Cheongdam hair salon straight perm for waist-length wavy hair: Beorn

Why I chose Beorn Hair Cheongdam, a Cheongdam-dong hair salon

That season has come back around. The season of magic (Korean straight perm) is finally here!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm going for an autumn-pure-grown-woman-Afghan-hound vibe, but my hair got so frizzy I couldn't take it anymore, so I visited Beorn Hair, the #1 hair salon near Gangnam-gu Office Station, in Cheongdam-dong. This place near Gangnam-gu Office Station is the best..

My hair type: semi-permed, damaged even though I never use a flat iron, waist-length. I bet there are a lot of Korean women out there just like me ㅜㅜ

I originally wanted a volume magic, but they recommended a regular magic here..? Since it's the #1 hair salon near Gangnam-gu Office Station, I trusted them and went with it!

Name: Beorn Hair Cheongdam / Location: 121m from Exit 3-1 (4) of Gangnam-gu Office Station, Line 7, Suin-Bundang Line / Hours: 09:30–20:00, closed every Tuesday / Wi-Fi, reservations, waiting area, easy payment, parking, valet parking, men's barbershop specialty, hair spa, scalp clinic, wheelchair accessible

It's located right on the main street by Gangnam-gu Office Station, and Beorn Hair Cheongdam apparently offers personalized head spa, scalp clinic, and hair clinic services depending on individual scalp and hair condition. They also specialize in men's hair, and I could tell — there were quite a few male customers.

And the thing that impressed me most: all the designers have 10+ years of experience, which they say means fewer failed results. I thought that was a huge advantage. Honestly, with hair, you never know if it's a success or a disaster until it's fully done. Since you're paying good money, you'd rather minimize the risk of failure, right? As you all know, experienced pros are experienced for a reason, agreed?

Finding Beorn Hair Cheongdam: Exit 3-1 to the 2nd floor, and the salon's feel

Turn left after entering and you'll find the elevator — just ride it up to the 2nd floor. Having an elevator is such a relief haha. I really appreciated that Beorn Hair clearly notes wheelchair access from the entrance, with wheelchair-accessible seating too.

The inside was so spacious and pleasant. The stylish interior and spotless cleanliness had me excited to get comfortable and have my hair done at Beorn Hair Cheongdam. You know that feeling when a salon is super crowded and hectic and it just throws you off? Beorn Hair near Gangnam-gu Office Station wasn't exactly empty, but the space felt roomy and calm, and I loved that.

Why stylist Hannah recommended a straight magic over a volume magic

Today I got my magic done by stylist Hannah. I'm normally obsessed with magic setting — straightened at the roots with curls left in at the ends — but this time I decided to go for a full straight magic for the first time in n years..!!

My face shape is a bit uneven, so I figured pin-straight hair wouldn't suit me, but the stylist recommended it anyway, saying it would actually look better. The result: completely satisfied. So pretty I could cry ㅠ

At that point I decided to just trust the stylist, who has 10+ years of experience. I finally got to hop on the slick cut, slick perm trend ㄷㄷ

They take your bag, hand you a gown, and once you sit at your assigned seat, they bring you a welcome drink! I'd already had coffee so I just asked for water. I didn't see a menu, but they ask what you'd like first — coffee, tea, water, etc. — so just tell them what you want. Especially for magic or perms, since you'll be sitting for a long time.

A straight perm on damaged hair, plus the 80,000 won clinic

During the style consultation, they explained my hair type and condition in detail. Since my hair is already damaged, they said doing a magic could double the damage. The clinic is meant to prevent that — it won't make your hair dramatically better, but it protects it as much as possible from the damage caused by the magic process!

Since my dream look is glossy, silky autumn-Afghan-hound hair, I said yes to it. Adding the clinic costs an extra ₩80,000, just so you know~

This is my hair before the magic. Look how long it is. So dry, so long. Way too long. Also super thick. Washing it is such a struggle. I really need to cut it, but since this was my first regular magic, I was worried that cutting and thinning it first, then doing magic, might make it stick too flat, so I decided to do the magic first and think about the cut later. This is the final result after the magic setting. I think this was around February-March this year?

