The Consultation

That Thursday I made the 40 minute train ride down to Gangnam and showed up barely on time for my seven O'clock appointment.  The clinic was located on the 11th floor with not much signage outside so after several frantic calls for directions from the staff I arrived sweaty and out of breath.  I felt oddly out of place at the boutique style clinic.  It wasn't because I was the only foreigner, but more because I was the only male at the clinic that evening.  The atmosphere of the clinic was very relaxed and its decor is stylish and modern.  I was greeted politely by the staff, checked in and asked to wait with the others in the waiting area.  It was particularly busy that night, which I took for a good sign.  Returning customers usually means good business.

 In the chairs around me various women sat quietly with strange masks of white substance on their faces sealed in plastic wrap while busily texting on their smart phones.  As uncomfortable as I felt with this new experience, I tried to act relaxed.  I felt like a fish out of water, a sweaty mess in some shiny new alien environment.

The nurse called me in to meet the dermatologist, so with uncertain steps I made my way to his office for the consultation.   To my relief he spoke perfect English and was really easy to talk to.  He set a mirror in front of me and using a flashlight shone from above (no one looks good lit from above, hasn't he learned anything from Tyra and ANTM?) he inspected my skin.  My scarring was a little deep he told me, and so because we were working on a time crunch (I was leaving Korea in just over 3 months) he recommended that we start as soon as possible.  Also, because my scarring was was quite extensive, he recommended a combination therapy.  So to my ears I just heard the "ca-ching" of cash registers as he talked me through the 4 recommended procedures.  I swear I was so concerned with the price I heard only half of what he was saying.  Thank God, I got to consult again with a nurse after leaving his office.  Anyway, they decided that if I paid upfront for 3 sessions they would give me a discount.  So the total would be 1.5 million KRW for 3 sessions which included Fraxel Laser Therapy, INTRAcel Fractional Needling, Subcision and facials.  I was slightly alarmed at the 600, 000 KRW jump in price from the ad in the magazine, however I trusted I would get the results I wanted.

So, because of the time line we were working with, I foolishly decided to start then and there.  Hey!  Why not jump in over your head?  I had no real idea of how invasive the procedures would be so I assumed I'd walk out of there in an hour with nothing more than a slightly red face (I was so wrong).

Visit Oracle Skin Land's English site here: Oracle Skin Land

(also available in Chinese, Japanese and French)

To book a consultation in English, contact Ellen Choi @ 010 9938 3373

Open: 10:00h - 23:00h (Monday - Friday) 10:00h - 17:00h (Saturday, Public Holidays)
Directions:  50m from exit 10, Gangnam Station on subway line 2.  Walk straight until you see BSX clothing store on your left.  11th floor Daewon building, 1305-3, Seocho 4-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul.