36 Hours in Seoul and Why Korean Beauty Matters
Elise Hu gives us a K-beauty primer.
I had never felt so (for lack of a better word) unattractive as the moment I walked into the Olive Young store in Myeongdong, a bustling hub for beauty in Seoul. In my month-plus of traveling, I had put my body and face through a gauntlet of experiences; enduring wind rash from scootering around Lombok, sunburns while surfing, and generally tossing any semblance of a “skincare routine” out the window. Yes, my cup was absolutely filled to the brim by experiences I wouldn’t trade for anything (dewy skin, included). And yet, I wasn’t about to turn down a quick fix for the dark spots and dullness that had become more pronounced on my literally world-weary face.
The moment I stepped inside the multi-level store, I was beckoned toward the backlit wall of sheet masks, each holding the alluring promise of tighter pores, or brighter, plumper, glowier skin, strengthened and restored at the “cellular” level in as little as ten minutes. No issue was too niche or too large for improvement. Despite my fatigue and general distrust of the beauty industry from years of working as a lifestyle writer in L.A., I layered the masks in my basket.
Over the next two days in Seoul, I popped into more stores (with over 1,338 locations, they feel as ubiquitous in Seoul as Starbucks do in L.A.), amassing enough products that I had to completely repack my backpack and carry on a large tote, just to make room for the balms, pads, and masks. No experience better captures my brief, whirlwind time in Seoul, a city that mesmerized, transformed, and astounded me with its attention to beauty and detail. The food, the parks, the history, the stores! While brief, my time there was so captivating that I began researching the country’s culture and global pop-culture impact the moment I returned home. Read on for:
a 36-hour itinerary in Seoul
tons of photos from my trip
a downloadable map for Seoul
an audio conversation with Elise Hu all about Korean beauty—and why it matters
plenty of links from the week
P.S. Don’t forget, paid subscribers get access to all of my travel guides and popular downloadable maps! Here are 12 must-visit destinations to get you started.
There is so much to see and do in Seoul that 36 hours is barely skimming the surface. I visited the city with my mom, in a whirlwind finale to my six-week trip to Indonesia and Japan. With time restraints in mind, I did a lot of research before visiting, and was forced to make some difficult decisions in terms of prioritizing food, neighborhoods, and heritage sites. Read on for a few of my favorite spots…
