Here's how to spend a K-beauty inspired week in Seoul

For those who are interested in the beauty industry, there’s no doubt about it — Korean beauty and skincare is taking over the Western market.

If you’ve never heard of the 10-step skincare regime hailing from Korea, here’s the lowdown: it’s a skincare routine that is popular among Koreans to achieve flawless, youthful, glowing skin — and yes, it involves ten steps.

Korean beauty has had a huge influence on worldwide skincare routines, and it’s become more and more popular. After all, there’s no place in the world that knows beauty, wellness, and skincare better than Korea.

But here’s the thing. You can watch all the YouTube tutorials out there, or do as much research as possible, but there’s nowhere better to learn about K-beauty than where it originated: South Korea. With spas, beauty tours, and an abundance of skincare brands to shop, it’s pretty much the optimum destination for beauty and wellness.

It’s time to round up your bestie and start checking out flights to Seoul, the capital of South Korea. When it comes to the itinerary itself, we’ve got you covered: One Travel has designed the ultimate K-beauty inspired trip. Here’s what you can expect:

Day one

On the first day of your K-beauty tour in Korea, you’ll fly into Incheon International Airport, an hour outside of Seoul. There, it’s time to meet a local representative and transfer to your hotel.

You’ll have the rest of your day to spend at your leisure, so you can take time to explore the city’s must-visit spots (and indulge in some Korean cuisine!). Head over to Myeongdong, a shopping area packed with homegrown beauty stores, as well as casual eateries and street food vendors selling traditional Korean nibbles.

Day two

Today’s the day to explore the cultural side of Seoul. This includes visiting the beautiful Gyeongbokgung Palace, the main royal palace of the Joseon dynasty built in 1395. Then, head over to Bukchon Hanok Village, a traditional Korean village with a long history, featuring many alleys.

Many of the hanoks (traditional Korean houses) operate as cultural centres, restaurants, and tea houses, so you’ll have the perfect opportunity to drink in (literally) the best of Korean culture.

Day three

This is the day to fully indulge in K-beauty. Start the day off in Myeongdong once again, where you can participate in a K-beauty makeup class with a professional artist. If you’ve ever wanted to know exactly how to nail the K-Pop star makeup look, this is where to learn it.

Once you’ve shopped til you’re ready to drop, recover with a relaxing 70-minute skincare spa experience, which includes a one-on-one skin counsel, head and neck massage, deep-cleansing, degrease, decollete massage, ampoule nourishment, facial treatment, and a two-step mask.

Day four

Your fourth day in Seoul is your opportunity to indulge in all things K-wellness. Start with experiencing Korea’s new wave of healthy living by enjoying Korean herbal tea with a 20-minute foot bath and a 30-minute Moxa Cautery treatment to gain healthy energy.

In the afternoon, you’ll wake up your body with a chance to participate in a Taekwondo experience and learn the art of self-defense and combat.

Then, take a visit to a Jjimjjilbang where you can relax with the Korean spa experience, shower, and sauna before hitting the hay.

Day five

This is your last day to experience the best of Seoul’s K-beauty. Instead of having an itinerary, take the day to explore the city yourself at your leisure. As a bonus, you can use any of the newfound Korean language skills you learn!

With your spare time, head to Garosugil in Sinsa-dong, a street lined with numerous restaurants, cafés, and fashion and beauty stores. It’s a hip place for trendy young people to shop at, so you can fill your suitcase to your heart’s content with beauty and skincare products from local brands.

You’ll have some time to enjoy Seoul the next morning before you depart Incheon Airport to fly back home to Canada with your newfound K-beauty knowledge.

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If you’re interested in experiencing a five-day K-beauty tour for yourself, now’s the best time to book your trip. Why? Because Silkway Travel, Jolly Time Travel, and OneTravel have partnered up with the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) to offer beauty-related tours.

And if you’d like to experience Korean beauty close to home, the KTO is hosting a huge beauty event in Vancouver this November (remember how epic the last one was?), featuring various international vendors as well as a celebrity vlogger flown in from Seoul as a special guest.

Stay up to date on event announcements at Visit Korea on Facebook, and for more information about planning your big Korean vacation, visit the KTO or MyKBeauty.ca.