Daejeon hair salon tone-down dye for swim-faded brown: Project Lure

This is a record of my tone-down dye at Project Lure, a hair salon in Sangdae-dong.

Why swim-faded brown hair called for a tone-down dye

I went to Project Lure in Sangdae-dong to finally clean up my patchy, faded hair color after swimming ruined it. I'd been keeping the brown dye that suits me for almost half a year, but touching up the roots got too annoying, so this time I decided to do a tone-down instead! The weather was getting cooler too, so it felt like a perfect autumn dye job.

Where is Project Lure in Sangdae-dong, and where do you park?

Project Lure in Sangdae-dong is near Triple City Complex 5 and Halla Vivaldi. For parking, use the lot between the Sangdae-dong Daiso and Paik's Coffee. The underground parking is a bit tight, so if you're a new driver, just park on the street! The salon itself is tucked inside the ground floor of Paik's Coffee.

Project Lure

Tone-down dye price at Project Lure and how to book

The prices were posted both on Naver Place and right outside the store, so it was easy to check before visiting. I booked through Naver Reservations ahead of time with a specific artist assigned. As it happened, the tone-down dye was on a discount event. (Tone-down with no added length is normally ₩159,000, but I booked it for ₩99,000.)

Inside Project Lure: three-way mirrors and seating

The inside of Project Lure felt like a trendy, upscale showroom. I arrived a bit early for my appointment and waited comfortably in the waiting area.

Women's hair, especially perms and dyes, can take a long time, so the salon environment really matters — and overall it was spacious and clean, which I loved. Being spacious meant it never felt cramped... the seats were spaced well apart, which made the service comfortable too.

Hair condition and consultation before the color service

Before photo. My hair at the time was a slightly messy, faded brown from frequent dyeing. It's a hush cut, but since I hadn't styled it, it looked even messier.

It hadn't been long since my last full dye, but because of swimming, the color faded quickly and looked patchy all over. Before starting the tone-down, we had a hair consultation. After some back and forth, we decided to go with a tone-down matched to the root color!!

The mirror was three-sided, so it was great for checking my hair from multiple angles. Left, right, and front views were all clearly visible.

How the tone-down dyeing process went

Before dyeing, they carefully covered my ears.

The dye was applied extremely thoroughly and carefully. I usually prefer not to chat during salon services and just sit quietly through it, and the stylist picked up on that and created a comfortable atmosphere. Thanks to that, I got to relax and heal a bit while getting my hair dyed.

Drinks and snacks while you wait

While I waited for the dye to set, they brought over drinks — coffee, tea, juice, even non-alcoholic beer. Such a thoughtful touch from Project Lure in Sangdae-dong.

Given the overall price point is a bit higher, the snacks they give you are also genuinely tasty.

Shampoo room and scalp massage at Project Lure

After some time passed and they checked the dyed hair, I went into the shampoo room — which was also super luxurious. It even had a massage chair, so it felt refreshing from scalp to body.

The scalp massage they gave me was so, so refreshing!

Hush cut blow-dry and the tone-down before and after

The blow-dry was done stylishly too. From dye to blow-dry, the same designer handled everything from start to finish.

I loved the blow-dry too with this tone-down dye. They styled it beautifully to match my current hush cut. My hair was already pretty damaged so I was worried, but maybe the dye itself was good quality — because instead my hair actually felt even glossier and bouncier.

The before-and-after photos show a huge difference. With the tone-down, my hair definitely looked healthier. It's so much cleaner-looking. A great choice right before the upcoming holidays!

The stylist at Project Lure, this Sangdae-dong hair salon, was careful and skilled! Come get a tone-down dye for autumn at this upscale, trendy salon.