I need a haircut but I am nervous about going to a Korean hair salon. How do?

Don't worry, Korean hair salons are very professional and most stylists can handle basic requests even without speaking much Korean!

The best approach is to save 2-3 reference photos on your phone from Pinterest or Instagram. When you sit down, just show the photos and say "이렇게 해주세요" (ee-ruh-keh hae-ju-seh-yo), which means "Like this, please." If you need to communicate specifics, a few useful phrases are "조금만 잘라주세요" for just a little trim, "앞머리 남겨주세요" to keep your bangs, and "레이어드" if you want a layered cut.

For foreigner-friendly salons, Hongdae, Gangnam, and Itaewon areas are your best bet. You can search "foreigner hair salon Seoul" on Naver Map to find places with English-speaking staff. Prices are very reasonable too, around 15,000-30,000 KRW for a men's cut and 30,000-50,000 KRW for a women's cut. One nice thing about Korean salons is they usually wash your hair before and after cutting, and styling is included in the price. Many also offer drinks like coffee or tea while you wait. I would suggest booking through Naver or KakaoHairShop app so you don't have to wait.