Gangnam hair salon for a low-maintenance vintage perm: Anew Hair

Why I booked a vintage perm in Cheongdam

The season has been changing lately, and I wanted a new hairstyle for a little mood boost. Whenever I looked at Instagram or Pinterest, vintage perms and hippie-perm styles with naturally defined curls looked so pretty, haha. Then I found Anew Hair Cheongdam Main Branch (아뉴헤어 청담본점), which had such great reviews for vintage perms and was known for one-on-one customized designs, so I booked right away and visited!!

Location and parking

It is on the second floor at 5 Seolleung-ro 127-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10:00 to 22:00. Free parking on the building's first floor and valet parking are available, or you can use a paid parking lot three minutes away. Parking is free on Sundays.

A quiet, modern salon interior

Inside the salon

The interior had a clean, modern look overall, with muted tones! It had that refined, quiet Cheongdam-dong atmosphere, so I felt relaxed and recharged throughout the appointment ☺️

There was also a separate space to store belongings.

A one-on-one consultation that checked my styling habits

I booked with a senior director. As you would expect from a Cheongdam-dong hair salon, every little detail was carefully considered, and I was really happy throughout the appointment. First, I had a consultation with the stylist. It took place in a private space, so it was easy to ask all kinds of questions!

Before the consultation, I filled out a simple checklist. I liked that it covered my hair concerns, preferred design, hair and scalp condition, and even the overall feel I wanted from the appointment 🫧

My hair had never been permed or dyed, but since I use a curling iron every day, it was straight hair with a bit of heat damage built up at the ends! At first, I wanted a fluffy cloud perm, but I really hate having to style my hair every morning with a blow dryer.... After talking with the stylist, I learned that a cloud perm needs to be dried while twisting it around your fingers for the curls to look their best. She recommended a vintage perm instead, saying it would suit my habits perfectly because it is much easier to manage and looks natural even when I just shake-dry it!

A design perm for curling-iron-damaged hair

This is my hair before the appointment! You can see how damaged the ends were, right?!

They also gave me a drink during the appointment. I had iced chamomile tea. The staff kept checking on me kindly, so the time passed without getting boring!

I went with a design perm, and rather than a heat perm, I had a regular perm. They said they would wind it all the way to the ends so the curls would start naturally from there! Since I have thick hair, perms that started from the middle used to make my hair look very heavy and unnatural. Throughout the appointment, the director carefully checked whether I felt any pulling on my scalp while winding the rollers, which I really appreciated!

A natural vintage perm that works with shake-drying

Ta-da~ the vintage perm is complete! The appointment took about two hours. The stylist worked so quickly, and everything moved along smoothly, haha. The curls came out naturally just as I wanted, and once I saw the finished look, I immediately understood why she had recommended a vintage perm over a cloud perm!

How to care for a vintage perm

I was worried that the curling-iron damage would make the curls look messy, but they came out bouncy and beautiful, which made me so happy. Rather than perfectly uniform S-curls, it has a naturally crumpled, flowing texture, creating an effortlessly cool, like-it-is-my-natural-hair mood without any careful drying! They also explained an easy care routine for a lazy person like me!! Just roughly dry the scalp, then scrunch a little curl cream or oil essence from the bottom upward, and that is it! I did not need to twist-dry it around my fingers, which was so convenient, haha.

I highly recommend the vintage perm at Anew Hair Cheongdam Main Branch to anyone like me who has not permed or dyed their hair but has some damage, wants pretty hair, and finds styling a hassle!