Gangnam barber shop for thick, flaring side hair: Coup Barber & Coffee

Why a haircut alone never fixed my husband's thick, flaring side hair

My husband has pretty thick hair. His strands are also coarse and strong, so even a little growth makes his side hair flare up fast. That's why for him, a cut alone isn't enough — he really needs a down perm together with it to get the whole shape to settle.

This time, while looking for a barber shop in Gangnam, we went to Coup Barber & Coffee, a men's hair salon in Apgujeong. It has a pretty unique concept of running a coffee shop and barber shop together, and the atmosphere of the space was quite impressive from the moment we walked in.

Coup Barber & Coffee: location, hours and closing day

The address is 228 Apgujeong-ro, 1st floor, Unit 106, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and it's open 11:00–21:00, closed every Tuesday. Parking is also available.

Coup Barber & Coffee is about a 7–8 minute walk from Apgujeong Station. It's on the first floor of a building right on the main Apgujeong-ro street, so the location itself isn't hard to find. That said, the shop isn't set right at the front of the building facing the road — you need to go around the side of the building to find the entrance. If it's your first visit, checking the address beforehand makes it a bit easier to find. If you're driving to this Apgujeong men's hair salon, parking is available too.

What the barber shop and café space is like

Once inside, the front feels as relaxed as a café, and the men's hair space is further in. Instead of the usual heavy, serious barber-shop mood, it feels bright and comfortable, and they even serve a cup of coffee to hair customers — while I waited and drank mine, it was actually pretty tasty.

They mentioned that regular café use is only possible when there's no barber reservation.

Running a barber shop and coffee together in one space isn't common, and I liked the feeling of coming in for a haircut and getting to relax for a bit too.

Before: thick hair with sides that stick out

Even in photos, you can tell my husband's hair is quite thick. There's a good amount of volume overall — not just on top but at the sides and back too. Even in these photos where it's pressed down with gel, you can still see some volume showing at the sides and back. That's why a cut and a down perm are pretty much a set for him.

The barber asked how he usually styles his hair day to day. Since he often applies gel and sweeps his front hair back, they decided to keep that overall feel while trimming the sides and back short and clean, aiming to reduce the bulky look overall.

Why the cut and down perm took 1 hour 30 minutes

The men's cut plus down perm at Coup Barber & Coffee took about 1 hour 30 minutes. I thought a men's cut would be quick, but watching from the side, I understood why it took a while.

Instead of just shaving it down once and calling it done, the barber kept checking the back hairline and how it connected to the sides while trimming, and watching from the side, I could see him gradually adjusting things so the lines flowed naturally.

When trimming the back, he used several different clippers depending on the length and line, adjusting bit by bit. He used different tools depending on the area to fine-tune all the details.

For the down perm too, he checked each flared spot one by one, applying the solution carefully and pressing it down calmly.

Rather than just cutting to length, he kept examining the overall shape and adjusting the details carefully. Probably because of his long experience, the process of shaping the hair according to the direction it flared and the shape of the head felt quite meticulous.

Before and after: sides lie flat, swept-back top unchanged

Looking at the after photo, it's clearly much more tidy overall! Comparing the photos, the difference between before and after was pretty clear — the side hair that used to flare up strongly now lies naturally against his head, and the line from around his ears down to the nape is a lot lighter too.

They left some length on top to keep his usual swept-back style intact. Rather than looking like everything was cut short, keeping his original style while slimming down the sides and back made the whole thing look much more balanced than before.

My husband said it's now easier to style his hair by sweeping the top back the way he usually does, and especially since the sides don't flare up anymore, mornings are a lot easier too.

The change was noticeable enough that people at his office recognized it right away, and when he met friends, several of them told him the new style suited him.

He liked this style so much that he said he wants to come back here next time too. If you're looking into a Gangnam barber shop or an Apgujeong men's hair salon, give Coup Barber & Coffee a try.