Sinnonhyeon hair salon C-curl perm at 20 weeks pregnant: Heeol Hair

Around 20 weeks pregnant, I really understood what people mean by the 'neglect zone.' My belly kept growing while my hair just hung there limp, and every time I looked in the mirror I felt down about it. So I made up my mind and went to a hair salon between Sinnonhyeon Station and Gangnam Station: Heeol Hair Gangnam Flagship Store.

If you're pregnant and looking for a way to make your hair look nice despite the limits on what treatments you can get, this review might help. Spoiler: with a good consultation, a pregnant woman can absolutely walk away with a perm she's happy with.

Where is Heeol Hair Gangnam, and where do you park?

Heeol Hair Gangnam Flagship Store is at 37 Bongeunsa-ro 4-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 3rd floor, open daily from 10 AM to 7 PM with no days off. It's on the 3rd floor inside the alley by the CGV, so first-timers might get confused — I did too, wandering around with my map before I finally found it.

For parking, you can use the Megabox City branch or Gangnam e-Square parking lots, both supported for up to 4 hours, which is worth knowing if you're driving. Gangnam Jump Milano is also an option, but I heard the entrance is narrow, so I'd try the first two lots first.

Booking and the advance consultation for a pregnant client

Heeol Hair Gangnam Flagship Store lets you consult in advance through Naver Reservation or Naver Talk Talk, so I mentioned I was pregnant before my appointment. When I actually visited, they even had me fill out a pre-consultation sheet.

During the consultation, I described exactly what I wanted in as much detail as possible. In my heart I wanted a hippie perm, but hippie perms only look good when you curl from the roots — and as a pregnant woman, I was worried about doing a perm all the way to the roots. So I said I wanted just the ends lightly curled with a C-curl perm, something that would bounce back into a natural wave with just a light blow-dry.

How the roots-excluded C-curl perm was done

The designer at Heeol Hair Gangnam understood exactly what I meant the moment I said it, and set the direction right away. She didn't touch the roots at all and wound the rods mainly on the ends, which meant I could sit comfortably through the whole thing — a relief, since being pregnant made me worry about sitting for a long stretch. She kept checking in to see if I was okay, which took a lot of the pressure off.

The whole process also felt shorter than a full root-to-tip perm. Looking at the result, even a light blow-dry brought the waves back beautifully — exactly the look I wanted. That said, if you're hoping for the same volume as a full hippie perm, keep in mind this won't have that same tension since the roots aren't touched.

Heeol Hair Gangnam cut and perm prices, plus the drink service

At Heeol Hair Gangnam Flagship Store, cuts start from ₩35,000 and perms from ₩210,000, both at the designer level. I liked that pricing only varies by hair length, with no hidden extra charges.

• Cut: from ₩35,000 (designer level)
• Perm: from ₩210,000 (designer level)
• Perm length surcharge: short/medium +₩20,000, long +₩40,000

I have medium-length hair, so I paid the corresponding amount. There was a drink service during the treatment too — besides Americano and café latte, they had teas like chamomile and peppermint, which was nice since I could sip something other than coffee as a pregnant woman.

Is this perm worth recommending to pregnant women?

I thought being pregnant would limit my treatment options a lot, but this experience showed me that with a precise consultation, you can still get the look you want. I'd especially recommend this style of perm to anyone who wants to keep the wave line without touching the roots, or who, like me, wants to minimize both treatment time and tension while pregnant.

On the other hand, if you want clear volume and thick waves, you'll probably need to consider a treatment that starts from the roots. Next time my hair grows out more, I'd love to try scalp care or hair care here too. If you're looking for a hair salon near Gangnam Station or Sinnonhyeon Station, this place is conveniently located and consults carefully, so it's worth a visit.