Heya folks!
Thought I’d talk a bit about Seoul (from my previous trip in April) since I know many people are planning to visit Seoul soon during the holiday season! I’ll mostly focus on a few spots that we visited: and the first is Gangnam!
Gangnam is like the CBD (business district) of Singapore, and it is also the area where many people visit for plastic surgery.. Just a walk on the streets and you’ll see lots and lots of billboards and signages for plastic surgery clinics.. And also many people (both locals and tourists alike) all wrapped up with head bandages or wearing shades to disguise puffy post-operation eyes…. It’s practically a norm in Gangnam! Lol. So don’t be shocked or stare impolitely.
When you’re in Gangnam, you should visit Garosu-gil, which is the popular “Designer Street” and has got tons of little shops and many many cafes. Gangnam Underground Shopping Centre (at the metro) is another popular spot for locals to get cheap deals: There are lots of 10,000 won sale racks there!
For those looking for luxury shopping, go to Cheongdam and Apjujeong, but be warned that the prices there even for tiny boutiques can go up to hundreds of dollars!
***
Our hotel was situated about 15 minutes walk away from Gangnam Metro, and the first thing Evonne and I did when we arrived in Gangnam was to.. Get a shampoo and blow-dry. Haha!
Upon recommendation from a local staff from Etude House, we went to Juno Hair Salon, which is located outside Gangnam Metro 🙂
❤❤❤
Juno Hair
Gangnam 1 branch (준오헤어 강남1호점)
3/F Gangnam-gu, Yeoksam-dong 816-4 (강남구 역삼동 816-4)
+82 2 556 4605
www.junohair.com
Open Monday-Saturday 9:30 a.m.-9:50 p.m
❤❤❤
A quick google search got me the above address: It should be the right one! 🙂
In Seoul, most of the larger service-oriented places usually have 1-2 service staff that can speak either English or Mandarin, and fortunately for us, there was a lady at Juno Hair who was quite fluent in Mandarin, so we were able to communicate with them without much problems.
We were quoted 35,000 won for a wash and blow-dry (which my Korean friend later sounded indignant and shocked to hear.. She told me that for the locals it can be as cheap as 10,000 won? Not too sure about that, but I did visit a small salon on my last trip which quoted me 25,000 won) and both of us decided to go for it.. Chio Korean-esque hair, yes please!
The salon was huge and we were led to place our belongings in a locker, before being helped into a robe (similar to the kind you get in our spas and massage parlours) and brought to the hair-wash area.
The chair is automated!
My hair wash was pretty good, it was long, intensive and thorough! Would have hoped for a bit more of a neck massage but ah well. Good enough!
Unlike in Singaporean salons where customers sit wherever there are seats, each hairstylist has a designated spot 🙂 My hairstylist was a sweet Korean lady: her name is Shim Sol Lip, if you’re interested to look for her at Juno Hair!
What Evonne and I both agreed upon was the meticulousness of our hairstylists, every single strand of hair was blow-dried into position with care, and even up to the point when we were about to leave the salon, my hair stylist was still adjusting my hair for me!
Evonne’s gorgeous curls
We were told that the toilet was best for camwhoring hahahaha so how could we disagree? ;D
I was given soft Korean curls that were carefully and lovingly tonged in place… Very impressive experience in terms of service and skill, so two thumbs up to Juno Hair for that! Despite the expensive price tag that came with it…. 😛
I’ve also noticed that the bigger hair salons such as Juno Hair even serve up drinks and have pastries/cakes available for their customers, they really go all out to pamper their customers!
Another view of the huge salon.
Evonne and I, with our freshly done up hair!
And this is my adorable hair stylist, Shim Sol Lip! (Ok, I’m not even sure which is her first name or last name)
Some of the very friendly and lovely staff at Juno Hair. Thanks for the awesome service! Evonne and I even went back a couple of days later for another shampoo and blow-dry because the experience was so good! 🙂
❤❤❤
One of the cafes that I’ve enjoyed the most in Seoul is Caffe Bene, and you’ll find different branches located everywhere in Seoul!
We stumbled upon a small branch right next to the Urban Hive at Gangnam, and walked in to an enticing display: it was so tough to decide what to order!
Looks so good, right?