Gangnam hair salon awkward-length perm for fine dyed hair: Beorn Hair

An awkward shoulder-length cut gets a mood change with a perm

I've been growing my hair out from a short bob and it's now hit that awkward shoulder-length "beggar zone" stage — if I leave it down it looks messy, so I've just been tying it up every single day. But tying it up all the time started to feel like I wasn't putting any effort into my look at all, so I decided it was time for a mood change with a perm. I went looking for a hair salon in Gangnam and picked Beorn Hair Cheongdam, which had lots of reviews praising the staff's kindness and sense of style. Want to come along for the perm?

Beorn Hair Cheongdam location, hours, and parking

Location: 710 Seonleung-ro, 2nd floor, Gangnam-gu, Seoul / Hours: daily 09:30–20:00, closed every Tuesday / Parking: paid parking and valet available (₩4,000 each)

The interior felt really bright and clean, and all the staff greeted me so kindly — it put me in a great mood right away.

Hair diagnosis, consultation, and finding the right style

After storing my bags and changing into a gown, Hanna, the head stylist who'd be handling my hair that day, checked my hair condition. She explained any possible damage risks and went through the hair check so thoroughly that I could really feel her expertise — I was genuinely touched by how hard she worked to understand exactly what I wanted.

She asked what style I wanted, why I wanted a perm, how I usually style my hair, whether my perms usually last long, and more — and after all that, she pulled up a hairstyle to show me. Funnily enough it was exactly the style I had in mind, so we went with it.

A shampoo chair that reclines flat like a bed

Before the service started, I got a shampoo first — and the shampoo chair surprisingly reclined completely flat, just like a bed! Thanks to that I got to stretch my legs out and relax like I was lying in bed. Getting a shampoo lying down at a hair salon?! Stretching out was already so comfortable, but with the gentle massage during the wash I almost fell asleep, haha.

Clinic-formula perm solution for fine, dyed hair

After the shampoo, she checked my hair condition thoroughly one more time!!! Since my hair is fine and dyed, she was quite concerned about damage, so we decided to go with a perm solution that contains clinic ingredients.

A face-framing trim before the perm

She asked if I needed a cut before the perm, and I asked her to just trim my face-framing pieces so they'd sit nicely when my hair is tied up. With one snip of the scissors she gave me the cutest little face-framing pieces — I loved it!!!

Seating and service during the treatment

After the cut, I moved to a central table seat stocked with magazines for the treatment. They even plugged in a charger for me, so my nearly-dead phone got a full charge during the service! They keep chargers for every jack type, so if you need one, just ask!!!

Here's the drink and snacks — yakgwa (Korean honey cookie) and biscuits — they served during my perm. Wait, is this a hair salon or a café? It even gave off a slight Osulloc café vibe — isn't that such a nice touch? Thanks to that I got a little sugar boost with the sweets and sipped on cool rooibos tea, basically playing café by myself during the service.

The perm process: from eye guards to neutralizing

Before starting the perm, they put on eye guards for me. Perm and dye solution splashes onto your face pretty often, right? You can wipe your face, but I've always worried about it getting into my eyes — so having them cover my eyes automatically was such a relief!!!

Ta-da~ She rolled up my hair meticulously and finished it. And honestly, I looked kind of cute like this — it made me pause and wonder if I should skip blurring my face in the photo, but a woman's face at the salon has to be protected, haha.

They did heat treatment to help the perm set properly, and wrapped my hair in wrap film — the colorful pattern made it look just like wrapped candy!!!

Right after the heat treatment, they moved straight into neutralizing. Everything moved along quickly without dragging, which I appreciated, and I was surprised that the neutralizer went on like foam and didn't drip down at all. Is this the difference between a neighborhood salon and a Cheongdam salon? Haha.

During the neutralizing, oddly enough, I kept catching a banana milk scent! The solution never dripped onto my face and the scent was so pleasant that I stayed in a good mood the whole time. I could also catch a glimpse of the springy waves forming already, and I loved it!!!

The finished wave perm: soft waves, no frizz

Ta-da~ It's done!!! The flowing, natural waves are exactly what I wanted. I'd worried it might turn out super tight and frizzy, but the waves came out soft and swaying, which was so satisfying!!!

The front view had that same soft, natural wave feel, and I loved it so much. My husband came home from work, saw my hair, and said it looked natural and pretty, adding that Cheongdam really is different, haha. Having him say it looked pretty too made this successful perm even more satisfying!!! If you're looking for a hair salon where you can get a natural, pretty perm, I recommend Beorn Hair Cheongdam!!!