The capital of South Korea is a beauty lover’s playground, where centuries-honed medicinal practices are utilised alongside the most cutting-edge tech. It’s the birthplace of snail mucin serums, sheet masks and skin boosters such as the Rejuran Healer, famous for being a shortcut to luminous “glass skin” – an aesthetic that has made K-beauty a global phenomenon.
Unlike in the UK, treatments are seen as essential maintenance rather than vanity, so the numerous spas and clinics are constantly innovating. Plus, there’s a neighbourhood to suit every tribe of beauty lover; Gangnam and Apgujeong are the places to know for high-end clinics, while Seongsu is packed with trendy flagship stores and pop-ups.
A major draw for the ever-growing number of medical tourists is the fact that most treatments cost around 30 to 50 per cent less than in the UK, Europe and the US – and many aren’t even available outside of South Korea yet.
The sheer volume of what’s on offer can be a minefield (I’ve been down the BeautyTok rabbit hole to prove it), but many beauty destinations offer assessments and diagnosis before treatments to make them hyper-personalised, and this is a large part of what makes them so effective.
Dr Christine Hall, GP, aesthetic specialist and K-beauty expert based at the Taktouk Clinic in London, explains: “You can have your skin or scalp analysed; you can look at hydration, pigmentation, elasticity. So much technology is used to understand exactly what you need rather than just giving everyone the same solution.”
I visited Seoul this spring and after dedicating half my trip to exploring the beauty scene, here are five experiences I’d recommend for your first visit.
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1. A seshin (traditional body scrub)
One of my favourite beauty experiences in South Korea was heading to a traditional bathhouse, or jjimjilbang. They’re a popular third space for groups of family and friends, and many are open 24/7; ideal when you’re adjusting to the eight-hour time difference.
They are often cavernous, with a network of steam rooms and pools for contrast therapy, as well as salt rooms and charcoal saunas, and some even have bars, games rooms or restaurants.
Be sure to book in for an authentic body scrub known as a seshin. It’s not for the faint-hearted, as every bit of dry skin will be sloughed from your body while you lie on a massage table – but you’ll leave with the silkiest skin of your life.
I recommend women-only Spa Lei in Gangnam (entry from around £8, and scrubs for £22.50); or Paradise City CIMER in Incheon, close to the airport, which has six floors, including one with a virtual spa room with changing LED scenery.
2. Lymphatic drainage massage
Booking a spa appointment as close as possible to my plane’s touchdown time was one of the best decisions I made when organising my trip to Seoul. I’d correctly predicted that I’d be jet-lagged, achey, and look a tad puffy after a day spent travelling, so I had booked in for a facial and aroma body treatment, including full-body lymphatic massage (around £130 for 90 minutes) at Art de la Peau in Myeongdong.
Korean therapists are known for their skills in deep tissue lymphatic massage techniques, encouraging lymph flow with acupressure and TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) principles. It might not be super relaxing, but the results will speak for themselves.
After my treatment – which also included toning with a plasma device and a modelling vitamin mask – I left looking more sculpted, feeling lighter, and my skin had a mirror-like shine.
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3. In-depth scalp treatment
In South Korea, hair and scalp care are taken as seriously as skincare. Head spas, broken down into 12, 18 or even 21 steps, are among the city’s most viral treatments, and I went to EcoJardin salon’s tourist-friendly flagship in northwest Seoul for the 18-step version (£190).
It starts with a trichology assessment under a digital microscope. Then once your scalp is diagnosed, your therapist will carry out everything from cupping on your upper back to a personalised oil regime on your scalp – and the most Instagrammed step: wearing a mushroom-like cap, inflated by steam to open the hair follicles. After your hair is blow-dried and perfectly coiffed, you’ll be shown your scalp up close again – now miraculously clean and shiny.
Hair cuts cost around 40 per cent less in Seoul than in major UK cities, so consider adding one to your appointment. Or you could try a digital perm – the treatment that gives K-pop stars their impossibly shiny, permanently bouncy hair.
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4. Personal colour analysis
Another experience you’ve likely seen all over Instagram, and which feels quintessentially Korean, is a colour analysis. During a consultation, your skin tone, hair colour and eye colour are all analysed against “seasons” of colours, and an expert will deem which most suits you. It’s a fun dress-up experience that might reveal the beauty holy grail: your perfect shade of lipstick, or explain why a trending colour washes you out.
As Dr Hall explains: “For example, I’m a ‘winter deep’ – meaning navy, burgundy and black are my best colours.” She recommends cool-toned makeup, silver jewellery and ash tones for my hair.
In larger branches of the prolific chemist and beauty mecca Olive Young, makeup is often organised by colour categories or seasons – so it can be useful to have one before you shop. The N Seongsu flagship branch offers them for free – arrive early to secure a slot for the same day. Colorize Store in buzzy Myeondong is also a very popular option (£80).
5. The full glow-up experience
Seoul’s beauty scene is famously overwhelming in scale and scope, so outsourcing a schedule of appointments to the experts is not just a luxury, but a shrewd move in terms of making the most of the timeframe you have, and getting the cadence correct. You’ll also be provided with a translator on site to remove any language barrier.
As well as the best massages, facials, hair treatments and skin analysis, a beauty concierge can make bespoke recommendations for tweakments or medical procedures if desired, ensuring the clinics match your budget and goals.
Whether you’re interested in Rejuran (the super popular rejuvenating Polynucleotide derived from salmon DNA), or pioneering non-surgical skin-tightening treatments such as Xerf or Oligio, experts such as Jennifer Seo, founder of Aneue Concierge, try all of the treatments themselves.
“I look for partners with a great artistic eye, creating natural and youthful outcomes with their procedures,” she explains. Itineraries with white glove service start from £1,122.
Hayley was a guest of Art de la Peau; her stay was hosted by Virgin Atlantic and Mondrian
How to get there
Virgin Atlantic operates direct daily flights from London Heathrow to Incheon International Airport, starting at £889 economy. Flight time is around 12-13 hours.
Where to stay
The Mondrian Seoul Itaewon is a colourful, design-led stay within easy reach of Gangnam and central neighbourhoods. B&B rates, which include an extensive continental breakfast spread, start at £200 for a Signature King Room.
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