Weekday perfume workshop in Bukchon: palace garden scent, Muhwawon

Why we chose Muhwawon perfume workshop for a weekday Bukchon date

Muhwawon is a perfume workshop in Bukchon, Seoul, and I went with my boyfriend on a weekday date for the first time in a while~~ I feel like on weekdays you absolutely have to go to the hot spots to really have fun. On weekends Bukchon, Ikseon-dong and Insadong are so crowded that it's hard to fully enjoy a date, so going on a weekday was great haha.

All of Muhwawon's packaging is black, so it feels chic, and it was a tranquil kind of perfume workshop that keeps you calm the whole time you're making your perfume.

Where is Muhwawon and how do you book?

Muhwawon, the Bukchon perfume workshop, is close to Ikseon-dong, Seosunra-gil, Insadong and Bukchon, so it's easy to reach and good to get to by public transport. I booked through Naver, and they text you directions and the entrance password in advance.

I went for a hands-on perfume workshop date, something crafty I hadn't done in a while, and I fell for the Korean atmosphere and the scent ingredients.

What are Muhwawon's atmosphere and seating like?

The moment I walked into Muhwawon, I was overwhelmed by the strong K-culture feel. I thought foreign visitors would absolutely love it!!

The perfume-making space is split into two areas, and it's a spacious room that fits 5 groups of 2 people each.

There's a wide variety of scent ingredients like this. The space is so pretty haha.

When I sat down, everything was already prepared like this.

Muhwawon perfume making starts with a survey and a headset guide

At Muhwawon you first fill out a short survey, and then you get time to make a perfume to your own taste! You can check things like whether you want photos taken and whether you want the perfumer's help while blending, and I found that very thoughtful.

First you put on a headset and listen to the explanation while looking at a tablet. It isn't long, just enough time to listen and understand, which I liked.

I looked at the theory notes in front of me and the paper for checking scent ingredients, and spent time finding the scents I like.

Muhwawon's scents are built on Korean-inspired notes

You smell the many scents laid out in front of you one by one, and Muhwawon has one extra row of special scents found only here. There are base, top and middle notes, and since the bases are all Korean-inspired scents, I was excited that the perfume would turn out more distinctive.

Also, as you keep smelling, your nose gets dulled, and whenever that happened, sniffing coffee beans relieved the nose fatigue a little.

After smelling everything and marking my picks, I chose the ingredients to use with the perfumer's help.

You bring the ingredients you chose from here.

The interior, the mood, even the BGM playing, all of it hit my taste dead on.. hahaha I was so happy when the OST from the drama Princess Hours (Gung) came on haha. I've been to a lot of perfume workshops, and Muhwawon is the most my style.

How does the three-round blending at Muhwawon work?

Next is making the scent! Blending at Muhwawon goes in 3 rounds.

You make the scent three times: I tried one with the perfumer's recommendation and one made my own way. If you tell the perfumer that it's too sweet or too strong, they recommend which scents to remove and add, so getting their help was better!

I liked the third scent best, so I settled on it and started making the perfume! The perfumer writes down the amounts of each ingredient, so you just add them as written.

Add everything without any error and stir well with a glass rod.

Then pour it into the bottle with a funnel and it's done~!

Naming our perfume 'Garden of Changgyeonggung'

At Muhwawon you can also name your perfume, and they print it on a label like this. Both Korean and English are possible.

I had recently visited Changgyeonggung (Changgyeong Palace) with my boyfriend, and the scent I made reminded me of the fountain and garden in front of the palace's glass greenhouse, so I named it "Garden of Changgyeonggung."

You can stick the sticker on freely, so I put it wrapping around the bottom right corner and it looks pretty. They also wrap it up so nicely that it's easy to carry around.

Free diffuser from the review event and the gift box

I got that diffuser for doing Muhwawon's review event! I wasn't expecting it haha. I picked one of the 3 scents I had made and gave it to them, and they made it into that lovely diffuser.

The box packaging is also very luxurious, so I think it would make a great date for an anniversary.

You use the perfume after 2 weeks! I can't wait haha.

Who is Muhwawon perfume workshop best for?

Muhwawon is a Seoul perfume workshop I really hope friends visiting Seoul and foreign tourists will go to. Thanks to the tranquil Korean atmosphere and the Korean-inspired scent ingredients, it was an even more enjoyable perfume-making workshop haha.