Wanna Perm Or Do Your Hair in Seoul? Try Jei of Switch Zone – Updated 24 May 2016

By Beautifulbuns

It was by a stroke of luck that I first stumbled upon the salon that Jei worked in sometime in 2010. Ever since then, I’ve been going back to Jei to do my hair. One thing I learned from Korean culture is to give good fan service – instead of simply recommending my stylist Jei to you, I’ve gone a step further to do up a blog entry on how you can get to her salon😀 She’s even been featured on KBS on 10 Dec 2014 as one of the top 3 salons in the Sinchon/Ewha area!

Update as of 24 May 2016: This is actually an update of a blogpost I did back in 2013 – Jei used to be from another salon back then, but she’s currently with Switch Zone hair [starting work 1 June 2016].

Address: 303 Daeheung-dong Mapo-gu Seoul

Tel: 02)706-9055

Email: switchzone@naver.com

PRICE RANGE

Here’s a rough price gauge – I had my hair permed, treated and trimmed for KRW190,000.

HOW TO GET THERE (BRIEF)

  • Take the Subway Line 6
  • Alight at Daeheung Station
  • Take Exit 3
  • Climb up the stairs (there’s a lotttt)
  • When you reach the street level, do a u-turn
  • Walk a couple of steps.
  • You’ll reach a junction where there’s a CU convenience store – turn left.
  • Walk down the street for about 3-5 mins
  • You’ll see a salon with a faux grass patch out front
  • Voila – you’re there!
  • (It’s directly across the road from Lotteria (the Korean fast food equivalent of McDonald’s)

HOW TO GET THERE (PICTORIAL DIRECTIONS)

Take the Subway on Line 6 (this odd mustard-brown colour) and alight at Daeheung Station. You can transfer at Hapjeong station which connects to the more commonly used Green Line 2.

What you’ll see just as you tap out of the gantry [look for signages leading you to Exit 3]

As you follow the signs to Exit 3, you’ll approach an escalator

Once you step off the escalator, this is what you’ll see – turn to the left for Exit 3

 

And it’s time to werk baybeh – work those gluts hurhurhur.

Now this is what you’ll see once you reach the top of the stairs – DO NOT GO STRAIGHT. Instead, make a U-turn back.

You’ll see this store – continue walking along the street till you reach a junction (about 1-2 minutes)

And here’s the junction! Turn left.

The landmark to look out for will be CU, a convenience store at the junction.

Continue walking down the street (after turning left at CU)

see that little brown building? You’re there!

Voila! Welcome to Switch Zone!

The signage is more visible if you go further down the street / overshoot the entrance.

Once you step in, here’s what you’ll see

Lockers for you to deposit your belongings while you do your hair

Our hair is done!😀

May 2016: Permed, treatment and trimmed😀

Jei speaks minimal English, so it’s best that you bring photos to show her what you want. What I love about her is that she’s got the whole strict disciplinarian vibe about her, kinda like Professor McGonagall in Harry Potter but with a great fashion sense. She will always recommend you a hairstyle/color/treatment that suits your hair texture/ face / overall fashion sense.

That’s Jei on the left with the bangs and the stern face. haha. scary balls.

Sept 2011: After my first perm  done by Jei.

May 2012: After my second perm by Jei

Sept 2012: As you can see, in the photo on the left, my hair has deteriorated to epic proportions, but with Jei’s magic hands, voila! I am selca worthy again (on the right)!

Dec 2012: I wanted to dye my hair but she absolutely refused to do it, cos my hair was too damaged. She insisted on a hair treatment (they call it clinic) and hair cut chop of 4-6 inches. Whining or pouting doesn’t work lol.

Apr 2013: Koreans have this particular hair treatment called manicure – it has the same meaning as a nail manicure – a coating over the hair strand to help hold the color pigments better. However, the downside is that the next time you wanna change your hair color or redye, it’ll be a lot harder for the color pigments to get through the manicure layer.

Since my hair was too porous and damaged from 2 rounds of perming, it didn’t’t hold color dye pigments that well. I wanted to do the bright red dye + manicure – again, adamant refusal from Jei cos she said that my hair was recovering and I shouldnt do anything to jeapardise it. She did consent to a normal hair dye, the usual hair clinic and some minor trimming though.

My hair chopped again BUT it looks much healthier, doesn’t it? Jasmine did Magic Straight, which is rebonding but somehow is better, lasts longer and makes her hair look healthier.

June 2014: After growing my hair out for a year, it’s finally suitable for perming again!

Naise, naise?

My pal also wanted to go Rita Ora and got this effect from jet black hair – I think she bleached her hair thrice and Jei stopped at there, cos she didn’t want to damage her hair. I think her hair still looks pretty healthy right? It only cost KRW80,000. Woot.

Finally, a shot with Jei!

10 Dec 2014: Jei used to be from a salon that was featured by KBS as one of the top 3 salons in the Sinchon/Ewha Women’s university area! The video can be found here,( or below) but it’s not subbed.

Essentially the portion filmed at her former hair salon is about many foreigners going there and how the Korean style hair is so popular these days because of the good quality (not drying and not fried).

Towards the end, there’s an interview with Jei was about her trials and tribulations – how she first started out and did a cut for a customer who absolutely hated it, and even came back to rage at her. She was pretty upset and despondent and considered giving up, but she persevered, and yay, now she’s super awesome!😀