What To Do At The Sulwhasoo Dosan Flagship Store In Seoul

Sulwhasoo (설화수) is a Korean luxury skin care brand that is renowned for high quality herbal medicine based products and the Sulwhasoo Flagship Store (설화수 도산 플래그십 스토어) is an absolute must visit for not only KBeauty lovers but any tourist in Seoul interested in unique experiences that you can only have here.

After trying my own collection of Sulwhasoo products, I can honestly say they are worth the money and I’ll be a loyal customer forever more. Not only that, but the flagship store is just stunning so any reason to go back there again and again… and maybe again. The flagship store is gorgeously Instagrammable and did you know you can also register to have FREE unique experience at the flagship store here in Seoul? You most definitely can.

Here’s what you can find in this post. Feel free to skip around:

• How To Get There
• Basic Info
• Sulwhasoo Flagship Store Architecture
• Sulwhasoo Brand Information
• Why You Need To Visit The Sulwhasoo Flagship Store In Seoul

(This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if you purchase after clicking at no cost to you. Thank you for your support.)

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How To Get There

Address: 18 Dosan-daero 45-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (서울특별시 강남구 도산대로 45길 18)

By Subway: Make sure to have your T-Money card topped off and you can get to the Sulwhasoo Flagship store by taking the subway to Apgujeong Subway Station exit 2 or 3 and you’ll head to the southern end of Dosan Park to find the store. Or you can get off at Apgujeong Rodeo Subway Station and get off at exit 5 or 6 and head toward Dosan Park to find the store.

This flagship store is located in the Gangnam district of Seoul. When you plan your visit, also check out this guide to Gangnam so make a day of it in the area.

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Basic Info

Hours: 10:00am ~ 9:00pm

Days: Closed every first Monday of the month, New Year’s Day and Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving Day)

Programs: To partake in the free program you MUST register online and I recommend doing it as far in advance as you can. They seem to only allow three months out, but they can book up. Information on how to register is below with the program options.

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Sulwhasoo Dosan Flagship Store Architecture

Whether or not you have time to partake in the free program at the flagship store, you most definitely  need to stop by to take some gorgeously Instagrammable photos. The Sulwhasoo Dosan Flagship Store is the largest single brand flagship store in Korea and is a must-visit for any KBeauty lover.

The building was designed by Korean architect IROJE and was built in 2003. The Neri&Hu Design & Research firm added on to create a space that would inspire and appeal to all of the senses and from the outside all the way up to the rooftop, it’s truly a masterpiece of design. I would say it’s really very artistic and is like a cool museum rather than a store because of the gorgeous brass facades.

The brass structure that winds from exterior to interior is somehow both delicate and strong. Named The Lantern, “the literal and mythological meaning of the lantern is highly significant throughout Asian history – it leads you through the dark, showing you the way and indicating the beginning and end of a journey.”

You can check out more about the design firm and what they were designing on Arch Daily. The most Instagrammed spots are on the first floor veranda outside of the showroom and on the rooftop, but definitely take pics as you walk from floor to floor and through each space. Every angle is intriguing and gorgeous. Staff are friendly and are absolutely okay with you taking pics. Enjoy the time and the space fully.

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Sulwhasoo Brand Information

Sulwhasoo, which means snow flower phenomenal or more poetically “blooming beautifully  like a snow flower”, was created in 1966 by Suh Sung Whan and is the premier luxury cosmetics brand from Korea made with herbal medicinal ingredients. The founder grew up in Kaesong, a city which is well-known for their exceptional ginseng, Korea’s signature plant. Suh learned about the importance of high quality ingredients from his mother who produced her own camellia oil, which is another ingredient often found in Sulwhasoo products. Having a high understanding of ginseng and how to use it, he introduced ABC Ginseng Cream in 1966 and thus kicked off Sulwhasoo’s legacy.

