If you travel to Seoul, leave plenty of room in your suitcase

Imagine landing in Seoul on a spring morning. You have a couple of days and a list of creams for your friends. Where do you go? This huge city has very different neighbourhoods, and each one tells part of the story of Korean beauty. Let us walk through them without hurrying.

Myeongdong, the easy place to start

Nearly everyone arrives here first. Its pedestrian streets are packed with beauty shops side by side, with music, bright signs and staff offering samples at the door. Towards evening the street food stalls appear, and simply walking around becomes a plan in itself.

It is ideal for sheet masks and small gifts. Many shops work in several languages and are used to tourists. If the choice overwhelms you, go into one shop, ask for advice for your skin type and leave with a single item.

Gangnam, the elegant side

South of the Han River lies Gangnam, the district the whole world knows from that song. The streets are wide and the buildings tall. The Apgujeong and Cheongdam area is home to luxury shops and beauty salons favoured by people in show business.

Gangnam is also known for its dermatology and aesthetic clinics, which are part of the city landscape. For a visitor, the nicest options are usually a stroll down Garosu-gil, a tree-lined street of shops and cafés, or a facial at a salon.

Seongsu and Hongdae, the young side

Seongsu used to be an area of factories and workshops. Today its old brick buildings hold cafés and pop-up shops. Many beauty brands choose it to show off new launches, so it is worth an afternoon if you enjoy browsing.

Hongdae, close to a well-known art university, has street musicians, playful clothes and lots of youthful energy. You may buy nothing for yourself, but you will see where the trends are heading.

Where people really look after themselves

Now for what you will not see on the billboards. To understand Korean beauty, visit a jjimjilbang, a bathhouse with saunas and rest areas. Families spend the afternoon there, and older ladies sit and chat with towels wrapped around their heads.

Many people scrub themselves with a rough mitt that every Korean knows, and you can also pay for a professional body scrub, which is vigorous and very foamy. It is an intense experience. If your skin is delicate, say so before it starts.

You can also wander through traditional markets such as Namdaemun, where ginseng stalls sit beside soup pots and household goods. Korean beauty draws on this everyday world too.

A few tips for your suitcase

• Ask in the shop about tax refunds for tourists, and carry your passport.
• Pack liquids in your checked bag if they are over the cabin limit.
• Wear comfortable shoes, because Seoul means a lot of walking and plenty of metro stairs.

And if Seoul is far away? The city can come to you. CILARIA is a serum developed and designed by a Korean laboratory, and at 3 ml with its gold cap it fits in any pouch. It is no substitute for a walk through Myeongdong, but it brings a little of that way of caring for yourself to your own bathroom, each morning and night.