Seoul, South Korea: This trip is our most daily-life changing tour
September 8-15, 2025
A typical tourist might go to South Korea to visit the palaces and the night markets. They may rent a hanbok (which is traditional Korean clothing), get their picture taken and think that this is it.
But not us.
We’re headed to the most futuristic, stylish, medical tourism country in the world for an insider’s tour…
A very large part of Korean culture is beauty and skin care. To go to this city without experiencing this is a miss.
We’ll still see the palaces and gardens… rent a hanbok… eat traditional Korean food (so good)... and go to all the best photo/tourist spots. But we’ll do it all from an insider’s perspective – with guided access to the most photogenic alleyways and a schedule that let’s you take advantage of Korea’s most famous K-beauty and wellness treatments.
If you’ve ever wanted to see a beautiful Asian city…
If you’ve ever wanted to dip your toes in a medical tourism tour…
If you like good food and you’re interested in unique travel experiences…
If you could benefit from state of the art facials, hair growth treatments, skin boosters (and more) at incredible prices…
And even if you just wanna have fun in a photogenic place…
This trip is for you!
We’re headed to the beauty capital of the world for a trip like none other…
“I absolutely loved this trip. The doctors and color specialists provided me one-on-one guidance to create my perfect skincare regime and to choose the style, shades, and patterns that best suit my skin coloring and body type. It revolutionized the way I now shop and dress. Additionally, the cultural experiences and food tasting experiences on this trip were amazing! I highly recommend it!” — Colleen Jones
“South Korea is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. They went from a war-torn, largely agrarian, low-income society into a high-tech, high-income, industrial powerhouse thanks to companies like Hyundai, Kia, Samsung and LG. They’re also world leaders in medical-grade equipment and fashion. And they did it all in less than 60 years which means the average child in poverty just 60 years ago is now a parent today with kids in college, drinking matcha lattes and returning home to an apartment full of computers and fancy gear. The metros are highly advanced, modern and clean. The streets are beautiful and safe. The fashion is trendy and well made. The tech is state of the art and the best in the world. All in a half of someone’s lifetime.” — Lori Allen
Day 1, September 8 – Arrival and accommodation check in
Fly into Incheon International Airport (ICN) and check into our accommodations.
Most flights arrive in the evening so this day is simply an arrival day. You don’t need to arrive any earlier than this.
Meals: All meals are on your own on this day if you arrive in time for meals. Street food is good, safe and plentiful in this area. An egg drop sandwich will cost you about $2. Steak tips $3. Korean hot pot $3-$6.
Day 2, September 9 – Rest day, possible spa on your own, food tour
This is a built-in rest day. Traditional Korean “scrubs” take place in Jjimjilbangs — Korean bath houses. It’s $10-$20 to enter and stay for the day. Most include food and if not, there are many great coffee, tea and pastry shops in the area.
Cafes, speak easies and bread shops are super trendy in Seoul. There’s a rainy day cafe, for example, where it rains all day. Art cafes where the pastries look like marble sculptures. Scribble cafes where everything looks like you walked into someone’s black and white sketch pad.
Cafes are best explored in groups of 2-4 instead of a group because they’re small. You can spend multiple days eating and photographing in cafes. They’re part of the Seoul experience.
We’ll enjoy dinner together as a group in one of our favorite restaurants before heading off to sleep.
Meals included: Breakfast and Dinner. Lunch at a cafe or pastry shop is on your own.
Day 3, September 10 - Color and skeletal analysis
Each person is getting a color and skeletal analysis on this day in different locations. We’ll be sure you have a guide and a translator to get you there and interpret whatever you need.
You’ll wear snug clothing to be measured hip to knee, ear to ear, face to chest, hip to floor, etc.
They’ll use a machine to read your skin tone and drape you in a variety of patterns and fabrics to determine your best colors, shades, tones and patterns.
When you leave, you’ll know which clothing cuts and colors look the best on you based on your measurements. They’ll give you eye glass recommendations and hair color recommendations, too.
If you bring your own make up, they’ll read it with the machine and tell you if it’s a good match. Each person will leave with color sample cards of their best colors for clothes, eyeshadows, lipsticks, etc. And drawings of the best necklines, pants type, jacket styles and more.
Men also benefit greatly from this service. You’ll learn v-necks, crew necks, pleats or no pleats, stripes, plaids, hair color, sunglasses/eyeglasses and even hat recommendations.
Other services you might consider adding at your own expense on this day include: Eyelash tinting, curling, or lash extensions. Sample prices are below.
Meals: Dinner is included. Breakfast and lunch are on your own based on your schedule.
Day 4, September 11 – Hair treatments and photo tour
This day is for hair or scalp treatments and professional photos.
At a minimum, you should consider adding Korea’s famous scalp analysis and treatment to this day (your own expense). If your hair is thinning, you might benefit from seeing why and what you can do about it.
