Seongdong hair salon for a medium-length rough perm: Urban Ground Hair

After growing out my hair because I wanted a jelly perm, I visited Urban Ground Hair Sangwangsimni Station Branch (어반그라운드헤어 상왕십리역점). After the consultation, I ended up getting a medium-length rough perm. It was different from the style I had initially pictured, but I was happy with how the direction was chosen to suit my hair condition and face shape.

Where is the salon, and what was it like?

Urban Ground Hair Sangwangsimni Station Branch is on the second floor of VIP Building, 353 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul. I found it while looking through jelly perm photos on social media and decided to visit.

When I arrived, the lockers had reservation names attached in advance. I stored my belongings in the locker marked with my name. It was a small detail, but it felt nice that they had prepared for me beforehand.

The salon had a clean atmosphere. I also noticed them promptly cleaning up hair that had fallen on the floor after cuts.

It was a hot day, so I had an iced Americano before the appointment and began the consultation.

Why did I choose a rough perm instead of a jelly perm?

At first, I told the designer that I wanted a jelly perm. After looking over my hair condition and face shape and trying out different curl shapes, they recommended a rough perm similar to a vintage perm.

At the time, my hair had been heavily thinned out. They explained that this could make it difficult to achieve the full look characteristic of the jelly perm I wanted. They also thought a rough perm with naturally falling curls would suit my face shape and overall look better.

After thinking it over briefly, I decided on a natural rough perm without overly tight curls. I trusted the recommendation because they specifically explained a direction that would suit my current hair condition.

How were my damaged hair and root volume treated?

My hair was quite damaged from repeated perms and coloring, so I also received a hair treatment. They first applied nourishing and protective products. Before the service, my hair felt dry and the ends tended to catch, but it felt much smoother after the treatment.

I often tie my hair up, so I wanted a style that would still have volume when tied. As my hair gets longer, I dislike how the crown falls flat from its weight, so I also had a root perm.

The perm was done from the middle sections onward, and they kept checking the damaged areas and adjusting the timing. I was pleased that they paid attention to my hair condition during the service.

How did the finished rough perm differ from my original style?

It was not the jelly perm with the wave-like look I had first imagined, but I liked how the rough perm brought out natural volume. To my eyes, this style suited my face shape better than a wave perm.

What home-care advice did I receive?

I wondered whether I could maintain the salon finish at home, so I learned how to dry it. Rather than blow-drying it completely dry, they recommended defining the curls with curl cream and letting it air-dry. After hearing the explanation, I had a clearer idea of how to style it at home.

As we talked, I felt I had made the right choice in switching to a rough perm. People around me also said it suited me well, which made me even happier with it.

What I liked about this visit was that I did not decide based only on a photo of the perm I wanted; we also considered my hair condition and face shape. For the time being, I want to keep this rough perm with its natural waves.