A Hair Cut at A. By Bom Salon, Cheongdam

Am I a beauty blogger? Yes. Do I take meticulous care with my skincare routine to ensure as perfect skin as possible? Yes. Do I do anything with my hair? NO.

No. No I don’t…I’m embarrassed to admit but I really, truly do nothing to my hair, and it had been about a year since my last hair cut. I literally just shampoo, condition, and use a curling mousse, every couple of days. That’s it. I invest nothing, and I think most of the time, being curly and carefree, my hair usually looks kinda ok-ish.

BUT, after visiting the A. By Bom salon, my approach has kinda dramatically changed, and now I know why I need to get to the salon more often…here’s the deets of my experience!

2019 EDIT- Since this post, I’ve learned a lot more about curly hair and how it should be cut. Unfortunately the methods used in this A by Bom cut were not correct for curly hair and there was a lot of thinning. I love the salon and Jay, but these techniques are not best for my type of hair.

A. By Bom

A. By Bom is a luxury salon, frequented by celebrities, located in the wealthy area of Cheongdam, southern Seoul. It’s on the second and third floor of a huge building, and the space itself is gorgeous. They offer hair, nail and makeup services. I’d been working with the cosmetics side of the company, and when they invited me for a tour of the salons, I booked a hair appointment that day as I was so impressed by the atmosphere and design of the salon (and even I had to admit my mop DESPERATELY needed a chop).

Arrival and Preparation

When you arrive, you go to the third floor to sign in (address is at the bottom of this post). The staff speak English and were very welcoming. I was directed to the waiting area, and it’s such a contemporary artsy space that I happily would have waited longer than I had to!

Another English speaking guy then came to get me, and he took my purse and belongings, put them in a locker, and dressed me in robe overalls (with my key attached to the robe) before leading me downstairs to the main salon area. He showed me to my chair and then offered me a drink while I waited for my stylist (iced coffee for me please, always). The salon was absolutely bustling but because of the huge space, it didn’t feel over crowded or distracting.

Hair Wash

First a lady took me for a hair wash in a very comfortable, leather chair, which levered me to the correct position on its own. She gave me a mini head massage and gently but thoroughly washed and conditioned my hair, before towel drying and leading me back to my chair.

Hair Cut

I’d thought this lady was my hair stylist, but no! My hair stylist was Jae Hwang. I showed him a photo of what I wanted (he spoke excellent English) and he began cutting my hair with such precision and care. He used a technique where he cut up my hair strands, and because I’d never seen that before I questioned why. He explained that this would help with the volume of my very thin hair.

Hair Style

After Jae had finished snipping away, he and his assistant began blow drying, curling with straighteners, then blow drying again. It was a very thorough style and I loved the volume they managed to dry into my hair.

Finished Result and Thoughts

YAAAAAS. I was so happy with both the style and the cut. My hair was incredibly voluminous and bouncy- I’ve never seen it look so good! I will definitely return when I need a cut, and most likely treat myself to a blow dry if I have a big event too-I really loved how they managed to style it (EDIT: I’ve since returned twice and it’s been just as fabulous each time). Although I don’t have the skills to style it in the same way they did, I’ve been so pleased with the condition and feel of my hair since. I really enjoyed the whole experience too- it felt like a pamper and I appreciated just being in the cool space of this salon. The fact that Jae spoke great English also made my experience much more comfortable. Of course I don’t have the ignorant expectation that anyone should speak English, but it certainly helped me convey exactly what I wanted and allowed me to relax a little more. Overall, thoroughly impressed!

Details

For a wash, cut and blow dry my entire experience, which lasted about 70 minutes, cost 65,000 Korean Won (roughly $65, or £40) . I can’t talk for people from other countries, but in the UK this is the absolute minimum you’d pay in a very basic salon. I thought this was great value, considering this is a celebrity salon in one of the wealthiest and most popular areas for hair and beauty in the capital, and they provided me with a fantastic experience and gorgeous cut and style.

I’d highly recommend asking for Jae if you make an appointment- as far as I understand he’s the main English-speaking stylist, and his hair skills are fantastic.

Salon address: 30, Seolleung-ro 152-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul  

Phone: +82-2-516-8765

Website: www.abybom.com

Have you had a great hair cut in Seoul? Let me know where in the comments!

P.S. This was not a sponsored post- as I mentioned at the beginning, whilst I have worked with the cosmetics branch of the company, this cut was paid for by me.