My Korean Haircut

Yesterday, I decided to suck it up and go for a haircut here in Korea because I was starting to look homeless. I was incredibly nervous because I have a hard enough time getting a decent haircut in New Jersey, where the stylists speak the same language as me.

I found a picture I liked and saved it on my phone. Originally, I had wanted to try a salon called Toni and Guy downtown, but you have to call ahead and book an appointment, which I really couldn’t be bothered to do. Instead, I decided to walk around my neighborhood and try and find someplace.

One salon closed. Two salons closed. Three salons closed.

Finally, when I had nearly given up hope, I saw a salon called Jeunesse Hair. The doors were open and there were signs outside. I walked upstairs to the second floor and found a lovely little salon. There was one other woman getting her hair colored. So, in my extremely basic Korean, I asked for a haircut while using my hands like a pair of scissors. The two stylists smiled and led me to a chair where I showed one the picture on my phone. She smiled and started touching my hair.

I had never had a haircut quite like this before. First of all, she cut it dry which was very strange to me. However, she used razors an thinning shears which I do like on my hair. After she cut it, she took me to get washed. As I sat with my head in the basin, I began to think “holy shit, I have no idea how much this is going to cost me.” I’m usually extremely careful about services and make sure to look up exactly how much things will cost ahead of time. I didn’t do that this time around, but I also had what was probably the best shampoo/scalp massage of my life.

After she dried me off, she took me back to her station for a blow dry. She also flat ironed my hair and styled it. I was so happy with the cut! There were lots of “thumbs ups” and me saying “good, good, very good.”

Now, the moment of truth. How big of a dent was this going to put in my bank account?

I was shocked when I saw the price: 14,000 won ($12). I don’t think I’ve ever had a hair cut that cheap in my life (and been happy with the results!). I paid and tried to tip my stylist, but she wouldn’t take it. I knew that tipping isn’t a thing in restaurants, but I wasn’t sure about other service industries.

I will definitely come back here for my haircuts in the future!

My new haircut!