Bukchon, Seoul perfume class for non-perfume-wearers: Muhwawon

What kind of perfume workshop is Muhwawon?

Muhwawon (霧花園), the Bukchon perfume workshop, means 'a scent blooming like mist in a garden.' Inspired by the mist rising over the Secret Garden of Changdeokgung Palace, it's a perfumery brand that blends tradition with modernity. Muhwawon was full of dating couples and foreign tourists.

They reinterpret Korea's own scents in a modern way, so you can make a perfume yourself that captures the mood of Korean nature — hanji (traditional mulberry paper), Korean herbal medicine, and steeped incense.

Where Muhwawon is and when it opens

A private space in Bukchon near Anguk Station

• 23 Yulgok-ro 6-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 3rd floor
• Daily 12:00–22:00

How the 90-minute blending class works

A 1:1 perfume-making class using certified authentic ingredients, guided by a perfumer

Muhwawon's 90-minute perfumery class is made entirely with certified-safe ingredients under a perfumer's guidance. Since it features Korea's own scents like hanji, haesong (coastal pine), and temple incense, it helps to know the signature scents beforehand.

My friend's keyring is so cute haha. I don't own a single perfume — I'm totally scent-free — but another friend of mine raved about a perfume workshop, so I decided to try it with a friend who loves scents. When you walk in, there's a theory notebook, a scale, wet wipes, a beaker, and blending tubes on the table.

You learn the basics of perfumery from a roughly two-minute video, which is surprisingly fun. You blend 6–7 fragrances, calculating out the top, middle, and base notes. Muhwawon has Korean signature scents like citron, hanji, omija (schisandra berry), and golden osmanthus, so it's worth combining them well. If you'd like, the perfumer will even take a commemorative photo for you.

Tip: decide your scent mood before you go

You need a clear target mood to end up with a good scent

When your nose gets tired from sniffing, you take a break with coffee beans. First, you decide on the mood of the scent — I went with something light. Grass with a hint of temple incense, a light feeling. Summer temples, gotta love them. TEMPLE MOOD Jeol.

I sniffed my way through so many scents. I'm not a fan of anything too sweet, and there was even a slightly funky one where I thought, do people really wear this as perfume...? But I guess that's how someone expresses their own personality.

The perfumer's checks and 0.8g measuring

I'm obsessed with freshness. The perfumer kept checking whether the combinations of scents worked well together. Haesong (coastal pine) is another signature here, and she gave tips like how its strength can overpower other scents. You mix the fragrances drop by drop in a blending cup and test them on paper — you can do this 2–3 times.

Once the checking is done, the perfumer writes up a recipe for exactly how much of each scent to combine. She brings out the full-size fragrance oils rather than sample ones, and you place the beaker on the scale and mix in the specified amounts. The tolerance is 0.8g, but unless you accidentally add way too much of a strong scent, it should be fine.

After stirring the fragrance oil 100 times in the beaker, you pour it into your perfume bottle. If you want a diffuser too, you can check that option at the very start, so decide ahead of time! The finished perfume needs 2 weeks of aging before use.

Verdict: naming your own perfume is the highlight

The highlight is naming it. It really feels like your own perfume

Once it's finished, you get to print out a name you chose and stick it onto the glass bottle. I came with a friend, but for people who come on a date or as tourists, they might end up remembered by that person's scent.

I wanted something light and refreshing with grass notes, so I named mine thinking of a temple on a mountain behind a neighborhood (nothing grand). My friend's scent had a sharper impression, and she gave it a much more sophisticated name.

They put the perfume you made that day into a Korean-style, stylish pouch, and as part of a review event, they also made me a small diffuser by blending the sample scents I'd tested. The packaging case is so pretty.

Apparently perfume dates are trending in Bukchon these days? If you're into Korean-style interiors and scents, or looking for a Bukchon date spot or a foreign-tourist experience in Bukchon, Muhwawon (霧花園) fits the bill.