Jongno perfume class by Changgyeonggung: grapefruit-hinoki, Muhwawon

I spray perfume every time I go out. On weekdays it lifts my mood on a down morning before work, and when I have plans I wear something that makes me stand out. Lately, though, none of the perfumes I own felt quite right, so I went to a perfume workshop to make my own.

Where is Muhwawon perfume workshop?

Muhwawon Bukchon Perfume Workshop (무화원 북촌향수공방) is about 5 minutes from Anguk Station, right in front of Changgyeonggung Palace. It's a perfect spot: look around the palace, grab a café stop, then come over.

Inside Muhwawon: atmosphere and seating

The inside is modern, clean and just plain stylish! The wall design looked as if someone had shot it with a dissolve filter, and I loved it.

Most perfume workshops are made up of small rooms, so they don't feel spacious or airy, but Muhwawon has gorgeous interiors, and a clear, lovely scent greeted us as soon as we walked in. (Ventilation is good, of course.)

There's a space for the experience surrounded by soft lighting, and

a straight table facing the one where the scent materials were, so it seemed fine to come and do this alone, too. Tools are prepared individually so each person can make their perfume privately, which was convenient.

How does perfume making at Muhwawon go, step by step?

When you first arrive, you fill out a survey with basic information, such as how much help you'd like from the perfumer, and then you can study perfume theory easily by watching a video.

Watching on a tablet with earphones at your own seat was a special experience too. Although it's called a class, you don't all gather at the same time to listen to a lecture and then make something; everyone goes at their own pace.

Choosing sweet, spicy, floral, woody, herbal and soft scent materials

At Muhwawon, we explored and studied the various materials that would become the top, middle and base notes. I've never really liked anything too musky, too sweet or too floral, so I chose scents hoping for the freshness of woody and herbal notes, with a cozy feel.

I smelled my favorites, like grapefruit, a woody forest scent and hinoki (Japanese cypress), and wondered which would be best.

Smelling scents for a long time makes me a bit dizzy, but Muhwawon's scents were generally soft and didn't give me a headache. I only reset my nose with coffee beans now and then, when telling scents apart.

Nine scent materials, confirmed with the perfumer's recommendations

Once you tick your choices, the Muhwawon perfumer tells you how to blend. Seeing that I'd marked what I like (forest, grass, cool, floral, light woody), she picked and recommended materials from the top, middle and base. There were so many good scents that I hesitated and was sad I couldn't tick more, but my sister, who came with me, ticked only about two thirds of what I did.

I got greedy and packed in 9 materials! My sister blended with just 7.

Three tests, then one more fresh scent

Blending at Muhwawon isn't one single try; you keep trying and find the scent you want along the way, and I found that process fascinating.

Shaking after the first blend

Testing the scent

Then blending again with different ratios. It was fun to figure out what scent I really want and like.

After three tests, it was such a stable scent, just what I like, that it needed a bit more of a focal point. After some thought I wanted to add freshness, so in the end I added one more scent.

Finally blending my very own scent

Now the perfumer gave me the ratios and I measured and made the perfume myself. I was more eager to make it than I expected, so the ratios went slightly off here and there, haha, which makes me super curious about the final scent.

I put everything in a beaker in the right ratios, mixed it, poured it into the bottle and gave it a name that suits the scent.

Finished perfume at Muhwawon: 50ml, 2 weeks of aging

Perfume made at Muhwawon should be used after 2 weeks of aging, and it comes as a generous 50ml bottle.

They also packed it in a pretty box and put it in a shopping bag, and I was happy to get a diffuser as a service for writing a Naver review too.

Is Muhwawon a good Bukchon date idea?

A time to find my very own scent, one that's not the same as anyone else's, the one I want. Muhwawon Bukchon Perfume Workshop was charming: plenty of luxurious, elegant scents, plenty of woody, cool ones that men like, and even scents that are distinctly Korean. They also keep your scent recipe for 2 years, so it's a great Bukchon date course.