Travel Diary to South Korea - Tresses review on JUNO Hair Salon 2016

Hi guys, so I promised to update everyone on what I did to my hair in Korea. I did some research and everyone seems to be raving about JUNO Hair Salon. JUNO Hair Salon has a bunch of outlets almost everywhere, in Myeong Dong, Hongdae and Ewha. I wanted to go to the Ewha outlet because I saw certain reviews state that the hairstylists know what they are doing and often give good recommendations that turn out stellar so I was convinced. But plans change and Darren convinced me to do my hair back at Myeong Dong outlet. 

BEFORE PICTURE; Hair was alright! Actually I really like my straight hair but my fringe was getting long and - it isn't obvious in this picture - but after a while, my hair becomes limp and oily after an entire day outside. Also, I'm not too sure about you but I can defo just FEEL when I need to go to the hair salon to salvage my tresses e.g. your hair doesn't stay in place like it used to, it becomes more difficult to comb through your hair because it has become very dry and you just feel your scalp is becoming more dirty because dirty scalp = dirty hair! So I pretty much set myself up for some Korean makeover. 

Interior of the JUNO outlet at Myeong Dong (think it was on the 3rd floor; geez I forgot but there are directions once you reach the lift to indicate where is JUNO Hair Salon) 

They serve beverage (hot/cold) and biscuits, at least that was what the online reviews informed me about. I thought they would automatically ask and serve it (quality customer service, right?) but nope, they didn't. (Major demerit for lack of service) I waited until halfway into my hair treatment before I finally gave up waiting and requested for the beverage and biscuits. So yes, they do serve free beverage and biscuits but UPON REQUEST. (At least in my experience anyway. Maybe the other reviewers have it easy LOL). Don't be shy, you are paying for those expensive services so just open your mouth and ask them if they don't serve you. 

I requested for Korean perm and the hairstylist in charge of my hair asked if I would like to straighten my fringe because its naturally curly (yep, it is) and to also trim the split ends of my hair. I told her Okay for both, but I didn't want my fringe to be super straight and flat (like those you see right after rebonding) because my hair is naturally thin and it will end up very flat and straight after rebonding. I wanted it to look more naturally straight and have it in side-swept fringe/bangs, because I didn't want it to be super straight flat down. I tried it before, and my bangs kept getting in the way of my vision once it grew out and there are 'holes' in my fringe because upon rebonding fringe, my thin hair is thrown into the light more obviously as the hair strands sparse out to cover the forehead. Its really annoying and not the least bit appealing. I conveyed all these to one of the counter staff in English and she translated to the lady who did my hair. The pretty hairstylist was like "oh...oh... " like she knows exactly what to do and so I trusted her and sat down.

You see, I'm quite picky about my hair because my hair is thin so often, any major mistakes like a bad fringe/dye job/perm/rebonding shows very obviously. I know people with thick hair who complain about how their hair is unable to hold the perm/rebonding well after they have been to a cheap salon. Well, LUCKY THEM! At least if they had a bad perm, it doesn't stay on! For thin hair, IT STAYS ON LIKE A SUCKER! :( 

Anyhoo, the total costs about 350 000 KRW (Hair cut + wash +blow dry + treatment + Korean perm + Rebonding of top head) There were some Singaporeans who were there as well doing their haircut and they claimed that my services would have cost at least 1.5 times more back in Singapore. I'm not too sure if that is true because I have never done this service before back in Singapore. I wasn't too sure how a Korean perm would look like, so my best bet was to go to Korea and have a try. After all, it's Korean right? And looking at all the Korean gorgeous superstars and (literally everyone on the streets), I'm convinced all their hair salons are the bomb dot com. 

AFTER PICTURE; My hair right after the hairstylist and her assistant wrestled with my hair for approximately 2 hours. 

Day 2 at Everland Theme Park. Isn't so bad right? WRONG! My fringe was horrible! I didn't want to let anyone see my horrendous fringe so I covered it up with a hat. THANK GOODNESS it was really cold that day so I had a good excuse to wear my winter cap to keep warm and not look weird wearing it. 

I think the hairstylist misunderstood my intentions. When I stated I wanted my side-swept bangs (No I didn't exactly state that name because I don't think they know what it means in English so I showed them the action of combing my fringe straight and parting it nicely to the side. The hairstylist again, say 'Oh.... oh...' like she really knows what I want), she probably thought I also wanted to have my fringe curled. I didn't stop her when she was curling my fringe because I thought it would be like those cute Japanese single curl fringe inwards. (See picture below)

#LIES :( I should have seen alarm bells coming. My fringe was too curly for me (I'm sorry but I'm too embarrassed about my fringe to show you full pictures of it)  

Anyways, the hairstylist lady does everything while the assistant does the washing and blowdrying of hair, in case you are wondering. I really cannot remember what was the hairstylist name and I lost her name card, but I highly doubt you would want my recommendation for this hairstylist. It is not that she is bad in terms of skills. In fact, I actually quite like the Korean perm done at the ends of my hair but my fringe was a major catastrophe ugh. But in terms of service, she could have been more attentive and asked if I wanted beverage/magazines before we start our service. That's a downer for me. Nevertheless, she was still very sweet though (and pretty!) and yes, she did plastic surgery because we saw photos of her on the counter promoting the hair salon and her name/title 'Head Stylist' was flashed on a screen and her nose and eyes looked different LOL. So ladies and gentlemen, my dear readers, all the pretty girls you see on the Korean street, at least 40% did something to their faces before so don't be too hard on yourself okay! ^^

