Korean Perm in Seoul: Types, Prices and Time
Korean perm in Seoul: digital, setting, cold and root perms, what each costs in won, how long it takes in the chair and what we saw at a Seoul academy in 2026.
By Oksana Prisyazhnayafounder and editor
In short. A Korean perm in Seoul costs roughly 140,000-250,000 won depending on the technique and the salon, based on salon menus published by Koreabridge on 24 August 2026. A cold perm takes about two hours, a digital or setting perm about three. Our editor trained at MASSTIGE HAIR Academy in Seoul in March and August 2026, and the photos below are our own.
The four perms on a Seoul salon menu
Korean salon menus use a handful of names. Knowing them makes booking much easier:
Korean | Pronounced | What it is |
|---|---|---|
디지털펌 | di-ji-teol peom | Digital perm: heated rods connected to a machine |
셋팅펌 | set-ting peom | Setting perm: a heat perm close to digital, often listed together with it |
일반펌 / 콜드펌 | il-ban peom / kol-deu peom | Regular or cold perm: no heat, the solution and timing set the curl |
뿌리펌 | ppu-ri peom | Root perm: volume at the roots only |
You will also see 볼륨펌 (bol-lyum peom, volume perm). At the academy we were told it is currently the most requested technique in Korea: it leaves no harsh lines, and over time only the volume relaxes.
Prices in won
Menu prices from Seoul salons, as published by Koreabridge on 24 August 2026:
Service | Salon | Price |
|---|---|---|
Root perm | id Hair Gangnam | 80,000 ₩ |
Cold perm | Seoul Hair Salon | 140,000 ₩ |
Digital perm | Seoul Hair Salon | 160,000 ₩ |
Digital / setting perm | id Hair Gangnam | 180,000 ₩ |
Setting perm | JUNO Hongdae | from 220,000 ₩ |
Basic setting perm | AVENUE JUNO | 250,000 ₩ |
Hippie perm (rod) | AVENUE JUNO | 240,000 ₩ |
Basic magic setting perm | AVENUE JUNO | 330,000 ₩ |
These are individual menus, not a city-wide average, and salons change them. Check the salon's own menu for your date before you go.
Time in the chair
From the same menus: a root perm at id Hair Gangnam takes 90 minutes, a cold perm 120 minutes and a digital or setting perm 180 minutes. A signature digital perm at Soonsiki Hongdae is listed at about 150-180 minutes, and a digital setting perm combined with root volume at about 180-240 minutes.
Plan the rest of the day around that.
Digital perm: what it looks like
In March 2026 our editor attended a MASSTIGE HAIR Academy seminar on restorative digital perm, taught by the academy's creative technical director Hong Jihoon. Hair is wound on heated rods connected to a machine; the temperature on the hair is 60-120 °C, and the setting is chosen for the hair and adjusted during the procedure.
The curl from a digital perm shows best on dry hair: it opens up as the hair dries and reads like a finished style. At Versiya Lab, the Moscow studio founded by our editor, a digital perm lasts up to six months and a cold perm three to five.
Cold perm: what it looks like
In August 2026 our editor returned to the same academy for one-to-one training in cold perm and root volume. No machine is used: the hair is wound on thin rods, and the solution and timing set the curl.
What we saw in Seoul
- Digital perm is the default. In Korea digital perm is now more common than cold perm, the opposite of what we see in Russia.
- A test strand comes first. Every new client gets a test strand at the lower back of the head before the stylist chooses the technique and the setting.
- Menus change often. New techniques appear roughly every six months, so last year's photos may show a perm the salon no longer offers.
How to get an appointment without speaking Korean or having a Korean phone number is in our guide How to Book a Hair Salon in Seoul as a Foreigner.
