From pork chop Priscillia to Judy
For the last 9 years, Priscillia has been charged with making sure my hair doesn’t look like a mess. There were times when I strayed and patroned another hair stylist, either out of convenience or at the spur of a moment, but that’s story for another day. My instructions (if any) were usually: “don’t cut too short” and “I don’t want to be bald”. Over the years, Priscillia learnt two things: I wanted hair that’s easy to manage when I get up and I never had the perseverance to keep slightly longer hair.
It’s exactly a month now that I’ve moved to Korea and I’m long overdue for a haircut. (I cut my hair ritually once a month. It’s my form of therapy.) Did a quick search on the Web and it returned two key results: Hair and Joy, and Juno Hair. And I decided to give Hair and Joy a try since it’s at 홍대 and I had wanted to do some shopping there.
One good thing about Hair and Joy is that the staff speaks English. I made an appointment over the phone earlier in the week and when I arrived this afternoon (Saturday), the salon was relatively quiet with about 5 customers including myself. Which is good, since crowds usually turn me off. The salon is a mere 2-minute walk from Exit 8 of Hongik University metro station on Line 2. Cross the small road once you exit the station, turn right, walk about 25m to a intersection, then turn left.
Once you turn left, this is what you’ll see. Hair and Joy is on the right, on the 3rd floor of the building.
The lift takes you to level 3 and the salon is just a short flight of stairs down.
Appointments are recommended according to the salon’s Web site. The moment I stepped in, Judy (I learnt her name a while later when I practiced my Korean on her) immediately offered to keep my bag in the locker and whisked me away to a seat. I’m not sure if it’s standard practice, but she noticed that I was perspiring a little and took a piece of tissue to dry the back of my neck, then cooled me down with the hairdryer. Yes, I’m won over by the attention given to the customer.
She asked how I want my hair to be styled and I replied with my usual: “I’ll leave my hair in your good hands. Do whatever you want with it.” Those weren’t the exact words I used though, but you get the drift. Once in a while, she’d stop to ask if I prefer a certain cut, and I’d just reply it’s up to you. (The truth is, I never know what kind of hair I want, so I usually leave it to people who understand it better.)
This I have to say. I love the old, rundown, yet modern decor of the salon.
They’d offer you water and some biscuits once you take your seat. A nice gesture, but one that I never take, even back in Singapore. My “demand” for bird’s nest drink at Chapter 2 doesn’t count.
How much does it cost? 25,000₩, which is relatively cheap I must add. Guess I’ll be back here next month.
How to get to Hair and Joy: Take metro Line 2 to Hongik University station. Take Exit 8. Cross the small street once you exit the station, turn right and then walk about 25m to an intersection. Turn left and you’ll be able to see the salon about 50m away.
