HOW TO READ A KOREAN CLINIC PRICE MENU, THE FOREIGNER'S DECODER

Korean aesthetic menus are often laid out in ways that look identical to a Western menu but mean something completely different. Here are the seven conventions that catch foreign visitors at the checkout desk.

1. PRICES ARE USUALLY QUOTED IN MAN-WON

A line that reads "Ulthera 100 shots, 39" doesn't mean ₩39 or even ₩3,900. It means 39 man-won, which is ₩390,000 (about $270 USD). The man-won shorthand is universal on event sheets and Instagram promos. Verify by multiplying by 10,000 and sanity-checking against the procedure type.

2. VAT IS OFTEN "SEPARATE"

Korean aesthetic procedures are subject to 10% VAT. Some clinics include it in the listed price; many list "VAT 10% Separate" in tiny letters at the top of the sheet. A ₩390K Ultherapy listing can become ₩429K at checkout. Always confirm before booking.

3. "SHOT COUNT" MEANS INJECTION POINTS, NOT SESSIONS

For HIFU procedures (Ultherapy, Shurink, Sofwave), the menu lists shots, i.e. the number of focused-ultrasound transducer firings into your skin in a single session. 100 shots is partial-face; 300 is full-face; 600 is full-face + neck. Compare apples to apples by always pricing the same shot count across clinics.

4. BRAND TIERS STACK VERTICALLY

Botox menus are usually a 4-column grid: Domestic / Nabota / Xeomin / Allergan. Same procedure (e.g. forehead 1-area) is priced 4 ways. The cheapest column is locally-favoured; the most expensive is the US-brand Allergan that Western patients gravitate to.

“When the sheet says "10 shots", that's ten injection points, not ten visits.”

5. "EVENT PRICES" ARE TIME-LIMITED PROMOTIONAL PRICING

Korean clinics rotate "event" pricing month to month, heavily discounted promotional bundles displayed on Instagram and at clinic entrances. The event sheet you saw on Instagram in March may not be the menu in May. Confirm the current event price during booking; the menu hanging in the lobby is usually the standard menu.

6. "3 SESSIONS = 10% OFF" APPLIES NARROWLY

Package discount banners ("3 sessions for 10% off") usually apply only to the named program, typically the brand's flagship combo, not à-la-carte items. If you're building a stack of three different procedures across three sessions, the package discount may not apply.

7. PRE-PAYMENT INCENTIVES

Some clinics offer additional 5–10% off if you pay for the full multi-session protocol upfront. This is genuinely good value if you're committed to completing the protocol, but tie up your money in a clinic you haven't treated at yet only at your own risk. For first-time visitors, pay session by session until you've verified the work.