Magok brow bar: first men's eyebrow wax in 30 minutes, Mio Brow Bar

Bushy men's brows: why we left them to a professional

The reason I went to Mio Brow Bar in Magok was my boyfriend's thick brows. He's a fairly hairy guy, so his eyebrows are bold and full too, but it turns out lots of brow hair isn't automatically a good thing. With the stray hairs around them left untidied, the whole look can feel heavy or messy, so I decided they needed sorting out.

At first I wanted to trim them myself, but I had no idea what to keep and where to start shaping, and I was afraid they'd end up uneven, so we went to a professional.

Men's brow shaping especially isn't about applying one trendy shape to everyone. It has to suit the face shape, the eyes and the natural direction of the brow hair, so I was extra careful choosing a wax salon. The one we picked was Mio Brow Bar (미오 브로우바), a wax salon in Magok.

Mio Brow Bar basics and opening hours

Mio Brow Bar is at 344 Yangcheon-ro, 1st floor, Unit 145-3, Gangseo-gu, Seoul. It's open 11:00–22:00 on weekdays and 11:00–21:00 on weekends.

Getting to Mio Brow Bar from Yangcheonhyanggyo Station, and parking

Mio Brow Bar is close to Yangcheonhyanggyo Station on Line 9, just a 2-minute walk. There's also parking on basement level 1, though you need to register your car.

To get there, just follow the photos above in order.

• Leave Yangcheonhyanggyo Station through Exit 8 and turn left when you see the banner, as in photo 1
• When you reach the escalator in photo 2, go past it
• Go in through the automatic door shown in photo 3
• Go through one more automatic door, as in photo 4
• As in photo 5, Mio Brow Bar is on your right. You're there!

Parking on basement level 1 (parking registration required)

The atmosphere of the treatment space

The treatment space at Mio Brow Bar was neat and tidy in an all-white tone. It made me feel like the waxing would come out clean too, haha. The layout lets you be treated comfortably, one person at a time.

With a sofa, candy and little service corners here and there, it felt cozy too.

Treatments at Mio Brow Bar, and waxing for men

At Mio Brow Bar you can get eyebrow waxing for men and women, face waxing, lash lifts (eyelash perms), body waxing and more. There aren't many places nearby that do men's waxing, but the reviews included lots from men, so we went with confidence!

It was my boyfriend's first time getting his brows done, so he wanted them to look neat while keeping his existing brows, rather than feeling overdone.

A first men's eyebrow wax: how it went

Before starting, the owner didn't just look at the brows. She quickly checked his face shape and left-right asymmetry. The spots where the hair clustered on each brow and the height of the brow peaks were slightly different on each side.

As soon as she saw them, she decided not to force-cut the sparse areas but leave them, and to focus on the crowded parts that looked heavy and the stray hairs around them.

I think this is the hardest part of shaping brows yourself. If you keep trimming to make both sides identical, the brows get thinner and thinner and end up looking odd, right?

Does men's eyebrow waxing hurt? How long does it take?

My boyfriend's eyebrow wax at Mio Brow Bar was done within 30 minutes. Since it was his first time, he wondered whether it would hurt, how long the results last and how long it would take. The owner's hands were meticulous yet quick, so it all finished within 30 minutes.

She also did it in one go, so the waxing itself didn't hurt, but my boyfriend said the most painful part was when she plucked with tweezers.

After the wax, she refined them in detail with tweezers and thinning scissors, so the brows ended up even neater. I liked that she didn't make them too thin from the start and kept a fair amount of the original thickness and fullness.

Thick triangular men's brows: before and after

Before, his hair spread in several directions and his brows were triangular, so I wanted them tidied up. Since the brows are thick, I worried they might look artificial if shaped wrong, but Mio Brow Bar left plenty of thickness while making them neat, and I was really happy with it. Up close, the direction of the hairs is tidier too!

Compared across the whole face, his eyes look much sharper and the more put-together impression is clearly noticeable. It feels like his own brows, just a bit neater, so I think it would be low-pressure even for someone getting their brows done for the first time.

Seeing the process at this Magok wax salon, I felt that men who want to manage thick brows on their own would be much safer having a professional set the basic shape first, then lightly maintaining only the regrowing hairs, rather than over-trimming at home from the start.

Who is Mio Brow Bar in Magok right for?

Mio Brow Bar suits people whose thick brows make their look feel heavy, or who worry about ending up uneven when shaping on their own. It's a trustworthy place for women's brow shaping as well as men's eyebrow waxing, so if you'd like a professional to set the shape, I recommend Mio Brow Bar. She works to your taste and face shape, so you're bound to be satisfied.