Step through the door of Amore Seongsu¡¯s eco-friendly edifice, and the bustling city vanishes behind you. You¡¯ve entered a world of peace and tranquility, a place pervaded by the bracing fragrance of plants. Just a few steps inside for the reception, you encounter a panorama of green trees and shrubbery. Mossy rocks and boulders evoke a remote valley teeming with wildlife and pools of rainwater. The garden can be viewed through the picture windows at any point inside the U-shaped structure. Amore Seongsu is pervaded by the garden¡¯s relaxing verdure, creating a mood that is at once calm and invigorating.

© Amorepacific.

After the check-in, walk down the hallway until you reach the cleansing room. The layout here is unexpected: Rather than the typical long line of sinks, the sinks here are positioned in semi-private parallel rows. Each is stocked with various Amorepacific cleansing and skin care products, hair ties and towels. The long window lets in the verdure of the garden, which suits the warm lighting of the room. There¡¯s a palpable sense of comfort here, as if you¡¯ve entered a room designed entirely for yourself.

Once you leave the cleansing room and continue down the hallway, a remarkable sight awaits you: the beauty library, which brings together Amorepacific¡¯s thirty or so brands. Over a thousand beauty products are neatly displayed on concrete shelves, which highlight the products while putting the brands on the back burner. It¡¯s thrilling to see such a comprehensive assembly of products that would otherwise only be accessible online or through individual visits to each brand¡¯s store. This is your chance to try out these products to your heart¡¯s content, and all without leaving the room.

With so many products on display, it can be daunting to know where to begin. Anyone in that position is recommended to drop by the Artist with its Makeup & Life Blending display, featuring seasonal and trendy looks recommended by professional artists. This display features products from a range of brands while recommending makeup techniques tailored to the latest beauty trends. Setting aside the products, the photographs and videos displayed alongside them and the displays themselves all look like miniature art exhibits, and simply browsing around the space is a delight.

Several large mirrors are positioned in the area to test products but don¡¯t forget about the powder rooms at the end of the beauty library. These rooms are a better place for sampling the wares, with mirrors, makeup brushes, dryers, lamps bright enough for a close look at your makeup, and various disposable items needed for applying cosmetics. The rooms are worth using both before and after you make a purchase.

All these areas are large enough to comfortably accommodate quite a few people. The speakers are playing soothing music, and there¡¯s a notable absence of staff providing unneccessary explanations or pushing products. In short, it¡¯s the perfect spot for pressure-free perusal of everything you¡¯ve been curious about. I doubt that anywhere is better suited for nailing down your taste in beauty products.

Browsing through the product lineup to find what¡¯s best for you can be fun, but for something extra special, consider the personalized beauty programs. These programs are handled by cosmetic compounding managers and makeup artists, along with Amorepacific¡¯s artificial intelligence (AI) technology, providing visitors with an immensely satisfying experience.

Two programs here allow you to produce products. There is the ¡°Hera Silky Stay Custom Match¡± program for producing foundation and the ¡°Tonework Vegan 365+ Liquid Lipstick¡± program for making lip tint. Those take place in a separate space for greater privacy. As part of these programs, customers are asked about what kind of makeup they typically prefer, and shade cards are held up to their skin and scanned with a camera to gauge their skin tone.

In the lip tint program, you can select product formulas and fragrances depending on your personal taste. You have a surprising number of options for selecting the color of your tint. You can have a specific color extracted from a favorite photograph, analyze your personal color with AI-powered technology, or pick a color from a chart presenting 366 colors, one for each day of the year (and one extra ¡°hidden¡± color)―a distinctive method you won¡¯t find in use at any other brand.

Both the foundation and lip tint bespoke programs determine your appropriate color through a questionnaire and an AI-enabled skin tone analysis, as well as a consultation with a makeup artist. After trying out your initial color choice, you can adjust the color based on your impression and the makeup artist¡¯s judgment and try out three recommended colors. Once you¡¯ve decided which color you like best, the robotic manufacturing equipment gets to work. You can watch the whole process: the dyes being mixed together, drop by drop, and the solution being poured into a container. Before you know it, your product is complete! Along with the product, you¡¯re also given a document detailing the program results so you can order the same product again if you want.

All the rare opportunities available at Amore Seongsu make it a thrilling stop for Korean beauty fans, especially considering the gorgeous products and exciting technologies on offer. It also has various games and other entertainment options on hand and offers a complimentary makeup touch-up service (be sure to sign up in advance), which means there¡¯s plenty to enjoy even if you¡¯re not in a buying mood or just curious about the space.

So next time you¡¯re in Korea, Amore Seongsu might be worth adding to your itinerary. A visit to this relaxing spot may be your chance to listen to your heart and learn more about your taste. Just make sure that when you step outside, you¡¯re ready to meet the new you.