Gangnam barbershop fade cut and full down perm: Divers Barbershop

A first visit to Divers Barbershop at Gangnam-gu Office Station

Today's Jaem's beauty day. He'd never been to a barbershop before — first time ever!! Barbershops have been popping up everywhere lately, and I was curious what makes them different from a regular hair salon. Curiosity solved!! Here's Jaem's transformation day at Divers, a barbershop near Gangnam-gu Office Station.

If you prefer short men's cuts, fade cuts, or classic styles in particular, it's worth looking for a barbershop that specializes in men's hairstyles rather than a general salon.

We visited with a 7pm reservation after work. It's so convenient because it's directly connected to Gangnam-gu Office Station. Divers Barbershop Gangnam-gu Office Station Branch is located right in front of Exit 2 of Gangnam-gu Office Station, on the basement level of SK Herb Blue, so accessibility is really good. The address is 107, B1F, SK Herb Blue, 342 Hakdong-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

How is a barbershop different from a regular hair salon?

Some of you might be wondering, what is a barbershop anyway? So I looked it up on Naver.

A barbershop is a space that specializes in men's hairstyles and grooming.

While a regular salon covers a wide range of hairstyles — various lengths, perms, dyeing and more — a barbershop's strength is in men's cuts, classic styles, fade cuts, side parts, slick backs, and detailed line work. These days, barbershops aren't just for short haircuts anymore; more people are visiting them to get a masculine look tailored to their face shape, head shape and hair condition. Especially for people whose side hair flares out easily or whose back hair gets messy fast, being able to consult on a down perm or fade style along with the cut is one of the appeals of a barbershop.

Inside Divers Barbershop: a calm, tidy shop

When I walked in, someone was getting a shampoo, so I took photos of the space from various angles. Comfortable atmosphere, nice and tidy — great!!

There were two designers on staff, and today Jaem was served by Barber JEAM.

Straight hair that sticks out: cut plus a full down perm

One of the things guys worry about most when getting a cut is the side hair, right? If your hair is thick or straight, even if you cut the sides short, it tends to flare back out over time. Jaem has straight hair too, so he always gets a down perm along with his cut. A down perm is a treatment that flattens the flaring hair on the sides or in specific areas to create a calmer silhouette. Today he got a cut plus a full down perm.

The consultation was so good — the barber figured out exactly what Jaem needed before starting the treatment.

How the fade cut blends at the sides

The scissors and tools he used were so clean, which I loved. When I (Jaem's other half) asked what a classic cut and a fade cut were, he explained it in great detail. A fade cut, apparently, is a style where the sides and back are cut short and blend naturally as you go up. He said the biggest difference from a regular salon is that salons cut hair into a rounder shape, while a barbershop cuts more masculine lines.

Blending the sides and back naturally apparently isn't easy. Whenever Jaem asked for that 'snip snip snip' cut somewhere else, it never blended naturally, and he'd ended up switching salons a few times — turns out that 'snip snip snip' cut was a fade cut all along 👍 There was even a fireplace haha.

Once the cutting started, I immediately understood why people go to barbershops. He was genuinely impressive with the scissors.

It took a lot of time, and you could really see the detail in the cut. Jaem's ears look pretty good, don't they? Haha. After a long while of cutting, on to the full down perm!

He's always gotten down perms before, but usually just on the sides — this was his first time doing the top as well. We were both curious what style would come out of it!! The perm solution was applied and the processing time wasn't very long.

There's also reward points for writing a review, so give it a try if you're interested.

He said the shampoo felt really refreshing too. There's definitely a different vibe from a regular hair salon.

From the cut to the final styling at Divers Barbershop

After the shampoo, he cleaned up the cut lines once more. From cut to down perm, it took about an hour total. It's hard to put into words, but what he'd said at the start turned out to be exactly right. It wasn't a rounded look — it felt like a more masculine hairstyle. Short but stylish, and Jaem loved it. The price for the cut plus full down perm was ₩78,000.

Oh my, once his hair was cut neatly, this 50-something suddenly looked like he was in his 30s haha. After the correction cut, he also styled it, showing us how to arrange it this way and that, and explaining how best to use the products. Jaem is pretty picky, so I was a little worried how he'd feel, but he loved it, which made me happy. Walking out, Jaem said 'see you next time!' on his way out!!

If you want a stylish, clean-cut look, try Divers Gangnam-gu Office Station Branch. Even picky Jaem was 100% satisfied, so I highly recommend it!!