One of the most sought-after beauty procedures in South Korea is laser hair removal. And it’s no wonder! Like most beauty procedures in South Korea, the prices here are much cheaper than stateside. It’s also been one of the better, most time-saving decisions that I’ve made in a long while. I no longer have to worry about exposing my yeti-looking legs in the summertime when I forget to shave or when I forget my razor on holiday.

When I first came to Korea, I asked my coworker about whether or not Korean women typically waxed or shaved their hair. She said that laser hair removal was much more common, and after being here for some time, I can see why. It’s very affordable to get laser hair removal here and the effects are semi-permanent.

Shaving

It’s really hard to find women’s shaving razors in South Korea for that matter. If I do need to shave, I usually buy men’s razers — the secret that a lot of women already know in which men’s razors are better made anyhow — as well as men’s shaving creams. Finding good women’s shaving products is very, very hard in South Korea. You can find women’s razors locally at Olive Young, but you’re better off buying men’s razors just about everywhere else — including No Brand, E-mart, and Coupang. If you’re feeling particularly masochistic, you can also try buying an epilator.

Traditional Waxing

It’s also not as common to find traditional waxing places. The only expat-friendly salon that I really know of is The Beauty Lounge by Ella in Itaewon if you’re looking for a one-stop shop for waxing, microblading, and eyelash extensions.

The Foreigner Tax

If they try to charge you a premium due to being a foreigner, you may want to walk away. You probably won’t need a translation service to do laser hair removal as many people in Seoul speak enough English and the procedure is very straightforward. I usually book my appointments ahead of time via KakaoTalk in English, so that I just have to show up for my appointment, pay at the front desk, and head to the laser hair removal room!

Laser Hair Removal in South Korea

The best candidate for laser hair removal is those with light skin and dark hair. It will be trickier to get laser hair removal done if you have either lighter hair or darker skin. Since Korean women typically have lighter skin and dark hair, they are generally good candidates for laser hair removal.

The pain is considerably less than waxing in my opinion. Even though I have a fairly high pain threshold, I’ve come out of waxing sessions — um, bikini waxes?! — borderline crying. Laser hair removal felt like a rubber band lightly snapping the skin the first time, and the more sessions I had, the more it just felt like I was being tickled or barely anything at all.

The following are typical prices of each clinic without any promotions. Prices do not include VAT which is an additional 10%. You’ll want to check each individual site and any local branches to see if they are running any specials as you will get a good discount on laser hair removal packages. There are frequently package deals every month when you purchase a number of sessions in advance as well as weekday promotions.

Laser Hair Removal Clinic	Upper Arm	Lower Arm (incl. Elbow)	Armpit	Thigh	Calves (incl. knee)	Full Leg	Bikini (Outer Line)	Brazilian (front & back)
Muse Clinic	30,000 won (1x) 120,000 won (5x)	40,000 won (1x) 160,000 won (5x)	10,000 (1x) 30,000 (5x)	70,000 won (1x) 310,000 won (5x)	50,000 won (1x) 220,000 won (5x)	100,000 won (1x) 470,000 won (5x)	30,000 won (1x) 120,000 won (5x)	90,000 won (1x) 390,000 won (5x)
Beauty Lounge	30,000 won (1x) 120,000 won (5x) 200,000 won (10x)	40,000 won (1x) 160,000 won (5x) 290,000 won (10x)	10,000 won (1x) 30,000 won (5x) 50,000 won (10x)	70,000 won (1x) 310,000 won (5x) 570,000 won (10x)	50,000 won (1x) 220,000 won (5x) 400,000 won (10x)	100,000 won (1x) 470,000 won (5x) 880,000 won (10x)	40,000 won (1x) 170,000 won (5x) 350,000 won (10x)	90,000 won (1x) 390,000 won (5x) 600,000 won (10x)
Abijou		200,000 won (5x)	10,000 won (1x) 29,000 won (5x)	100,000 won (1x) 500,000 won (5x)	200,000 won (5x)		40,000 won (1x) 200,000 won (5x)	250,000 won (1x) 1200,000 won (5x)
Me Clinic	72,000 won (1x) 342,000 won (5x) 648,000 won (10x)	68,000 won (1x) 323,000 won (5x) 612,000 won (10x)	24,000 won (1x) 114,000 won (5x) 216,000 won (10x)	96,000 won (1x) 456,000 won (5x) 846,000 won (10x)	72,000 won (1x) 342,000 won (5x) 648,000 won (10x)	150,000 won (1x) 712,500 won (5x) 1,350,000 won (10x)	72,000 won (1x) 342,000 won (5x) 648,000 won (10x)	180,000 won (1x) 850,000 won (5x) 1,620,000 won (10x)
Shinebeam	120,000 won (5x)		30,000 won (5x)	240,000 (5x)	240,000 won (5x)			400,000 won (5x)

Clinics like Shinebeam, Muse Clinic, You&I Clinic, and Beauty Lounge are generally on the same par price-wise though I’ve heard some people claim that you get what you pay for. I personally haven’t had any issues going to these “cheaper” places for laser hair removal.

