Report No. 8
Report No. 8: What a Perm Costs in Seoul, From My Two Trips in 2026
Report No. 8. What two perms cost me in Seoul in 2026, how that compares with salon menus, and what the trip itself cost from Moscow.
Oksana Prisyazhnaya, founder and editor. 27 October 2026
In short. I had two perms in Seoul in 2026, both at the academy salon in Gangnam where I trained. In March a digital perm cost me 250,000 ₩, about $189. In August a package of three procedures, PPT restoration, a digital perm and root volume, cost 330,000 ₩, about $249. On Seoul salon menus published by Koreabridge, a digital or setting perm costs 160,000-330,000 ₩. Getting to Seoul from Moscow cost me 116,000 ₽ in March and 51,000 ₽ in August, return, with two suitcases.
How it was
March 2026. On 24 March, after the seminar (Report No. 1), I had a digital perm on my own hair: 250,000 ₩ for the digital perm alone, about three hours in the chair (Report No. 2). It held about four and a half months.
August 2026. On 18 August I had three procedures in one visit: PPT keratin restoration first, then a digital perm and root volume. The total was 330,000 ₩, about four and a half hours in the chair (Report No. 3). This perm holds better than the first one.
What a teacher quoted in class. On 16 August Hong Jihoon asked what root volume costs in Russia, and compared it with Korea: around 30,000 ₩ for a local zone and 100,000 ₩ for the whole head, as he put it in the conversation. Those are his figures for his market, not a menu.
Getting there. In March the return flight via Tashkent cost 116,000 ₽ with two suitcases. In August, via Shanghai, it cost 51,000 ₽ with two suitcases; the cheapest aggregator offer had been 87,000 ₽ with one. The K-ETA travel permit costs 10,000 ₩. On 12 and 13 August I changed euros in a bank at about 1,600 ₩ per euro; banks were closed from 15 to 17 August for the holiday, so change money before it.
I do not publish what I paid for the training or for professional supplies: those were my prices, and stylists who come with me to Seoul pay a different package price.
Seoul salon menus for comparison
Seoul salon menus published by Koreabridge and checked on 24 August 2026, from Korean Perm Price Guide 2026:
Salon | Service | Price | ~USD |
|---|---|---|---|
id Hair Gangnam | Root perm | 80,000 ₩ | $60 |
Seoul Hair Salon | Cold perm | 140,000 ₩ | $106 |
Seoul Hair Salon | Digital perm | 160,000 ₩ | $121 |
id Hair Gangnam | Digital / setting perm | 180,000 ₩ | $136 |
JUNO Hongdae | Setting perm | from 220,000 ₩ | $166 |
AVENUE JUNO | Basic setting perm | 250,000 ₩ | $189 |
AVENUE JUNO | Basic magic setting perm | 330,000 ₩ | $249 |
Dollars at the 22 October 2026 closing rate, 1 USD = 1,325.6 ₩. My March price, 250,000 ₩ for a digital perm, sits in the upper half of these menus; my August price covered three procedures, not one.
What I got
- A realistic budget. A digital or setting perm in Seoul is in the range of 160,000-330,000 ₩ on menus; with restoration and root volume added, mine was 330,000 ₩.
- The lesson that the package matters. The August visit, with restoration first, gave me the perm that holds better. If your hair is porous, budget for the restoration, not only the perm.
- Trip costs that decide the total. From Moscow the flight costs more than the perm. The difference between my two flights alone, 65,000 ₽, is more than either perm.
Who it suits and who it doesn't
It suits someone who is going to Seoul anyway and wants a Korean perm as part of the trip. It does not make sense to fly from Moscow only for one perm on price alone: the flight costs more than the procedure.
Verdict
9/10. Both perms were worth it, and the second one, with restoration, holds better than the first. One point off because the price list is the easy part: finding an interpreter was the hardest part of both trips.
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Questions
How much does a Korean perm cost in Seoul?
On Seoul salon menus published by Koreabridge (checked 24 August 2026), a digital or setting perm costs 160,000-330,000 ₩, a cold perm 140,000 ₩ and a root perm 80,000 ₩. I paid 250,000 ₩ for a digital perm in March 2026.
Do Seoul salons add charges for long hair?
Many do: menus grow with hair length, and thick hair often costs more. Ask before you book.
How much is the flight from Moscow to Seoul?
There are no direct flights. I paid 116,000 ₽ via Tashkent in March and 51,000 ₽ via Shanghai in August 2026, return, with two suitcases.
Can I pay by card?
Russian Visa and Mastercard cards do not work in Korea. I took cash euros and changed them in a bank.
From the editor. Choose a Korean perm salon in Seoul with prices and dates in our salon directory. In Moscow, the same Korean perm is at the Versiya Lab studio: versiyalab.ru.