Anyway! Sangjun invited me to try out their Hanbok rental services in late 2015. I never thought I would make use of this opportunity as I just came back from Seoul with my family. I AM TOO EXCITED TO TRY AN ACTUAL HANBOK RENTAL IN SEOUL!! 😜 Yes, 3 years ago I blogged about my family's free Hanbok rental experience at Myeongdong for 10 minutes HERE. I'm kind of glad that this post garnered quite a number of views.
Frankly speaking, I told myself to rent a Hanbok if I ever come back to Seoul as the free Hanbok experience is definitely not enough. There are only 2 backdrops and you can't leave the shopping mall with the limited Hanbok choice. 😴
Seohwa Hanbok (link here)
Finding Seohwa Hanbok is not difficult. Simply alight at Gyeongbokgung station and find Exit 4. You should see Hwadoo cafe once you reach the ground level. Continue to walk straight and look to your left.
Directions with images can be found at their official website.
The entrance!
Simply walk down the stairs and you'll need to remove your shoes before entering the shop.
The 2nd entrance to Seohwa 😸
The counter for cash transactions and reservations enquiry
They do accept walk-ins but it is strongly recommended to make an online reservation with them first. The shop is quite cramped and you wouldn't want to walk out of the shop feeling empty and make a wasted trip 😅
A pinboard filled with essential information for tourists! Please do not ignore these crucial information if you wish to avoid unnecessary problems/extra charges incurred unknowingly.
Look at the crowd! Our reservation was made at 9.30am in the morning...
LOOK AT THE WIDE RANGE OF HANBOK!!!!!!! This is only 50% of it HAHAHA
Selection for men.
Fret not, there are more designs as shown in the picture...
Emperor's hat and Gat (in translucent black on the right) which JY chose!!!
I will share the women's accessories later.
Firstly, you will be asked to keep your belongings at the bottom of the cabinet:
JY is here to demonstrate HAHAHAHAH look at his hideous heattech colour 😂
Secondly, you are entitled to TWO fitting chances.
To put it in a harsh way, just choose the design that you seriously want it and don't be wishy washy. They ain't got time for you to change your mind more than twice.
The inner skirt for women! I look like a ballerina~
Luckily I bought a black heattech instead of turquoise :P
After selecting your Hanbok, they will don the Hanbok for you perfectly. You need not worry whether you can tie a nice knot or ribbon because you are in good hands!
Princess in the making... 😇
Oh yes! Forgot to mention that they have washroom here. Please clear everything before you put on your Hanbok if not you can't visit the toilet after that!
Resting area (mainly) for men as women take a longer time to doll up.
JY should feel blessed that I didn't make him wait at all #lolbecauseinuasai #nothardworkingenoughtocurlmyhair
Make up room for women
Thirdly, normal accessories are provided for free such as hair bands, hair ribbons and hanbok handbags. Other accessories tagged with a price is not complimentary.
This is a good example of non-complimentary item.
Otherwise, the accessories shown here are all complimentary!
I took 1 hanbok handbag (i need to bring my valuables along!) and 1 hair band only. Now you know why JY doesn't have to wait like the other guys HAHA.
Fourthly, they will provide a recycling bag for you to keep your belongings. We had to keep both our belongings into this bag:
Please wear as light as possible but we can't because we need our winter jacket!!!
They will store all customers' belongings behind the counter.
Lastly, you are free to roam around Seoul! We decided to visit Gyeongbokgung Palace only since it is smacked right opposite Seohwa Hanbok shop and we wouldn't want to travel far like that...
There is a sense of satisfaction because JY listened to my advice to get the Gat although it requires a small fee of 2,000won, and he didn't regret it as his look won't be complete without the Gat. We took endless shots in the Palace because our matchy outfit is not planned beforehand. I will only be uploading just a few shots worth commenting :)
She requested to take a photo together.
We felt like a celebrity for that day as we had strangers (non-koreans of course) asking us to take a photo together. It was funny at first because I thought they wanted me to help them take a photo of THEMSELVES... Not until JY hinted me that they wanted to be the photographer and we are the models. 🙊
It was quite paiseh but we acceded to each and every strangers' request. A lady even hugged me and give me a cheek kiss! I can feel her strong excitement but sorry I'm not a Kpop star :'(
We had to trouble some tourists to be our photographer and it feels like trading fame back in Maplesea game...
That's true. Every time we got tasked to be others' photographer, we will ask them politely to help us as well HAHAHA 😎
Almost forgot to flaunt my backview 😛
This wouldn't have happened without Seohwa Hanbok! A huge THANK YOU to Sangjun and Seohwa Hanbok's team. I would definitely go back for more and recommend to my friends and family! In fact, 1 of my friends already went to Seohwa Hanbok for their rental service, after watching my instagram story!
Here are some personal tips before making your way down to Seohwa Hanbok:
- Wear as light as possible
- Bring as little as possible
- Try not to eat oily/fried food that will upset your stomach few hours before the reservation
- Style your hair at your apartment/hotel first
- Slap on full make-up first as you got no time to touch up later
- Bring your passport + korean won for deposit
- Decide between Traditional Hanbok or Modern Hanbok design (I chose the latter)
- Decide on which colour for your Hanbok
- Clear your bowels before wearing that inner skirt
Feel free to contact Seohwa Hanbok's team at seohwahb@naver.com if you still can't find the answer to your questions from their official website.
Last but not least, have fun with the rental service! 💚
Last but not least, have fun with the rental service! 💚
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