I do not usually write reviews about hair salons, but after visiting this place twice and receiving surprisingly positive reactions both times, I decided it was worth documenting.
The salon was MEND Salon Sinchon, and my barber was Jungjin.
On both visits, I had a haircut and a down perm. Afterward, people around me said things like:
“Your haircut looks really clean.”
“This length suits you better than cutting it extremely short.”
“Your hair looks much better this time.”
I had rarely received compliments after getting a haircut before, so I was genuinely satisfied with the results.
There is a popular Korean food show called Tto-Gan-Jip, which roughly means “a restaurant worth visiting again.” If I were to apply the same idea to a barbershop, MEND Salon Sinchon would be one of my very few “places worth getting another haircut at.”
I Find Going to the Hair Salon Extremely Annoying
I can never grow my hair very long.
Once it reaches a certain length, it starts to feel uncomfortable, and I suddenly want to cut it all off. It is basically the male version of what Koreans jokingly call “short-hair syndrome.”
The problem is that the shorter a man’s haircut is, the more frequently it needs to be maintained.
Even if it feels like I just had a haircut, the sides and back already start looking messy after about two weeks.
Maintaining a consistently neat short hairstyle requires much more diligence than people might expect.
Unfortunately, going to get a haircut is one of the most annoying errands in the world for me.
Sometimes, I even have the completely pointless thought that life would be easier and fairer if every human being were bald.
We would use less shampoo, spend no time blow-drying our hair, and never have to make salon reservations.
That does not mean I actually want to become bald, of course.
My Hair Requirements Are More Complicated Than They Sound
What I want from a haircut sounds relatively simple.
I want to wear my fringe down, but I do not want my hair to be too long overall.
My face is on the longer side, and I also have a small amount of poorly done scalp micropigmentation remaining near my forehead. Because of that, I do not plan to wear my hair fully swept back.
At the same time, if my fringe gets too long, it becomes uncomfortable. The sides and back also start looking untidy very quickly.
On top of that, I have neither the time nor the motivation to spend much time styling my hair in the morning.
I wanted a style that would look reasonably presentable after simply blow-drying it, without wax, a flat iron, or any serious effort.
My head shape also makes things slightly more difficult.
I have what Koreans often describe as a round, prominent occiput. That may sound like a good feature, but in my case, the lower part of the back of my head protrudes noticeably.
I am not sure whether the correct term is a cowlick or a ducktail, but the hair around the lower back of my head tends to stick out.
Once it grows even slightly longer, that section begins to flare outward and makes the whole haircut look untidy.
I have had my hair cut at many different places, but whether the problem was my face, my head shape, or the haircut itself, I had almost never been told that my hair looked particularly good.
Scalp Psoriasis Made Down Perms Difficult
I also have scalp psoriasis.
Before switching to my current biologic medication, I had significant scaling and irritation on my scalp. Perms and hair coloring were therefore almost impossible to consider.
Even a down perm, which many men in Korea receive quite casually, felt risky for me.
The idea of applying chemical products close to an already irritated scalp was understandably concerning.
Fortunately, the biologic medication I switched to several months ago has worked well, and my scalp condition has improved considerably.
I still would not say that I can undergo every possible chemical treatment without concern, but my scalp has become stable enough for me to cautiously try a down perm.
For both visits, I therefore booked a haircut and down perm combination.
What I Asked Barber Jungjin to Do
During the consultation, I explained the following:
I wanted to keep my fringe down so that it would cover my forehead naturally.
I also wanted to avoid making my already-long face look even longer.
The overall length needed to remain relatively short, while the sides and back had to look clean.
Most importantly, I wanted the haircut to maintain its shape without requiring significant styling every morning.
In simple terms, I wanted:
A hairstyle with a natural fringe, clean sides and back, and a shape that would still look decent after minimal blow-drying.
The request sounds straightforward, but considering my face shape, prominent occiput, and the hair that sticks out at the back, it was probably not the easiest combination of requirements.
A Down Perm That Did Not Flatten Every Layer of Hair
One of the things I liked most was the way the down perm was performed.
At some other salons I had visited, the down perm seemed to flatten every visible layer of hair against the scalp.
Some barbers use bands, papers, or other tools to press the hair down very firmly. This can make the hair look extremely neat immediately after the procedure.
However, in my case, making every layer stick tightly to my scalp can emphasize both my long face and the protruding shape at the back of my head.
The down perm at MEND Salon Sinchon felt different.
Instead of pressing all of the outer hair completely flat, Jungjin seemed to focus more on controlling the inner sections that naturally stick out.
In my own non-technical description, the inner hair was flattened, while the outer “lid” of hair was allowed to remain more natural.
The outer layer fell over the head almost like a curtain rather than sticking tightly to the scalp.
As a result, the sides and back looked clean without making the entire hairstyle look excessively flat.
I am not a professional hairstylist, so I cannot confirm the exact technique or theory behind the procedure.
From a customer’s perspective, however, it felt as though only the necessary sections were controlled, while the outer hair was left with enough volume to soften the shape of my head.
I suspect that this was one of the reasons the final result looked better than the down perms I had received elsewhere.
Treatment Time and Salon Environment
The haircut and down perm took approximately 50 minutes.
It was not exceptionally fast, but it did not feel unusually long either.
For a men’s haircut and down perm combination, I normally expect the appointment to take around an hour.
The salon was well air-conditioned, cool, and generally comfortable.
Even while waiting for the perm solution to process, I did not feel hot or uncomfortable.
The waiting time was therefore not particularly tedious.
I Appreciated the Lack of Excessive Small Talk
I am very introverted.
I find it slightly uncomfortable when I have to maintain a continuous conversation throughout an entire haircut.
A few initial questions are perfectly fine, but answering questions and making small talk for 50 consecutive minutes can become tiring.
Jungjin asked the necessary questions and explained what he was doing, but he did not force the conversation to continue.
When I wanted to remain quiet, I was able to relax without feeling awkward.
At the same time, the atmosphere was not cold or unfriendly.
Personally, that balance was ideal.
No Pressure to Buy Scalp Products or Additional Services
People with scalp psoriasis may understand this experience.
When you have a persistent scalp condition, you eventually try almost everything: shampoos, tonics, ampoules, scalp treatments, and scaling products.
At some salons, a stylist sees the condition of your scalp and immediately begins recommending a specific shampoo or scalp product.
The intention may be good, but it can be uncomfortable for someone who has already tried numerous products and is receiving proper medical treatment.
It is also awkward to suddenly say:
“I am a doctor.”
Instead, I usually just smile and explain that I have already tried many products without much improvement.
At MEND Salon Sinchon, there was no pressure to purchase products or add extra treatments.
Jungjin simply focused on the haircut and down perm that I had booked.
I liked the feeling that the priority was cutting my hair properly rather than selling me something else.
Two Visits, and Positive Reactions Both Times
Most hairstyles look reasonably good immediately after leaving a salon.
At that point, a professional has blow-dried and styled the hair perfectly.
For that reason, I care more about how the haircut looks several days later, after I wash it and dry it myself with minimal effort.
After both visits, my fringe continued to fall naturally without much styling.
The sides and back also looked cleaner and less unruly than before.
More importantly, the reactions from people around me were noticeably different.
In the past, people would usually say nothing more than:
“Oh, you got a haircut.”
This time, I heard comments such as:
“Your haircut looks good.”
“You look much cleaner.”
“This length suits you better than cutting it almost as short as a buzz cut.”
If it had happened only once, I might have considered it a coincidence.
However, I received similar reactions after both visits.
That was the main reason I decided to write a proper salon review.
Booking the Exact Time I Wanted Was Not Always Easy
The main drawback was the reservation availability.
MEND Salon Sinchon appears to have several barbers, but it was not always easy to book Jungjin at the exact time I wanted.
I work at Springday Clinic Sinchon from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
These long opening hours are convenient for patients, but from an employee’s perspective, they make it difficult to handle personal errands on workdays.
MEND Salon Sinchon is close to my workplace, which is convenient.
However, whenever I get a haircut on a workday, I have to rush there during the clinic’s lunch break.
Because the haircut and down perm take approximately 50 minutes, getting my hair done usually means giving up lunch that day.
I therefore have to play a small scheduling game and choose a day when the clinic is unlikely to run overtime during lunch.
The problem is that appointment slots around 2 or 3 p.m., which match my lunch break, are not frequently available at short notice.
The schedule often fills up in advance, so it is difficult to decide suddenly that I want a haircut that same day.
This may simply mean that Jungjin has many regular customers.
Still, for someone like me who can only visit during a very specific time window, the limited availability was slightly inconvenient.
Barber Jungjin’s Pricing
MEND Salon Sinchon has several stylist levels, including White, Gray, and Black.
I did not confirm the exact criteria used for each level.
My assumption is that the system may be related to professional experience or length of employment at the salon rather than serving as a simple absolute ranking of skill.
However, this is only my personal assumption. The salon would need to confirm the official criteria.
During my first visit, Jungjin was listed at the White level, and the haircut and down perm combination cost KRW 50,000.
Jungjin has since moved to the Gray level, and the same service now costs KRW 60,000.
Although the price increased by KRW 10,000, I would still be willing to return at the current rate.
I have previously paid approximately KRW 77,000 for a haircut and down perm at a barbershop in Gyeonggi Province.
Despite paying more, I did not receive any particular compliments about the haircut or hear that the style suited me better.
By contrast, after both appointments with Jungjin, people around me reacted positively.
Based on the results, I personally did not feel that KRW 60,000 was unreasonable.
Final Thoughts
I have a relatively long face, an area of my forehead that I prefer to cover, and hair at the lower back of my head that sticks out easily.
I also have scalp psoriasis and no enthusiasm for spending time styling my hair every morning.
Despite all of those conditions, Jungjin created a style in which the fringe fell naturally, the sides and back looked clean, and the shape of my head was not overly emphasized.
The haircut also maintained a reasonable shape even after I washed and roughly blow-dried it myself.
People around me genuinely commented that my hairstyle looked better.
I also appreciated the comfortable level of conversation and the absence of pressure to purchase scalp products or additional services.
The difficulty of finding an appointment during my preferred time slot was the only notable inconvenience.
Even so, based on the results, I plan to visit again.
After two visits and two satisfactory results, MEND Salon Sinchon has officially become one of my very few “repeat haircut places.”
The only remaining problem is that I still find going to get a haircut extremely annoying.
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