Hongje Station hair salon layered bob after 20 years long: Blooming

Cutting 20 years of long hair at a Hongje Station hair salon

Blooming Day Hongje Station Branch is an affordable hair salon right in front of Hongje Station. Between the brutal heat and my baby growing older and tugging at my hair while playing 🤯, I'd been going back and forth for a while, and then impulsively (lol) decided to say goodbye to the long hair I'd kept for over 20 years. That's how I ended up at this Hongje-dong hair salon.

I scrambled to look for somewhere near home and booked Blooming Day Hongje Station Branch, known for being great value. Naver booking had plenty of open slots, and reservations go until 7:30 pm, so you could even stop by on your way home from work! If you need a shampoo, though, they said you should arrive by 7 pm at the very latest.

How to get to Blooming Day from Hongje Station: the door left of the pharmacy

Blooming Day Hongje Station Branch is a 3-minute walk from Hongje Station, so accessibility is really, really good ⭐️⭐️⭐️ I'd walked past it often so it felt familiar, but it turns out the building doesn't have an elevator — you have to go up through the door to the left of the pharmacy. If you have a wheelchair or stroller, they said to contact them ahead of time and they'll guide you a different way!

What is Blooming Day Hongje Station Branch like inside?

Blooming Day has that warm, homey feel ☁️ Even though it was right before closing time, there were quite a few customers, and it was nice to get service in a quiet atmosphere. It's on the 2nd floor with big windows, so even long treatments wouldn't feel boring! And more than anything, the AC was blasting cold — almost too cold — which felt great after sweating in the heat 🤭

Haircut price: 18,000 won, plus junior and toddler cuts

I visited without requesting a specific designer and got my cut from designer Gureum. It was actually my first time seeing a salon with its own printed price list like this — felt refreshing ∙∙!

In this era of high prices, a cut for around ₩18,000 is really great value! On top of that, since everyone there is experienced, they even have a junior cut menu for kids, plus a toddler cut menu 💇🏻‍♀️ Booking kids' salons is never easy when it's time to cut my baby's hair, so finding a place nearby that does toddler cuts got me thinking I should come back for that next time 🤣

Layered bob with a hush cut: before and after

Before and after 🧙🏻‍♀️🪄 I'd already had a layered cut with a lot of thinning before, so it was kind of the style I wanted already, but it was just too hot and too much hassle to style, and between playing with the baby I always kept it tied up ( ɵ̥̥ ˑ̫ ɵ̥̥). Cutting it into a layered bob with a hush-cut feel gave me a bob that's not too much — I really liked it!

It had been almost 20 years since I'd tried a bob, so I was nervous and it felt unfamiliar, but designer Gureum kept checking in on the length along the way, and we looked through the several style references I brought and picked one together that really suited me.

They took out a lot of layers and thinned out the hair a lot, so tucking it behind the ears gives a bit of a himе-style look, and it also covers my face shape well, so even though I don't have a small head, it doesn't feel overwhelming — I really liked it!

Styling the layered bob at home the next day

This photo was taken the day after the cut. Honestly I was secretly worried I'd end up looking like a mess trying to style it alone at home lol, but curling it into a C-curl with a flat iron gave it a natural, chic bob look, and everyone around me was complimenting it ⸜(* ॑꒳ˆ* )⋆*

On top of that, in this summer heat that's routinely over 35 degrees plus with childcare on top, a bob might really be the best — it's not hot and dries fast, so I was so happy! I told them I don't usually style my hair much, so they layered it but cut it just enough to keep flyaways minimal, which made it easy to style alone at home. My trust in designer Gureum went up 📈📈 for picking exactly the right style out of the five references I brought.

There are seriously sooo many hair salons nearby, and I used to bounce around between them every time. From now on, I'm satisfied enough to stick with Blooming Day. For anyone in Hongje-dong who's been salon-hopping, I recommend Blooming Day — great value and great styling too.