A weekend of K-beauty experiences in Seoul

The K-beauty craze shows no signs of slowing down, with viral social media posts sending certain treatments and products stratospheric. Whether you’re looking for the ultimate skin booster facials with the least downtime, the best Olive Young K-beauty hauls or a relaxing Korean spa treatment, social media platforms are chock-full of tips from beauty influencers and avid travellers alike.  

Navigating the wealth of information can be daunting, especially if this is your first K-beauty pilgrimage to Seoul. Which treatments are worth trying – and where? One skincare enthusiast heads to the Korean capital to share their findings with us. Here’s how to make the most of a long weekend of beauty treatments in Seoul, along with the travel essentials to pack for your trip – all available on the Cathay Shop.

Friday

After arriving in Seoul in the early evening, a great way to shake off the work week – and kickstart a weekend of pampering – is by heading straight to a jjimjilbang, or sauna house. Normal jjimjilbangs, like the all-new Aquafield , are gender-split, and you bathe in communal hot tubs naked. However, you can also find many private bathhouses – I opt for the women-only Sulis Spa , where I have a private room to relax in.

The highlight for many is seshin, the famously intense Korean scrub service usually performed by an older Korean ajumma (auntie) or ajeoshi (uncle) depending on your gender. I book a two-hour “Mini Healing (Aroma)” session via Instagram DM which sets me back KRW110,000 (about HK$590), but a basic service starts from KRW66,000 (HK$355). Typical jjimjilbang entrance fees start from around KRW20,000 (around HK$106) before add-ons like scrubs and massages.

After a quick shower, I step into my bath for a 20-minute soak in mugwort-infused water, which comes with many health benefits such as digestive relief and arthritis reduction. Once on the spa table, the ajumma washes my face with cleanser and helps me put on a cooling mask before vigorously scrubbing my body with exfoliating gloves. She completes the treatment with a relaxing neck massage, which melts away tension in my lower back and shoulders.

“Now ippeoyo,” the ajumma says with a smile, signalling the end of the treatment – now, she tells me, I’m pretty. 

Saturday

My next day of pampering involves a 15-step hair spa treatment at Instagram-famous Eco Jardin by Park Jun . If you’re looking for a treatment that rejuvenates a dull or irritated scalp and refreshes your hair, this is the place to go.

Customers should book the treatment, which costs KRW180,000 (HK$970), in advance – I did so via Instagram DM. The 15 steps take around two hours and include a hair analysis before and after the treatment, an essential oil head and neck massage, a suction-cup massage that feels similar to cupping, shampoo and deep clean and scalp steam. The last step is my favourite: I lie back in a washing basin where a constant stream of water flows down my hair from root to end, almost like a head massage.

After my treatment is complete, I spend the afternoon shopping and enjoying the local cuisine. Though if you want to squeeze every minute out of your pampering weekend, you can experience multiple Korean beauty services in one sitting at Eco Jardin, which also offers colour analysis, as well as makeup, colouring, perm and haircut services.

Sunday

My most anticipated beauty treatment is on the final day of my itinerary: a consultation and treatment at Individuel Geneve , which I once again booked through Instagram. This tourist-friendly beauty mecca, located in the heart of Gangnam, offers non-invasive skincare treatments tailored to each customer, with prices starting at around KRW350,000 (HK$1,900).  

At the salon, I’m greeted by a 3D skin camera that snaps a before (and later, after) image of my skin, and provided with an AI-generated report. My report shows that I have a dry skin condition with lots of keratin build-up clogging my pores, but happily, a younger skin age score than my actual age. I’m recommended a microneedling treatment to deeply infuse their proprietary booster serums – and attain that coveted Korean glass skin glow.  

After a quick and relatively painless aquafacial which extracts dirt from my pores, the aesthetician spreads a layer of numbing cream over my face. This makes the microneedling procedure feel like nothing more than someone writing on your face with a ball-point pen.

I emerge with red skin, and as the numbing cream wears off, my face stings from the effects of the treatment. Thankfully, this heals quickly over the next few days, and I'm left with the coveted glossy Korean glow for the following two weeks.  

Another boon of the treatment at Individuel Geneve is a shopping list of the best Korean skincare products, fully tailored to my skin type and concerns. I use this precious list to my full advantage at local beauty shops Olive Young and Ready Young Pharmacy before heading to the airport. Both are perfect for last-minute shopping, as they offer on-the-spot tax refund service if you have your passport with you.

Seoul trip essentials