Cheongdam hair salon root straightening that spares dyed ends: Beorn

My hair grows pretty fast. After a short while the roots puff up and get frizzy, and it bugs me even when I tie it back. This time I went back and forth on whether to do full magic straightening or just the roots, and since I'd dyed my hair not long ago, I figured there was no need to redo it all the way to the ends. So on a weekend afternoon I went to Beorn Hair Cheongdam, a hair salon in Cheongdam-dong, for root magic (root-only straightening).

Where is Beorn Hair Cheongdam, and how do you park?

Beorn Hair Cheongdam is at 710 Seolleung-ro, near Gangnam-gu Office Station, on the 2nd floor of Cheongyul Building, which has a big Bidanbim hanbok sign on the 1st floor. The building was easier to find than I expected, and the directory by the entrance shows Beorn Hair right there on the 2nd floor.

When I opened the door, almost every seat had a customer, probably because it was a weekend afternoon. Inside is quite a bit bigger than it looks from outside, with treatment machines hanging in a row from the ceiling and long wooden chairs. If you're driving, the valet drop-off and the entrance are in different places, so it helps to know that beforehand. Haha.

• Address: 2nd floor, 710 Seolleung-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
• Hours: 09:30–20:00 / closed every Tuesday
• Parking: valet at the booth across from 40-10 Cheongdam-dong, then a 30-second walk to the back door of Cheongyul Building (40-29 Cheongdam-dong). Come in through the back door and head up to the 2nd floor
• First-time visitors can download a coupon of up to 40% off on Naver

The shelves in the salon were stocked with scalp care products and treatment packs, and I was curious about the 911 Nutrition Repair Pack, so I just picked one up to look.

How long does root magic take, and how does it go?

Root magic at Beorn Hair Cheongdam took about 2 hours 30 minutes. First the stylist tied my hair up high to see how far the roots had grown out.

Then she sectioned the top hair with purple clips and applied the product to the roots only, starting from the parting line.

My dyed ends were left untouched

Root magic only treats the grown-out part and leaves the dyed part alone, so I was glad I'd chosen roots only this time. After the product went on, the straightening with a flat iron followed, and the assistant did most of that. They put the iron right above the roots and slowly pulled it down to the ends one small section at a time, doing everything from the back of the head to the sides without missing a spot.

Snacks came out twice during the treatment

It takes quite a while, so Beorn Hair Cheongdam looked after me with snacks twice. First they brought iced Americano in a glass printed with the Beorn Hair logo, with a few cookies on a wooden tray.

Partway through, they brought warm tea and another snack.

With that many customers everyone must have been busy, but the staff still stopped by now and then to ask if I was comfortable, which was kind.

How did the root magic turn out?

When it was done, I checked the back of my head in the mirror, and the frizz at the roots had been pressed flat and fell smooth and swishy. I ran my hand down, and it slid from the crown to the ends without catching anywhere.

It wasn't a dramatic change, just as tidy as root magic should make it, so I think it suits you when you only want to neaten the roots, not when you want a big transformation.

When is the best time to visit Beorn Hair Cheongdam next time?

Beorn Hair Cheongdam was packed on a weekend afternoon, so next time I'll book a weekday. On my way out I took a card from the head stylist (수석 실장), and thought that next time I'd book a weekday and leave about three hours free to be safe.

There were just so many people on the weekend afternoon. If it's your first time at Beorn Hair Cheongdam, a hair salon near Gangnam-gu Office Station, I'd look at weekday slots first and download the Naver coupon ahead of time. Tuesday is the day off, so just avoid that. You'll be sitting for over two and a half hours, so wearing something comfortable around the neck isn't a bad idea either.

When my roots grow out again, I plan to stop by Beorn Hair in Cheongdam-dong once more to have just the roots done like this time. Next time I'll go when it's less crowded and take my time with the coffee.