Other things you might consider: A hair cut, famous Korean perm, keratin straightening treatment, new hair color based on your color analysis the day before. We’ll help you make the necessary appointments and you can decide what to get when you get there.
Keratin treatments, scalp treatments and perms all come at significant savings because it’s not customary to tip. You’ll save a minimum of 15% in gratuities.
In the evening, when you’re looking your best, we’ve hired a professional portrait photographer to ensure you come away with cool, vibey images of yourself in South Korea.
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner.
Day 5, September 12 – Early morning photo shoot, lasers, face, legs, body contour, Botox, fillers
Sunrise photo shoot (for those who want to take advantage of good light at a photogenic place) followed by all your most invasive procedures.
Things you can consider adding at your own expense on this day include: Face lasers, spider vein removal, mole removal, Botox, fillers, medical grade facials, microneedling, Inmode body contouring, teeth whitening, veneers, laser hair removal and more.
We will help you make the appointments and arrange a translator if the doctor doesn’t speak English (but some doctors do).
You don’t fully need to decide what you want until you get there. If you think you want veneers on your teeth, for example, you’ll make the appointment and if you get there and decide against it, you can switch to teeth whitening or walk out with nothing. Same with face lasers and every other treatment.
Each appointment starts with a consultation about what you think you want and what they think you need.
Korea is the leading producer of medical equipment in the world. They have access to technology that doesn’t exist anywhere else. A technician in your home country can only recommend things with their eyes. But a Korean technician can do a full face scan and tell you what’s underneath your skin that may be contributing to your weak areas.
Instead of covering your weak area, they may suggest targeting it with a treatment. Then, it’s up to you to decide if you want that treatment. The doctors in the places we’ve reserved are not pushy. In our experience, they talked us out of the most expensive procedures and into cheaper alternatives nearly every time saving us thousands of dollars and years of worthless treatments at home that only mask the problem instead of fix it.
Meals included on this day: None. Everyone will be on a different schedule and all meals are easy and on your own in between services. Food is good and plentiful everywhere. You’ll be well versed in what you like and don’t like by now and can easily handle it on your own or in a small group.
Day 6, September 13 - Extended treatments, speak easy, ramen noodle day
Recovery day for most procedures. If you get light procedures, you can consider adding laser hair removal, massage, manicures or pedicures or shopping to this day.
Korean clothes are super trendy and in some areas, they can be made to order (though it’s not the norm). If you are below a size 6 or 8, you will find an abundance of cute and trendy options you can’t find anywhere else in the world. If you are greater than these sizes (or if you’re tall by Korean standards), then we can pair you with a personal shopper (at your own expense) to take you to stores that cater to larger-than-Korean sizes.
Korean skincare is also some of the best in the world and it’s relatively cheap. You might use this day to shop in pharmacies for sunscreen, night creams, daily moisturizers, vitamins, face masks. You’ll save hundreds of dollars compared to U.S. prices and get higher-quality ingredients, too.
We’ll also have maps with options to do all our favorite things.
Meals: on your own based on how you’re feeling. If you get a really invasive treatment or are sun-sensitive, we’ll bring food to you.
Day 7, September 14 - Extended treatments, palaces, cafes, night market
Second recovery day for most procedures. In the morning, we’ve arranged for you to see the DMZ which is the military zone between North and South Korea. You can see North Korean troops across the border and you’ll learn about the fight between the two countries (and the rest of the world).
It’s touristy but worth it.
Meals: Fun dinner out as a group. One of our dinners will be an underground food tour of Seoul’s many hidden bars/restaurants. We’ll pick the day based on everyone’s treatment schedules closer to the time of the tour. And again, if you’re still recovering on this day from the more aggressive treatments, we can arrange for the food to come to you.
Day 8-14, September 15 and beyond - Depart or extend in Seoul or elsewhere (like Busan)
Departure day.
When planning your treatments, you may discover that an extended stay is necessary or that it’s best to avoid flying for 7-14 days after certain procedures. We'll help you navigate these decisions to ensure your schedule accommodates both your recovery time and your travel plans.
Your options might include extending in Seoul either at our hotel (~$150/night) or you can rent an Airbnb. Or we’ll provide you with a third party vendor where you can take a train to Busan and see another area.
More information about booking more invasive procedures is below in the FAQ. Most treatments will recover within our main schedule and do not require an extension.
All meals are on your own.
Sample Korean treatment prices at the time of this writing…
Gratuities in Korea are not the norm.
You will save an additional 15-20% on each service (including all hair care, cuts, perms, etc) by not needing to tip.
You can spend as much as $5,000 to get everything done — hair, lashes, lasers, Botox, skin tightening, body contouring, hair removal, hair growth, teeth, etc. Or as little as $100 to get barely anything done and just enjoy the tour and your color analysis and it’ll still be life-changing.
Beginner photographers welcome!
This is a travel tour built for people who like to come home with great pictures. It includes extended times in each location and the itinerary gets us in all the right places in the right light.
There are no photo skill or gear prerequisites. DSLRs, point and shoot cameras, iPhones and travelers without cameras or other smartphones are all welcome.
FAQs
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Fine. $4,500 is all you’ll pay. You don't need to do anything else and this will still be a great tour.
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No. That’s something that you'll discuss with the doctor, dentist or certified beautician. But based on our own experience, we can help you navigate the system and help you get to the right place at the right time feeling fully prepared to the best of our ability.
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We recommend that you book this tour today and then make a plan while you’re on the ground to return to Seoul at a later date for something more invasive (breast augmentation, Lasik, eye lifts, face lifts, etc).
After this tour, you will be well educated on the area, the facilities, and you’ll feel much more secure, booking your own appointment in the future.
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Don’t worry, we are all gonna look a little funny for about three days.
During that time we have strategically picked activities that are more appropriate for people who look funny.
If whatever you pick takes longer than 3 days to heal, you can fly home or you can extend and go to Busan where nobody knows you.
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Our standard cancellation policy applies to this trip. We do have payment options available and
are happy to discuss this with you. -
These appointments can be booked on day five of the trip and if you stay the full 14 days, you will have nine days before your flight.
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You can. But we have activities at the start of the trip that may make your Botox and filler look weird in photographs and they may affect your other procedures.
But it’s up to you. If having more recovery time before your flight is important, we can make that happen.
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That’s fine. They’ll pay the base price and there’s plenty for them to do while you are getting your treatments. They can even go with you and give you advice.
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Some do. But most of the treatments we received were a pain scale of 1-3 nothing in the 7+ category.
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Absolutely. We played it fairly conservative on our first trip and we’re going a little bit more aggressive this next time on our own bodies. You can be as a conservative or aggressive as you want on your body.
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Absolutely. You can’t do anything in life without risk. You have risks every time you go to the dentist here in the United States, too. Every time you go to the doctor. Every time you elect to inject something in your skin or over it with a laser.
All procedures have risks.
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First and foremost is their medical technology and machinery. Second is their culture of beauty. Third is their priority of beauty over profit. Fourth is their price.
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Absolutely you will. It’s very similar to the U.S. No one is going to do anything to you without your releasing them of liability.
In Korea, it’s a little less, but you’ll still be asked to sign some things.
We imagine people think it’s easier to sue an American company if something goes wrong here in the U.S. but we’re not sure that’s true.
No matter the procedure, if something goes wrong in either country, it’s expensive and time consuming to sue. Probably more so in the U.S. than Korea because you may have some leverage as a tourist in Korea. But we can't guarantee anything or any services.
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Lori and her friend got a total of 16 treatments on the last trip to Seoul and all were better, less painful, less recovery than expected.
Lori really wanted a digital perm and they told her she can’t do that on colored hair. So that was a disappointment.
Lori also wanted under eye filler and the doctor talked her out of it. The doctor suggested a different treatment for Lori’s under eye circles and she is happy with that suggestion. Doctors in the U.S. would have just taken her money.
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We learned the life-changing concept of a diagnosis based on machine imagery as opposed to a human eye. We didn’t realize how relieving and amazing it is to have solutions to problems we’ve been living with for decades, problems that other doctors, beauticians and hairdressers have never diagnosed Problems the machine diagnosed less than 60 seconds and now we have a path forward for fixing those weaknesses.
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You’re gonna save a lot of money on this tour. The doctors will talk you out of treatments you’ve been thinking about investing in if they’re not right for you.
Analysis will stop you from buying clothes that are the wrong color season and fit for your body.
You will no longer make impulse purchases without first, considering what has already been calculated for you to be the best fit for your skin, your hair, your body type, your skeletal dimensions, your face shape, and your coloring.
You will also stop spending money on the wrong hair color if you color your hair.
On top of all this, you will get a half dozen or so different treatments for the price of maybe one of those treatments here in the United States.
And you will also save money on tips because tipping is not a part of their culture.
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Everything is easy -- the metro, the bus, the appointments, the food.
If you can walk around your hometown and get on and off of metro or a bus, then you can do the tour.
If you have a problem getting around a city and you can’t go shopping without frequent breaks at home, then you might struggle because most everything is reachable by metro, bus and walking.
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South Korea is another level of safe then what is probably on your radar.
It has North Korea as a neighbor so that’s a risk (and some jobs will not allow you go to South Korea for its proximity to North Korea and China), but outside of that, it’s probably one of the safest cities you can travel.
We left our camera bags out and open in busy alleys and never worried about people taking anything. If you drop your wallet, it will likely still be there when you go back to get it.
Korean people leave their phones and wallets in dressing rooms when other people are in and out to try on clothes.
There are surveillance cameras everywhere so everybody knows if they do something, they will be caught on camera and the punishment is likely severe.
We never one time saw a pickpocket or felt unsafe in an alley or worried about our cameras, phones or wallets sitting on a table. It's a level of safe feeling that is beyond typical tourist travel.
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Some of the best in the world!! And cheap, too.
The night markets have everything from fried cheese to fried crabs. Waffles to ice cream. Fried dumplings to steak on a stick.
It’s all safe to eat and the water is safe to drink.
Activity Level: Medium
Seoul is a city and we will make good use of their transportation options including buses, taxis and the underground metro.
You should be comfortable walking 1-2 miles at a time on city streets and through alleyways, getting in and out of buses and cabs and walking up/down stairs to take the metro.
One famously photogenic (and touristy) area is the Bukchon hanok village. This area is built on hills so it’s a bit of uphill/downhill walking. If you struggle with this, you may choose to only walk the beginning and then duck into a coffee shop. Or skip this part of the tour all together.
You always have the option of opting out of an activity if you’re not feeling well or you just want rest. You could also bring extra cash and pay for taxis instead of bus or metro. We encourage you to monitor your own personal limits.
Price:
In Seoul you get a lot of bang for your buck.
You can spend $10,000 on this tour by adding every beauty treatment you can imagine from hair… to teeth… to feet and it’d all be using medical grade equipment in the skincare capital of the world.
But the base price to pay today is just $4,900.
This covers your luxury accommodations, some transport, some food, some photo walks and attractions on the itinerary plus all our help finding you the right doctors and coordinating your schedule.
It does not cover: Your treatments, your transportation to those individual treatments (the metro is easy), your food on treatment days, anything you add on your own including clothes and makeup. For that, you will need to plan anywhere from a couple hundred to a couple thousand dollars extra.
Your registration includes:
7 nights luxury accommodation (single occupancy)
Pre-trip guidance including what to expect, what to pack, travel tips, and more
Pre-trip guidance on how to pick the right treatments and where to book them
Itinerary design that helps you get everything in
Access to local photographers and Korean insiders who help us with transportation and translation where needed
All participants (even men) get a standard beauty package. This comes with color, skeletal and face shape analysis.
All participants get a base tour package that includes access and transport to all our favorite sights and meals. Outside of our favorite things, all other meals/expenses are on you. Food can be very cheap, easy (and good) and is in abundant supply.
Cool Seoul portrait and photo walk
Trip to the DMZ
Your registration fee does NOT include:
Your roundtrip international flight. The airport code for your arrival and departure is ICN (Incheon International Airport).
Your individual treatments (lasers, facials, hair appointments, skin care, teeth). You might allow a few hundred to a few thousand for this.
Equipment—you must bring your own camera and accessories (e.g. memory cards, tripod, etc.)
Travel insurance (highly recommended)
Covid-related expenses
Any other incidentals or purchases you may want to make along the way
Got teenagers or grandkids who are teenagers?
We have a teen trip to Seoul here.
Our Commitment to Affordability
We pledge to offer expeditions at the best possible price.
We create tours for travelers, not tourists. Folks who want unique experience they wouldn’t likely find on their own. And we strive to make each and every expedition better than the last.
Many other tour companies use a simple formula, designed to shuffle tourists from one place to the next. They’ll use the same itinerary year after year, without making modifications. And that’s not who we are.
To keep our prices low, and our itineraries fresh, we stay on top of the trends, deals, and best-value opportunities that we can get our hands on. Often times $2,000-$3,000 less than what you’ll find elsewhere!
Testimonials
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“My only regret is that I didn’t start traveling with you sooner. I’ve known you run these tours for at least a decade. I feel I’ve missed out on adventures I could have enjoyed more at a younger age by not attempting to attend sooner.”
Sue Dick
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“I love Focused Escapes because they’re easy and not touristy. I don’t have time to put in the research Lori does but I need someone to do that if I want to have a good experience. I rely on Focused Escapes to build the kind of trip I want to take and then handle everything from finding good guides to tipping them. Before Focused Escapes, I only traveled for weddings and work. Now my vacation time goes toward these adventures. I’ve loved every trip I’ve been on.”
Pamela T.
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"I've been with you to Bali, Tanzania and Croatia. I keep coming back because you offer off the beaten path type of experiences that I'm looking for at this stage of my life. I loved being immersed in the cultures of the places I've visited in ways a traditional tour cannot offer. Lori and Amanda are true professionals and sincerely care about their clients by getting to know them individually. I also like that you do not need to be a professional photographer to enjoy these trips, but I have found that those travelers who do travel w/photography in mind are always willing to help those of us still learning!"
Janet Barton