Sister perfume workshop in Bukchon, Seoul: quince swap at Muhwawon

The weather's been so nice lately that my sister and I went on an outing to Bukchon. We visited 'Muhwawon,' a perfume workshop where you can make special memories. Both my sister and I are into perfume, so we went in with high expectations — and we came back completely won over by the elegant atmosphere and the deep, lingering scents! Here's our story of the Muhwawon perfume one-day class in Bukchon, where we made memories we won't forget.

How much is Muhwawon's 50ml premium perfume class, and how long does it take?

Premium Perfume 50ml ₩49,000 Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

This is a private class where you make your own premium signature perfume with a professional perfumer. We did the 50ml Premium Perfume course. Even at Olive Young, plenty of perfumes cost more than ₩50,000, so making a scent I love while building memories with someone I love, at such a reasonable price, felt really special. The perfumer explained everything kindly throughout the class, so even beginners like my sister and me could finish without any trouble.

Getting to Muhwawon from Anguk Station, and what the workshop looks like

Here's the storefront. If you book ahead, the owner texts you the door code in advance.

A cute door handle made of stone.

Besides the seats you see in the photo, there was also a larger group seating area, but I forgot to take a picture. A rookie mistake for a pro blogger... (my mistake)

This is a perfumery course certificate issued by ISDH (International School of Design Handicraft). The perfumer is so cool!!

They even offered to take our photo first — top-tier service, and we were so grateful.

Starting with a survey and a video: finding your scent preferences

Once you're seated, they guide you to your spot and have you fill out a short survey.

After watching a video about concentration levels, fragrance notes, and accords, we took time to check off which scents and styles appealed to us that day.

On the left is what my sister checked, and on the right is mine. We live under the same roof, yet our tastes could not be more different.

Choosing at least 6 scents, and what replaced the quince scent

So many kinds of scents, right? From top to bottom, they're arranged as top notes, middle notes, base notes, and finally Korean-inspired scents. Thinking back on what we'd checked, we needed to pick at least 6 scents from here — at least 6, with no upper limit.

My sister wanted a quince scent, but unfortunately, they didn't have one. Still, the perfumer brought out the closest scent she could find. We were grateful she took the time to search for something similar even though the exact scent didn't exist.

You might worry that comparing scents for a long time would dull your sense of smell, but they had coffee beans set out so you could refresh your nose in between, and we smelled the beans while picking our scents.

We finally finished choosing. When the perfumer looked over our picks, she pointed out any scents with a particularly strong presence beforehand and let us decide whether to keep or drop them. I followed the professional perfumer's advice closely, and in the end I got a scent I absolutely loved.

We brought our chosen scents over on a tray. Since they're glass, you have to be careful — it had this mysterious feel, kind of like being in an Aesop store, which was fun.

Three rounds of blending, measuring, and filling the bottle

We adjusted the ratio over three rounds total. Mixing the scents we'd picked just by feel and smelling the result — I can't tell you how happy that made me. The perfumer asked about our preferences one by one and gave advice based on that, and as the scent got closer and closer to what we loved, it was genuinely so fun. My vocabulary's a bit limited so all I can say is 'fun' and 'happy,' haha, sorry about that.

We measured out exactly the amounts the perfumer wrote down for us. The most careful moment of my entire life.

We stirred it diligently.

We poured the final blend directly into the empty bottle ourselves, shaking out every last drop like filling a gas tank.

Printing the label and packing the perfume in its gift box

You can write whatever text you want on the label, and they print it beautifully for you. I wrote my mother's name and blurred it out here, haha.

This is my sister's finished perfume. You can stick the label wherever you want on the bottle.

They pack the perfume into a custom box so it's easy to carry home. It would make a great gift, too.

Is the Muhwawon perfume class worth it?

The process of discovering our own taste in this elegant atmosphere felt like a gift in itself. This Bukchon perfume workshop delivers both value for money and emotional satisfaction, so I definitely want to come back. Don't buy perfume at Olive Young. Come to Muhwawon instead.

Muhwawon Bukchon Perfume Workshop: location and details

Muhwawon Bukchon Perfume Workshop, a Seoul perfume studio at 23 Yulgok-ro 6-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 3rd floor. A perfect spot for a Bukchon date course.