# Hongdae self photo studio, 30-minute shoot with a friend: Areye Studio - By Chaerin (https://superchart.com/en/@queue-ticket-seat/) - Written Sep 15, 2026 - Local places › Things to do › Mapo, Seoul - Sponsored: This post was written after a shoot provided by the business. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@queue-ticket-seat/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@queue-ticket-seat/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio/index.md) ## In short Areye Studio is a self photo studio on the basement floor of a Donggyo-ro building near Hongik University Station in Mapo, Seoul. Guests check their look in a waiting area with a powder room and clothes rack, shoot for 30 minutes with a friend against white and pastel curtain backdrops with the owner hands-off, then choose 4 photos for retouching. With plenty of props and chairs, Areye Studio is an easy stop even on a lunch break near the office. ## Good to know - **Location**: 188-1 Donggyo-ro, basement floor, Mapo-gu, Seoul - **Shoot time**: 30 minutes, owner hands-off during the shoot - **After the shoot**: Choose 4 photos you like, and the owner retouches them - **What you get**: 2 small paper frames, plus a Life Four Cuts photo strip for writing a review - **Backdrops**: White tones plus pastel curtains (pink and others) - **Other**: Indoor space rental available; powder room has a hairdryer and combs *as written by the visitor on Sep 15, 2026* This is Helio~ I was wondering what to do near the office after lunch, and I ended up finding a self photo studio.🤩 📌188-1 Donggyo-ro, B1F, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea ## Where is Areye Studio, and what is it like on arrival? ![Entrance leading down to the basement of Areye Studio](https://img.superchart.com/images/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio-01-39juz-900.webp) It's in the basement, so I walked down the stairs and found Areye Studio! The inside was really big and spacious. ![Wide interior view of Areye Studio](https://img.superchart.com/images/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio-02-15z8j-900.webp) ## Waiting area with a powder room and clothes rack There was a nice light-filled waiting area for checking your appearance before shooting, which I loved ㅜㅜ There were also hangers for coats, so you don't need to worry about your outerwear😀 You can sit comfortably and fix your makeup, so I thought the space was really well used. ![Powder room with a hairdryer and combs](https://img.superchart.com/images/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio-03-1nwce-900.webp) The powder room had a hairdryer and combs too, so you can fix messy hair, which was great. I felt like the owner really understood our needs. I was worried I wouldn't be able to do my makeup or fix my hair before the shoot, but at Areye Studio there was no need to worry at all🤩🫣 ![Coat hangers at the entrance to the shooting space](https://img.superchart.com/images/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio-04-1szdm-900.webp) There are hangers further inside too, plus more right at the entrance to the shooting area, so even a bigger group can hang up their coats. Especially in winter when everyone needs to hang up their padded jackets. ㅋㅋ ![Interior studio space also available for rental](https://img.superchart.com/images/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio-05-tu7q6-900.webp) ## A wide white-toned space you can also rent out Surprisingly, Areye Studio also offers indoor space rental. 💝 I couldn't capture it all in photos, but there's a really large space, and it felt pleasant in person~ ![White-tone decorated shooting space](https://img.superchart.com/images/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio-06-1ul82-900.webp) Overall it's all white tones. ![Self-shooting setup with a white-tone background](https://img.superchart.com/images/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio-07-eanuc-900.webp) When my friend and I came into the shooting space, there was a big mirror. Being able to check our expressions and poses while shooting meant we could get prettier photos. ![Large mirror in the shooting space](https://img.superchart.com/images/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio-08-adt8t-900.webp) ## Pastel curtain backdrops and props at Areye Studio I shot in a small room haha. Besides the white tone, there are various pastel-colored curtains, so I tried shooting with the pink one too. ![Small room with a pink pastel curtain backdrop](https://img.superchart.com/images/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio-09-1evn5-900.webp) There were a lot of props on hand for photos!! If you visit, I hope you use the props to get some cute shots. Whether you come alone, with a friend, or as a couple to mark a special anniversary, it seems like fun either way. ❤️🔥 ![Shelf stocked with photo props](https://img.superchart.com/images/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio-10-1gp4r-900.webp) Sitting on the floor is nice too, but I preferred sitting in a chair, so I used the white chairs!! There are quite a few chairs, so even a bigger group doesn't need to worry. ㅋㅋ The photo ratio comes out vertical rather than horizontal, which is great for showing off your outfit on a day you dressed up. 🌟🌟 My friend and I took some emotional shots — what do you think?🫣 ![Vertical-ratio emotional photo taken sitting on a white chair](https://img.superchart.com/images/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio-11-sla6m-900.webp) There were heart balloons in various colors plus number balloons too, so I want to come back for my birthday.😁 ![Heart balloons in various colors and number balloon props](https://img.superchart.com/images/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio-12-1v9ps-1200.webp) ## How does the 30-minute hands-off shoot work? Personally, I found photos came out prettier sitting in a chair than on the floor. And since it's a self photo studio, the owner stays outside, so we could relax and get more natural poses. ![Self-shot photo posed while sitting in a chair](https://img.superchart.com/images/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio-13-1xl48-900.webp) My friend and I could try funny poses without feeling self-conscious. When you walk in, the owner explains the usage and precautions, and then it's really 30 minutes of no-touch shooting🌟🤩 Once the 30 minutes are up, you pick the 4 photos you want. ![Photo chosen together with a friend](https://img.superchart.com/images/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio-14-1n6r5-m-900.webp) ![Selected self-shot photo before retouching](https://img.superchart.com/images/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio-15-cd7ye-900.webp) ![One of the final four selected photos](https://img.superchart.com/images/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio-16-soaen-m-900.webp) ## Choosing 4 photos, retouching, and what we took home We picked our 4 photos like this!! After choosing, the owner comes in and retouches them❤️ Once the retouching was done, we got 2 small paper frames, and also a life four-cut (Instax-style strip) after writing a review! ㅋㅋ ![Paper frame and life four-cut received after retouching](https://img.superchart.com/images/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio-17-rcom9-900.webp) If you show your face and write a review, they said they'll send you all the photos taken during the shoot. Isn't it basically a loss if you don't leave a review ㅋㅋ The photos came out so pretty that I left completely satisfied🌟 If you visit, I'd recommend trying all the different colored curtains in the background at least once. The weather today wasn't as cold as I expected, but maybe because of the big temperature swings, I struggled with a runny nose ㅋㅋㅋ Definitely visit Areye Studio, a Hongdae self photo studio. ## Where it is - Areye Studio (스튜디오어라이) - 188-1 Donggyo-ro, B1F, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea - 서울특별시 마포구 동교로 188-1 지층 - 37.5569827, 126.9223988 - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%EC%8A%A4%ED%8A%9C%EB%94%94%EC%98%A4%EC%96%B4%EB%9D%BC%EC%9D%B4/@37.5569827,126.9223988,17z --- Superchart · https://superchart.com/en/@queue-ticket-seat/arai-studio-hongdae-self-photo-studio/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt