Friday afternoon in Gangnam
Meggie
a day ago
Come with me on a June Friday afternoon to explore Gangnam!
I made 3 Creatrip reservations for today, starting with my first ever professional teeth whitening session at a dentist practice.
I arrived by bus, right in the middle of all the action. Getting to Gangnam before appointments was crucial- had to get some famous, delicious food before I wasn't allowed to eat or drink for some hours.
I tried to check out a famous chicken place, outside of busy hours, but they refused to seat just one person. I had this experience yesterday in Myeongdong as well, also during a non-busy lunch time on a weekday. It wasn't about reservations, but about filling seats. I thought the same would happen at an extra-beloved beef rib place in Gangnam, but they welcomed me with open arms!
I had to try their delicious beef, which they first cook in the kitchen and then bring to a table grill for finish touches. Their sides were especially tasty and the value was incredible- lunch set for under 30,000 won, plus a free food, drink or souvenir item for a Google review.
Happy stomach led me to the teeth clinic. The entire experience was efficient, calm, quiet and as advertised- always nice when you are trying something new! I briefly met with the dentist for quick inspection, and he said I didn't need a professional cleaning- translated into English as “scaling” here- so we moved on with scheduled appointment.
I booked 3 sessions of whitening in one sitting, for 45 minutes under the light and one total hour from arrival to departure. A proficient dental hygienist performed the treatments, as anticipated. Creatrip had a promotion for a gift toothbrush and toothpaste, too.
I successfully went one shade lighter in the hour, as they had explained was the appropriate expectation. Glad for the results, I left for two pharmacy appointments.
Creatrip partnered with some pharmacies across Seoul to help connect tourists with locations. I picked 2 in Gangnam, which were either free reservations for appointments with pharmacists or tp pre-reserve top-tellijg products to ensure they were allocated in stock before selling out. I chose to not buy in advance anything, as I had questions for the consultations to inform my choices.
One was actually already on my personal list of suggested spots, so I started there!
I learned that there really aren't functional appointments or consults, so that didn't meet advertisement expectations, but that was ok. I also learned that many tourist-focused pharmacies have stocked almost exclusively skincare and facial products, to meet demand. That didn't help me, as I had 5 medicines to buy, and had to look elsewhere.
Enjoyed shopping under the main roads in the subway underground shops!
One of the pharmacists did meet with me to answer questions based on referrals for in-stock products, but it was clear that they weren't interested or able to discuss even what products to buy that they sell. I bought 2 items, picked up a free skincare sample set for having connected via Creatrip, and another face mask pack for having left a Google review.
Busy after! Enjoy your Gangnam time!
