Apgujeong salon keratin clinic instead of a perm for fine hair: Biorn

I'd gotten a heat perm about three months ago, but the curl seemed to fall out way faster than expected. I figured I'd just get a layered cut and re-perm, so I went to Biorn Hair, a hair salon near Apgujeong Rodeo. But director Jang Yun-yeong talked me into the inner keratin clinic instead!! It cleans the inside of the hair as thoroughly as possible, then uses a patented cohesive-bonding technology to fill it back up with good keratin.

What is Biorn Hair Apgujeong Rodeo like?

Biorn Hair Apgujeong Rodeo is a hair salon on the 3rd floor of 8 Seolleung-ro 161-gil, that suggests treatment and care directions based on your scalp and hair condition. The 'B-orn' in the name combines Oriens, meaning 'the place where the sun rises, the direction to head toward,' with 'born,' meaning a new beginning and change. So it aims to be a salon that helps each client find 'where your sun rises' — the direction of beauty that suits them best.

Biorn Hair Apgujeong Rodeo newly opened this past March, and there's a first location near Gangnam-gu Office Station too. Worth noting it's a pet-friendly salon, so you can bring your dog along.

I booked with director Jang Yun-yeong. She does scalp and hair care along with damage-based treatment consulting, and designs styles 1:1 to match your face shape and image. Apparently a lot of foreign customers come in too.

Why Biorn Hair recommended a keratin clinic instead of a perm

Director Jang Yun-yeong told me the inner keratin clinic would be better right now than redoing my perm. Uh?! I came here for a perm!! (I still wanted one, honestly 😢) But she said perming my hair in its current state would lower the quality and the heat and chemicals could make my texture even worse. On top of that, I'd also gotten a partial straightening treatment on the top section during my last perm. Since my hair lacks strength and is water-resistant, she doesn't recommend straightening for me at all — unless curliness itself is the real concern, she said to skip straightening from now on.

I also thought maybe I should cut some length off since it felt heavy, but the director said long hair actually suits me well, and if the current length isn't uncomfortable, she'd recommend cutting it in a month or two instead. The conclusion was that restoring my hair's current condition should come before adding anything new.

It felt comfortable that she only recommended what I actually needed!

Fine hair before and after the inner keratin clinic

In the before photos, my hair looks generally dry and frizzy, with the curl drooping limply. After the clinic, it looked noticeably calmer and more settled, and the roughness at the ends was visibly reduced. Running my hand through it felt different — smoother instead of frizzy, with the shine back.

The 8 steps of the Biorn Hair inner keratin clinic

Of course any hair looks better after a clinic treatment, right? I've had cases at other salons where the effect barely lasted at all. Biorn Hair Apgujeong Rodeo's inner keratin clinic takes about an hour with 8 steps of care, using grade-A protein extracted from wool.

• Emptying
• Penetration prep
• Protein care
• Structural reinforcement
• Moisture/pH balance
• Protective barrier

Through deep cleaning and detox, silicone, oil, and alkaline residue left inside and outside the hair are cleared out first, so that keratin can properly penetrate according to your hair's condition.

The core idea is 'emptying before filling.' It's not about loading in lots of good ingredients — the inner keratin clinic starts with a thorough clean-out process first.

It's not the same process for everyone — the care direction changes depending on your type and condition, whether bleached, permed, or water-resistant hair. I had so many questions that I asked a ton, and the director explained the reasoning behind each step, which I found really interesting.

From the shampoo room to the spa room: how the treatment runs

First, in the shampoo room, unnecessary residue left on the scalp and hair is thoroughly removed. Silicone, oil, and leftover product from past treatments are cleared out, prepping the hair so the care ingredients can absorb well.

Heat treatment is applied at around 60°C, the optimal temperature for protein to absorb well into the hair.

In the spa room, you get a machine scalp massage that also cools down scalp heat, plus steam to push in nutrients. At the end, a highly concentrated protein forms an outer protective layer. Relaxing in the spa room felt really nice… 💗 While getting a simple blow-dry, I also picked up some home-care tips for keeping my hair from getting damaged day to day. She recommended coming back for clinic treatments about every 3 weeks going forward for consistent care — apparently your hair's condition depends on how much of this builds up over time.

I just blow-dried it with a regular hair dryer and it's already so calm!

Inner keratin clinic price and membership at Biorn Hair

Biorn Hair's inner clinic is ₩250,000, but you can get it for ₩200,000 as a first-visit deal. Biorn Hair also has a premium membership, giving 10% off when you pay ₩500,000, so using the membership for concentrated care could be worth it too.

Who this Apgujeong hair salon clinic suits 🤍

• Anyone concerned about hair damage from perms, straightening, or dyeing
• Anyone considering a perm because their curl seems to have disappeared
• Anyone frustrated that clinic effects seem to fade quickly
• Anyone who feels like treatments aren't really absorbing
• Anyone wanting more systematic hair care
• Anyone who wants a clinic tailored to their specific hair condition
• Anyone curious about their hair's condition or general care methods