

Reading route

How to use the articles from booking to the day itself

The Dining Room table with candlesticks and red curtains

Choose one concern

Decide what concerns you most: dress, etiquette, the overnight stay, your Buddy. If there are several, it is enough to read them one at a time, starting with the nearest to the day.

Read the matching article

Choose one from the table and confirm the conclusion and the picture of the day first.

Check fees and conditions

Confirm your preferred hours, party size and booking period on the fees page.

Fill in with the FAQ

Short answers on what you may bring, the keys, butler preferences and so on.

Write your wishes on the form

Send your butler the way of spending time that caught your eye, together with your preferred date and time. Mentioning the article's name lets your butler confirm precisely which setting you have in mind.

What this guide tells you

The basic course of a visit, from arrival to farewell
Guidance on the silver bell, tea, dress and what to bring
How to think about overnight stays and choosing a Buddy
The difference between time alone and time with others in a Manor reserved for one party

What we confirm with you individually

Whether the Manor or a butler is available on your preferred date and time
Which butler attends you; we confirm availability before advising
Whether particular items or changes on the day can be accommodated

QAs a first-time guest, must I read every article?

Not at all. Read how the day unfolds first, then only the etiquette or fees that concern you.

QMust I spend my time exactly as the articles describe?

There is no need. The articles offer options and guidance, and if your mood changes on the day, simply tell your butler. It is your butler's role to read your breathing and the pauses in conversation, and to find the distance that suits the day.

QMay I visit without knowing the etiquette?

Yes. We ask no set behaviour for the silver bell or for receiving tea; your butler explains what is needed briefly on the spot. If you are unsure of a movement, simply pause and look towards your butler.

QWhich article suits a visit alone?

Please begin with Time of Your Own in Odaiba. It describes in detail the quiet of private hire and the reassurance of a butler in residence.

QWhat should I read before choosing a Buddy?

Read Choosing Your Buddy to learn how to judge compatibility, then compare the request conditions and the four ranks on the Buddy and membership pages. Requesting the same butler on a continuing basis is a privilege of Silver membership and above.

QWhat if I still cannot decide after reading?

On the reservation form, leave the way of spending time to us and tell us only your purpose and anything you would rather avoid. Your butler will propose something to suit your hours and party size.