Yongsan hair salon root magic for severe curls: Oterre Namyeong

I have seriously severe curly hair, so a straightening treatment every 3 months is non-negotiable for me ㅠㅠ I've been doing this for over 20 years now, so I can basically tell how skilled a designer is just from watching their hands move 🥹 Today I visited Oterre Namyeong, a Yongsan hair salon, for a straightening treatment!

This place tamed my curls beautifully while keeping the damage to a minimum — I was genuinely satisfied 🤍 So here's my root magic review, written by someone with severely curly hair who worries a LOT about damage!

Location and parking at Oterre Namyeong

Address: 9-8 Wonhyoro93-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, 3rd floor / Hours: 10:00–20:00 / Hair spa, kids' chair, private single-guest salon, Wi-Fi

It's right in front of Namyeong Station, so getting there by public transit was super convenient! For parking, there's Wonhyo Lumini Parking Lot about a 2-minute walk from the salon — just note it's paid parking :) Given the great location, it seemed like a good spot for anyone searching for a Namyeong hair salon, Yongsan hair salon, Sookmyung hair salon, or Namyeong beauty salon!

I booked my root magic appointment through Naver Reservation! You also get a 20% discount coupon when booking that way, so I'd highly recommend it as a budget-friendly Yongsan hair salon too!!

1:1 designer appointments and the products used

And here's what I especially loved about Oterre Namyeong! It runs on a 1:1 designer appointment system ✨ For a treatment like straightening, where they need to keep checking your hair condition throughout, this 1:1 system felt so much more comfortable :) Plus, they use premium products like L'Oréal, Milbon, Curesheal, and Shiseido, which gave me even more confidence 🙌🏻

Here's the outside of Oterre Namyeong, a Yongsan hair salon!! Even the sign had that distinctly hip Yongsan vibe ♥♥ The atmosphere felt different from a typical hair salon, with a lot of personality — I was already a little excited before I even walked in 👀

The little design touches around the place were so trendy haha!! I heard this salon is well known among people looking for distinctive styles — like the Yongsan hippie perm hotspot or Yongsan barbershops ✨

Since I'd already booked ahead, I just walked right in! It's run on a 1:1 appointment basis, so I'd recommend booking ahead if you plan to visit ☺️

The interior atmosphere

The interior you see when you walk in... 🫶🏻 A perfectly antique, vintage-y vibe packed with personality!! It felt like they put real artistic passion into the interior design ...>_<

The space felt so cozy and warm haha

At Oterre Namyeong, a Namyeong hair salon, each designer has their own separate space!!

Thanks to that, you don't end up sharing space with other guests, so the 1:1 treatment felt a lot more private 🤍

When I visited, only my designer was in the salon, so it felt almost like a private one-person salon — very relaxing haha

My severely curly hair before the treatment

Today's booking was for root magic! My curls are so bad that I need root touch-up straightening every 3 months regularly!

Can you see the severe curl situation ㅜㅜㅜㅜ Especially the roots are super wavy, and my whole head has this puffed-up feeling 🥲 On top of that, there's a lot of breakage from doing this treatment so often ,,

My bangs area is also extra critical ,, ㅋㅋㅋㅋ I also have a lot of flyaways, so when it comes to straightening, I especially prefer a designer who's really thorough!

Consultation: just enough chemical for the hair to handle, instead of a strong solution

First, my designer carefully checked my hair condition and we had a consultation together about how to approach the treatment!

I always used to think the best straightening treatment just meant using a strong solution to get it super flat...

She told me that the breakage I've experienced from frequent straightening could be partly from continuously using strong chemical solutions 😭 So this time, instead of forcing it completely straight, we agreed to go with a solution strength my hair could actually handle right now, to minimize damage as much as possible!

Checking the softening process section by section

My designer applied a moderate amount of solution but checked the softening time really, really carefully section by section!! My curls are especially bad around the ear-to-neck area, and she checked that section separately too — she was a true master of attention to detail ㅜㅜㅜ

Turns out she used to run her own hair salon before this...!! And apparently a pretty well-known one, which honestly surprised me ㅋㅋㅋㅋ She said she joined Oterre Namyeong as a designer to take on a new challenge! She was really fun to talk to, so even a long straightening session flew by without ever feeling boring haha

The coffee and caramel candy fit the Oterre Namyeong vibe perfectly too,, ☕️🍬 She came over multiple times even after applying the solution to check on my hair, and watching that, I was sure this treatment wasn't going to go wrong!!

The press (flat iron) work

After a thorough shampoo, it was time for the actual press work to begin!!

You could really feel my designer's experience with the flat iron ㅋㅋ It was next-level! I've got 20 years of straightening experience myself, so I could tell right away 😎

Good tension, not too hot a temperature! I really loved how she worked to minimize damage throughout 💕

Even my problem flyaways were smoothed right out!! But since my curls are so intense, she kept reminding me that it's better to straighten only to the point the hair can handle without damage, rather than trying to flatten it all in one go!!

The finished root magic result

And here it is — the flat iron work is finally complete 👏🏻👏🏻 All that wavy, curly texture is completely gone!!

Even the flyaways got smoothed out neatly, and the puffiness that used to bother me settled down too haha What I loved most was that my hair didn't feel stiff or dry — it just looked naturally smooth 🤍

After the treatment, she walked me through everything from tips for future straightening sessions to how to take care of my hair at home!

Above all, I could really feel how thoroughly she understood my hair condition throughout the whole treatment, so I think I'm sticking with this designer for future straightening sessions ㅜㅜ

And the big finale shot haha Compared to before, everything from the roots to the flyaways looks so much calmer and neater, right?! 😆

The curls were definitely tamed, but instead of that flat, pressed-down feel, it fell naturally — personally, I was really satisfied 🫶🏻

Overall, I was really happy with Oterre Namyeong! What I liked most was how they checked my hair condition first and adjusted both the solution and the softening time accordingly! I think I'll be going to the same designer for my next straightening treatment too 💇🏻‍♀️🤍

Mission accomplished — a severely curly-haired person finally found her go-to salon ...♥

Who I'd recommend this to

• Anyone with severe curls who needs regular straightening treatments
• Anyone worried about hair damage from frequent treatments
• Anyone looking for a Namyeong hair salon, Sookmyung hair salon, or Yongsan hair salon

If any of these sound like you, I think it's worth a visit 😊