Must Try Seoul Experiences and Beauty Treatments
Seoul is packed with dreamy, picturesque experiences and genuinely pampering beauty treatments, and I am here for a whole week. On my first trip to Korea, I tried a little of everything: a personalized K-beauty makeover, hanbok rentals at the palace, caricatures, and more. Here are some of the standout experiences that I’d book or do again in a heartbeat.
Cafe Hopping, Shopping, and Beauty Treatments in Seoul
If there’s one place I’ve been dreaming of visiting for the past 5 years it is South Korea. If you know me, you know I love K-drama and have been collecting all the bucket-list items I have to do in Seoul. From some of the most unique traditional Korean restaurants to cafe hopping all over the city, this trip to Seoul was the peak of my Korean Drama dreams.
Many of you recommended these experiences for me to try, and I decided to do them all! These experiences made my experience in Seoul even more healing and truly unforgettable. If you’re planning a trip to Seoul, here are some that are worth checking out!
Experiences and Beauty Services To Try
Before my trip to Korea, everyone kept recommending these must-try experiences and I decided to do as many as I could. I booked a celebrity-style makeup lesson, rented a hanbok for a palace stroll, stepped into moody selfie booths, and even got a caricature drawn. Some were glam, some were silly, but each one made the trip feel personal, playful, and unforgettable.
Selfie Booths
Selfie studios in Seoul are small booths where you take stylized, high-quality selfies for cheap. They’re honestly everywhere, and have so many different themes! For a very minimal price, you can select your photo layout template and filters. Then, you take your photos in different poses, then add edits and stickers. The result is a little card with your 4 final images. Some booths also offer QR codes to save them on your phone.
Dom and I went to a different one almost every day. We even went to one of these selfie booths while dressed in a hanbok! It’s so much fun to create these shared memories!
Cute Personalized Portraits – Acorn Caricature
Our cutest souvenir might be the caricature we got drawn at Acorn Caricature in Ikseongdong. For 7000 won, you can get a personalized portrait in their unique cartoon style in 1 minute. To get a portrait, you first complete payment up front, then wait your turn. There’s a lot of comfy seating while you wait, but it only took 15 minutes wait to get to us.
We decided to get a caricature drawn of Dom and I together with Panther and Stormy added in. It’s another cute souvenir to remind us of the fun times we had this trip to Korea that I’ll definitely be hanging up on our wall! If you love personalized souvenirs and have a little to spare in Ikseongdong, come get your picture drawn!
Manicure – Artlab Nail Studio
I accidentally broke my nail, so I decided to get my nails done here in Seoul. Korean nail salons are known for their artsy designs and cleanliness. They often do clean, simple-looking designs that actually takes a lot of technique. Plus, a lot of them use allergen-free nail polish. Today, I headed to Artlab Nail Studio, located in Gangnam.
Korean nail salons, in particular, really know how to make the most beautifully minimal designs with precision. So, I had to get the blush nails that has been trending in Korea. Even if the style is minimal, she still put so much effort into making it super clean and beautiful. If you’re in Seoul and love getting your nails done in cute designs, I highly recommend trying a Korean manicure while you’re here!
Scalp Treatment – Moclock
Since we wanted to relax and treat ourselves a little, Dom and I decided to try our first ever scalp treatment together here in Korea. As someone who has always been super passionate about scalp health, getting a proper scalp treatment at Moclock here in South Korea was honestly a dream. For about $118 USD, the full scalp treatment process includes several steps: brushing, water spray, stick scaling, ozone steam, their signature shampoo and conditioner technique, microneedling, Volume Booster, and an LED treatment.
They start off with a super detailed scalp analysis using a tiny camera. It’s wild to see your scalp so close up, but also really really cool. Based on the result, they personalize the products used to your scalp. Luckily Don and I both had pretty healthy scalps! So, for today’s session the focus is on hair growth.
Next they start a deep cleanse and exfoliation that honestly felt like they were scrubbing every single layer of my stress away. It’s followed by the steam therapy, which put both Dom and I to sleep almost instantly. We were then woken up by the gentlest scalp massage and another round of deep cleaning. The treatment finished off with micro-needling and a nourishing serum to help encourage hair follicle growth.
This scalp treatment at Moclock was so relaxing Dom and I definitely slept the half of it. Our scalps felt so nourished and hydrated afterwards. Take some time to take care of your scalp with a full treatment the next time you’re in Korea. Your hair will thank you!
Personalized Korean Makeup Lessons – Hyemin At Jungnam
Since Korea is known for their makeup techniques and products, I treated myself to a personalized Korean makeup lesson in Seoul with a celebrity makeup artist Hyemin at Jungnam Salon. I’ve been wanting an update to that same makeup routine I’ve been doing for years.
I wished I booked this experience at the start of my trip instead of at the end, so I would know exactly what to look for while I was shopping. I usually hate getting my makeup done because I feel like it doesn’t come out right. However, she did such an amazing job! This lesson definitely taught me so much about enhancing my natural features.So, I absolutely recommend treating yourself to a lesson!
For more details about my makeup lesson and the products she used, click the button below to read more!
Hanbok Rental – Daehan Hanbok Gyeongbokgung
The last thing on my South Korea bucket list, and one that I was secretly most excited for was renting a hanbok and walking around the Gyeongbokgung Palace. There are hanbok rentals everywhere right by the palace, and we decided to go with Daehan Hanbok.
The whole process was really easy and really fast. They helped us choose matching couple’s style and color, got us dressed, did our hair, and somehow made the whole thing feel effortless and dreamy. She even did my hairstyle in less than 10 minutes!
You actually get free entry into the palace while wearing a hanbok, which made the whole experience feel even more special! Wearing a hanbok around the palace surrounded by history and beauty made me feel like I’m part of a historical K-drama. I’m not kidding when I say it ended up being one of the most magical things I have ever done. It’s just one of those core memories that I’m going to carry with me forever.
Join Me As I Eat My Way Through Seoul, Korea!