Okay, you can actually see a little bit of my fringe here and if you noticed, yes, it is curled and trust me, front view, you would be wondering who invited this monster to the tea party LOL :DDD 

But anyhoo, overall experience was average in my opinion. Apart from the language barrier - which I'm guessing was partly the reason why I got such terrible bangs - the price itself is quite expensive. Darren told me that he later found out that JUNO Hair Salon is considered one of the high-end hair salons so I could have easily gotten my services at a cheaper rate elsewhere and I glared back at him and told him we could have gone to Ewha and maybe one of those cheaper salons could have changed my mind about going to JUNO! >:( But sigh, what's done is done! And I got my fringe fixed at Bangkok for about SGD $50 including treatment. (Stay tuned for THAT post which is a more positive review hahaha) 

Getting here:
Plenty of other JUNO Hair salons around in Hongdae and Ewha 
There are 2 branches in Myeong Dong, the one I went to is at Inseung Building
3/F Inseung Building, 22-4 Chungmuro 1-ga, Jung-gu (중구 충무로1가 22-4 인승빌딩 3층) 

Opening hours:
930am-930pm daily
Walk-ins available; need not book an appointment in advance. (I walked in around noon and it got slightly busier in the afternoon after lunch hours. Preferable to go during their less busy hours e.g. in the morning or towards closing time in the evening) 

Advice:
In my opinion, not recommended to go. Price is hefty and service is average.
But of course, this is SOLELY my opinion. I believe if your hair is very adaptable, you speak a little of their language and you are not afraid to try new styles, you can give overseas Korean hair salons a go. When I was at JUNO, the Singaporeans whom I mentioned earlier in the post were repeat customers and they usually pay about 200 000 to 250 000 KRW for their services. They weren't as experimental as me and simply opt for a wash +blowdry + haircut kinda service. Also, I heard you get a 25% discount for repeat customers. So if you still want to try doing your hair at Korean salons and it is your first time and you are on the cautious side, my advice is to opt for less experimental services - just to be safe first. After all, if you really like it, you can keep that in your To-do list the next time you come to Seoul, Korea right? 

Korean perms (loose curl perms at the ends of your hair) done are nice and of relatively good-quality, just make sure to keep that away from your fringe! Convey your expectations REALLY clearly before they start doing your hair. Good to show them a picture or two for reference (I did show them a photo). Don't be shy, ask about the pricing first before doing your hair. They stated they have 3 different types of hair treatment with different price range and I opted for the cheapest one. It's pretty good and made my hair smooth so don't fret about getting lousy quality when choosing the cheapest price, the quality (at least the hair treatment-wise) was substantial. Lastly, if they don't give you beverage and biscuits, ASK FOR IT! You deserve it for paying so much! :DDD

P.s This review only applies to the specific outlet at Myeong Dong. I didn't try any other outlets so I am not able to compare! Might be worth it to try other outlets/salons as I don't think JUNO is a salon that is really worth a bang for your buck. But everybody's experience is different and everyone's hair is unique, so feel free to take this opinion/review with a pinch of salt! :)

*****UPDATED REVIEW*****

(JUNE 2017)

It has been almost half a year since my trip to Korea and I must say that whilst the curls at the bottom of my hair is less obvious, but as time flies, the curls unravelled in a very natural way - much to my delight and satisfaction. Unlike perms which I have done before back in Singapore, curls which unravel tend to be dry, frizzy and non-lasting. Here is a rather recent picture of my hair (:

Me with Dopey the Schnauzer~ For the record I wasn't trying to strangle her. As mentioned in my IG post (@nicesgjy), she was starting to drool on me and I was lifting her head to prevent her from doing so. Anyhooooo, it isn't so clear but the waves have unravelled to become more wavy at the ends. Still looks pretty decent! 

Of course in between my Korea trip till now, I had made 2 trips to the hair salon.The first trip being just after Chinese New Year to get my hair dyed + hair treatment and the second trip being just a simple trim + hair treatment. Regardless, the Singaporean hairdresser didn't touch my curls at the end and just naturally let it uncurl itself during these hair salon trips. Hence, the curls you see in the photo above are in its 'natural', untouched state.

All in all, while I did mention in the blog post that the experience itself was just average, I am pleased with how long-lasting the curls can be and how the chemicals used do not have any lasting damage on my hair at all. Yes, I also did mention the price can be pretty steep but for its quality, I believe it's worth it and I will definitely go back again the next time I'm in Korea. Anyway, my tips and advice STILL holds! If I am to get a similar haircut, I will have to ask the hairdresser in Korea NOT to curl my fringe and make sure to give myself some time (Perhaps 2-3 weeks) for the hairdo to look more natural before attending any important events/ activities. (: 

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For more information about my other Korean adventures, see here:

Part I - Jeonju & Naejangsan
Part II - Seoul 

 xx
Loves,
Nices