The brand is often tapped by the Korean government to provide gifts for incoming dignitaries, visiting first ladies, and foreign leaders and was even the official gift provided at the G20 Summit in 2010. Today, people will recognize Song Hye Kong, the leading actress from the hit Korean drama “Descendants of the Sun” as the face of Sulwhasoo.

Ginseng, the key ingredient in many Sulwhasoo products, is included in anti-aging products because of the root’s ability to stimulate the production of collagen. Collagen is a protein found within the skin and maintains strength and firmness so the products with ginseng can give the skin a more youthful appearance. Ginseng is also a skin-brightening agent and helps in reducing dark spots so basically the founder really picked the right ingredient when he decided to go into skincare.

I have gotten to try a number of the products from Sulwhasoo including the Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream Ex, Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Water, Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Emulsion, and the Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Serum and they were all so amazing. They’re all probably the most expensive skincare products I’ve tried, but I absolutely think they were worth it.

Other key ingredients in many of the brand’s products include peony, sacred lotus, Solomon’s seal, white lily, and rehmannia. While many other companies may also utilize these key ingredients, the way Sulwhasoo processes them is actually quite unique. They use the same methods that they would if they were preparing the herbs for medicinal use and thus slow boil the ingredients in purified water for 18 hours.

You can learn about the process on the first floor of the flagship store. While other brands are buying extracts without controlling the entire process, Sulwhasoo cultivates, harvests, and extracts the plants themselves resulting in optimal potency. This brand is truly something special and the kicker is that they really do work.

One of the most interesting spots in the flagship store was a wall where they have featured every compact case with the yearly design. Every one of them is just stunning. If you’re a collector, it’s a must see. You can also visit the spa for various treatments utilizing all of the Sulwhasoo products as well. The spaces are all designed with the customer in mind and you can inspect, try, and really learn about the products and what they’re good for.

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Why You Need To Visit The Sulwhasoo Dosan Flagship Store In Seoul

One great reason to visit the flagship store is the store exclusive products. The flagship store in Gangnam offers special items that can only be found here and if you’re a KBeauty aficionado or have friends back home that you want to gift with the most luxurious and unique items, definitely go and pick some up.

These Sulwhasoo store exclusive products include the First Care Activating Serum, there are 12 in the collection, the Exclusive Hand Cream Duo, First Peace and Plum Blossom, the Exclusive Fragrance Collection, a scented candle, potpourri, and sachet, an Exclusive Herbal Soap Collection, there are 4 in the collection, the Exclusive Tea Collection, and the Exclusive Balm Series for lip and skin care.

If you purchase something at the flagship store, they also offer a free gift packaging service which is offered exclusively at the flagship store. The other reason to visit are the spa experiences you can partake in at this gorgeous flagship store.

The Sulwhasoo Spa at the flagship store offers treatments on the fourth floor and in their B1 spa including: 

• Signature Experience: Intensive Ginseng Journey for 100 minutes
• Signature Experience: Heritage Ginseng Touch for 90 minutes
• Signature Experience: Heritage Ginseng Journey for 130 minutes
• A Signature Ginseng Facial for 80 minutes
• A Moisturizing and Comforting Facial for 80 minutes
• An Ultimate Facial for 90 minutes
• Brightening and Resilience Facial for 80 minutes
• Calming and Vitalizing Facial for 80 minutes

Holistic Ginseng & Jade Touch: This is a hand care service that provides vitality to tired skin and daily life by using Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream and a jade applicator that increases skin regeneration on the hands, a reflex zone of the body.

• This program takes 30 minutes.

Guided Tour: If you want to learn all you can about the flagship store and make sure you see every nook and cranny, be sure to ask for a guided tour.

• It takes just 30 minutes.
• This program is available Monday through Friday.

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I really enjoyed my visit to the Sulwhasoo Flagship Store and highly recommend it if you’re interested in Korean skincare and cosmetics. Or if you just want some epic Instagram photos, visit too. I enjoyed a make-up and skincare tutorial for my visit and absolutely want to go back to try more of the programs. Don’t miss this unique opportunity in Seoul.

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