Korea
Beauty, culture, food, and a little bit of everything that makes Korea unforgettable
A trip to Korea isn't just about what happens at the clinic. It's colour consultations that change how you dress, hair treatments that take two hours and leave you stunned, markets where you eat standing up, and department stores that put anything in the West to shame. Here's what we build into your itinerary.
One of Korea's biggest beauty trends — and genuinely life-changing once you've done it. A trained analyst drapes dozens of colour swatches near your face to identify your personal season: warm spring, cool summer, warm autumn, or cool winter. You leave knowing exactly which shades flatter your skin, eyes, and hair — and which ones to stop buying. Countless Korean women have one done before a big shopping trip. We'd suggest the same.
Korean hair spas have turned hair care into a full ritual. A 13-step treatment typically includes a scalp analysis, deep cleansing, enzyme treatment, steam, multiple rounds of conditioning masks, scalp massage, and a finishing blow-dry — all carried out methodically by a dedicated stylist. It takes around two hours. The results, particularly for damaged, coloured, or fine hair, are extraordinary. One of the most underrated things you can do in Seoul.
A session with a Korean makeup artist is less tutorial, more transformation. The focus is on understanding how Korean techniques work on your specific features — the glass-skin base, the gradient lip, the eye shapes that Korean artists have refined into something genuinely distinct. You leave with a full face done and a clear picture of what worked and why. For women who want to take something practical home from the trip, this ranks alongside the colour analysis as one of the most useful things you can do.
Apgujeong Rodeo Street is Seoul's answer to Avenue Montaigne — a kilometre of flagship boutiques and celebrity-frequented labels that define Korean luxury fashion. The parallel Cheongdam-dong boulevard is where the European houses sit: Hermès, Chanel, Cartier, Dior. Nearby, K-Pop Star Road became famous for its ties to the idol industry — the agencies, the appearances, the energy that spills into the surrounding streets. Even if K-pop isn't your world, the quality of shopping and the density of excellent restaurants make this one of the most rewarding afternoons in Seoul.
A tree-lined boulevard of independent boutiques, concept stores, and unhurried cafés in the heart of Gangnam. Garosu-gil has a different energy to the main Gangnam shopping strips — it feels curated rather than commercial, and the stores reflect it. Korean designer labels sit alongside beauty apothecaries, homewares shops, and some of the city's better brunch spots. A strong afternoon-into-evening destination, and one of the most photogenic streets in Seoul.
The K-beauty shopping district — and the best place in Seoul to stock up. Olive Young's flagship is here, alongside standalone stores for every major Korean skincare brand: Innisfree, Laneige, COSRX, Sulwhasoo. Street vendors between the stores sell snacks and serums in equal measure. It gets busy, but the product density and the deals — particularly on multi-step routines — make it worth it. We build time here into almost every itinerary.
The world's largest department store by floor space — certified by Guinness World Records. Shinsegae Centum City in Busan is a destination in itself: over 300,000 square metres of retail, including a full ice rink, spa, golf driving range, and cinema alongside every major luxury and contemporary brand. If you're on the 15-day itinerary that includes Busan, a Shinsegae visit is a given.
One of Seoul's oldest covered markets — and the best single place to eat standing up. Gwangjang has been running since 1905 and shows no sign of slowing down. The food alley is famous for bindaetteok (crispy mung bean pancakes cooked to order), mayak gimbap (tiny sesame-rolled rice rolls eaten by the handful), and tteok in every form. The vendors are mostly women who have been cooking the same dishes for decades. It's loud, unpretentious, and the food is genuinely excellent.
Korea's most complete expression of traditional cuisine. A formal set meal served at a traditional restaurant — often in a hanok setting — brings 10 to 20 small dishes to the table in sequence: namul (seasoned vegetables), jeon (savoury pancakes), braised meats, soups, and fermented sides, all reflecting seasonal ingredients and centuries of culinary tradition. It's unhurried, beautifully presented, and unlike any other dining experience you'll have in Korea. We recommend it at least once on any itinerary longer than five days.
Every Luxe Beauty Trip is planned around you. Tell us what you're excited about and we'll make sure it's in there.
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