How the straight magic went, from the shampoo-room clinic onward

Before the magic, they wash out all the buildup from your hair. Wondering why the shampoo room only has two chairs? Because there's another shampoo room too!! I felt such relief knowing the maximum number of people I could run into with slicked-back hair, no makeup, and my face at its most exposed was just one person haha.

First, they washed my hair, then gave me the nourishing clinic. The plan was to do the clinic before, during, and after the treatment! You know that super comfortable feeling when you lie back in a shampoo chair — we've all been there, right? I felt so grateful to receive the clinic treatment lying down like that. I almost fell asleep in the middle, and when they said they were about to rinse, I tried to answer like I hadn't dozed off, but no sound came out, so I just became a goldfish silently mouthing words '3

After that, I moved to a different seat to start the actual straight magic. I was seated by the window, and the sunlight was so bright I genuinely couldn't see my phone screen, but as I struggled to look at it anyway, the designer noticed and thoughtfully lowered the blinds. I was genuinely touched...... They really paid attention to every little detail. They carefully applied the solution to my hair, along with what I think was a protective or nourishing product too! From there, they just cook your hair until you get called back to the shampoo room.

You can already see how much calmer my hair looks just from being cooked, right?????? I could walk out like this right now and nobody would blink. It's been so long since I had a straight magic that this calm, straight version of me feels genuinely unfamiliar,,,, which made me even more excited for the final result. I've never once imagined hair with no curl at all!!!!!!

They straighten your hair section by section with the flat iron and apply more solution as they go. Once you reach this stage, you know the end is finally near, so it's kind of exciting. The stylist told me to speak up if it got too hot, but she gauged the temperature perfectly on her own, so I just sat there smiling quietly the whole time. A beautiful A+ team effort....... Pros recognize pros, I guess.

The nourishing clinic applied at every shampoo

This might look like the same photo as before, but it isn't. Every time they shampooed my hair, they applied the clinic product again, and I only took a photo each time they told me a clinic was going in. That alone tells you how many times the nourishing clinic was worked in throughout the process.

I've had a clinic done alongside a magic at another salon before, but back then it wasn't nearly this frequent?? Maybe that's why it had zero effect that time.. (don't tell anyone..) It was basically a one-time thing before and after the magic process, maybe. But at Beorn Hair, they reapplied it every single time they washed my hair!

The after results: did the straight perm soften a round face shape?

Ta-da — the long-awaited after photos. So much calmer than before, right? So freaking pretty. I'm obsessed. I recommend Cheongdam-dong hair salon Beorn Hair like crazy. My hair is thick and long, so it couldn't have been easy, but I want to give a huge round of applause to stylist Hannah for taking such careful care of it all the way through.

Wow. Wow.... Wow. Wow, seriously... Wow. Seeing the before and after side by side, my hair looks 100 times healthier. Magic usually damages hair a lot, but the curliness bothers me so much visually that I always go through with it anyway, tears and all. Given that, holding the damage down this much feels basically impossible;; I hesitated a lot because of my previous experience at a different salon where the clinic had zero effect, but haha, I'm so glad I did the clinic together with the magic this time.

Can I become an autumn woman now too? As a shaggy dog whose ideal look is an Afghan hound, I'm so thrilled. Can you see the angel ring (shine halo)??? I genuinely keep gasping while writing this post. I love it so much!!!!!!!!!!!! This Cheongdam-dong hair salon is the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After this I went to meet a friend, and she genuinely gushed over it with the cutest, most over-the-top compliments, which cracked me up. I'd worried about whether it would suit me, but it actually covered my round face shape well. Glad I listened to the designer. Straight magic suited me way better than volume magic would have, and it just felt so right!!!!!

Who Beorn Hair Cheongdam's straight magic suits

• Anyone with curly hair who wants a slick cut, slick perm look
• Anyone whose dream look is an autumn-vibe grown woman
• Anyone with damaged hair who needs protection during a magic — add the clinic and get it together

If you go, make sure to ask for stylist Hannah!!!!!!!!! This hair salon near Gangnam-gu Office Station is the best!!!!!!!!!!!! One more great tip: Beorn Hair Cheongdam is currently running a 40% off first-visit event, so you can get in at a really reasonable price!!!