If you’re a K-beauty enthusiast, you’ll probably be happy to know that you’ll have more Korean beauty service options now, with Leekaja Beauty Salon opening in Singapore.
The beauty salon chain is established by Madame Leekaja in 1972, and has since opened up 190 branches worldwide.
Her newest boutique in Singapore takes up a huge 3,000-square-feet space in Mandarin Gallery, and offer an array of beauty services, including hairstyling, hair treatment, mani-pedi, eyebrow embroidery, and lash extension.
To experience what it’s like to receive services at what’s touted as No. 1 in Korea, we booked an appointment for a hairstyling service.
The ambience
Leekaja definitely isn’t your usual salon, where they try to squeeze as many chairs in as possible, in order to maximise the number of customers they can serve. It’s all about giving every customer a relaxing experience.
The spacious salon is furnished with huge sofas, where I relaxed at as I waited for my stylist. I would think that friends and partners who are waiting for someone to be done with her beauty service wouldn’t mind chilling out at that cosy space too. There’s a drinks bar in the salon, where you can choose your beverage from a menu of freshly brewed coffee made by a barista and fresh juices.
Because of the relaxing ambience Leekaja has designed, it made me at ease immediately, even before my hair service happened.
The service
Most of the stylists at Leekaja are Korean but don’t worry too much about any language barrier. My stylist Hyun-jin is bilingual, but even when I have more complex ideas to share (or if she has something harder to express), the salon manager who is very effectively bilingual is able to step in and play translator.
I told Hyun-jin that I want to have an easy-to-manage style that doesn’t look too flat and limp. She proposed that we go for a digital perm, focusing on the hair at the back of my head to get a more voluminous look.
This is how it turned out:
The curls have indeed helped my hair look more voluminous and I no longer need to use texturising products. Hyun-jin told me all I need to do is to blow dry my hair in a back-to-front direction.
Leekaja Beauty Salon offers the “8 Day Promise”, an eight-day satisfaction guarantee to all their customers. What this means is that you’ll be entitled to complimentary retouching within eight days of services rendered if you find that their services fell short of your expectations. I’m glad that I definitely didn’t need to return for touching up; I was happy with the results.
For top-notched services and pampering ambience, Leekaja surprisingly doesn’t charge an exorbitant rate. Haircuts range from SGD60 to SGD100 depending on the seniority of stylist requested.
Leekaja Beauty Salon is located at #03-13 Mandarin Gallery and is opened from 10am to 8pm daily. Make your appointment by calling 6909-0504 or on their official website. Scroll through the gallery at the top of the article to see more photos of the salon.