If you have any other recommendations for laser hair removal places in South Korea or want to share your personal experiences with getting laser hair removal done, drop them down in the comments below!

Muse Clinic

This is probably one of the most popular laser hair removal clinics among female expats in South Korea. The prices are affordable and they also often run specials that can be found on their website or via their KakaoTalk channel. I would suggest actually switching the site to Korean as the prices are weirdly different for their English language page.

Muse Clinic Gangnam Address: 2nd ~ 5th floor of Daeyeon Building, 80912, Yeoksam 1-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (서울특별시 강남구 역삼1동 809-12번지 대연빌 딩 2 ~ 5층)

Beauty Lounge Clinic

You can message them on Kakaotalk in English and make an appointment. The Beauty Lounge clinic is on the 9th floor of the Heungkuk Fire Insurance Building (흥국화재빌딩) and can be easy-to-miss on the busy Gangnam-daero street. The laser hair removal is done on the 3rd floor.

The prices are really competitive, and I tend to go for this place due to its proximity to my apartment. They also often have specials posted on their website or via their KakaoTalk Channel.

Typically, when you go to the 3rd floor and check in for your appointment with the front desk staff, they will direct you to put your things in the locker and you must change into the supplied loose “uniform” (a really unsexy skirt and tank top). Then you sit and wait until you are called and they will ask to make sure that you have shaved the target areas at least 24 hours ahead of time then begin the laser hair removal. It’s all-in-all very quick. They may or may not prescribe you medication to help with ingrown hair afterward which you can fulfill at any pharmacy.

I’ve also paid for laser hair removal for Brazilian here (among other things), but they didn’t do the best job and there was some miscommunication. If you’re going for Brazilian laser hair removal, I suggest being super clear with your technician about what you want taken off as I’ve heard that the Korean preference for hair down there is keeping most of it and only taking off the sides, ahem.

Despite the Brazilian hair removal mix-up, I have had an overall positive experience at Beauty Lounge and continue to go back. Their underarm promotion is often 10,000 KRW for 3 sessions, so it’s kind of a no-brainer based on price alone.

Beauty Lounge Clinic Gangnam Address: Beauty Lounge on the 9th floor, 442, Gangnam-daero, Gangnam-gu – Coffee bean building next to Gangnam Station CGV (강남구 강남대로 442 9층 뷰티라운지 – 강남역 CGV 옆 커피빈 건물)

You&I Clinic

You&I Clinic doesn’t seem to list their prices online, but you can contact them directly and check. There are some promotions via their website, however. For example, their Spring event for laser hair removal until April 30th, 2021 is listed in this notice which shows a package deal of calves (5x) and armpits (5x) for 220,000 won.

You&I Clinic Gangnam Address: 808 tower, 6th floor – 470 Gangnam-daero, Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea (808타워 6층 – 서울시 강남구 강남대로 470)

Abijou Clinic

Abijou Clinic — formerly known as Wynn Clinic — is a popular skincare clinic in Seoul, South Korea with multiple branches across Seoul and outside of Seoul.

Abijou Clinic Gangnam Address: 11F and 13F, Nude Zone Building, 9, 77-gil, Seocho-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul (서울시 서초구 서초대로 77길 9 누드존빌딩 11층, 13층)

Everskin Clinic

Everskin Clinic is a dermatology clinic located in the popular Itaewon area of Seoul, South Korea. The Everskin Clinic in Itaewon doesn’t have their prices listed on their website.

Everskin Clinic Itaewon Address: 202, 199, Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul – 2nd floor of Biwon Building, Itaewon-dong ( 서울시 용산구 이태원로 199, 202 – 이태원동, 비원빌딩 2층)

Wooskin Clinic

Wooskin is a dermatology clinic with a laser center.

Wooskin Clinic Gangnam Address: 5th floor, Gangnam Clinic Building, 370 Gangnam-daero, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (서울 강남구 강남대로 370 강남클리닉빌딩 5층)

Me Clinic

ME Clinic is a dermatology and plastic surgery clinic especially catered towards foreigners in South Korea. Prices are not listed on their website, but you can call to schedule a consultation.

ME Clinic Sinnonhyeon Address: 1201, Yuhwa Building, 439 Gangnam-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul (서울 서초구 강남대로 439 유화빌딩 1201호)

Shinebeam

Shinebeam is another popular clinic located in Seoul, South Korea that offers laser hair removal.

Shinebeam Gangnam Address: Sekyung Building 2F/4F, 10 Teheran-ro 1-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (서울시 강남구 테헤란로1길 10,세경빌딩 2층/4층)