Prices and payment at Korean skin clinics
Korean clinics must keep a price list for uninsured treatment where patients can see it, and may not charge more than the listed amount. Cosmetic skin treatment carries 10% VAT, and the VAT refund for foreign tourists only covered treatment received by 31 December 2025, so a 2026 budget should assume no refund. Pay by card, keep the itemised receipt, and read package refund terms before you sign.
Written by the Korea Skin Guide editorial team and medically reviewed by a Korean Board-Certified Dermatologist (AAD International Fellow · ASLMS member). Last reviewed: .
Do Korean skin clinics publish their prices?
Yes. Cosmetic treatment is not covered by Korea’s National Health Insurance, and the Medical Service Act requires clinics to make the prices of uninsured items easy for patients to find. A clinic may not charge more than the amount it has posted (Medical Service Act, Article 45, checked 2026-10-18). The enforcement rule adds the detail: a booklet or list at the reception desk, an optional bundled price for items done together, a spoken explanation of the price before treatment for items the Ministry designates, and the same information on the clinic’s website if it has one (Enforcement Rule, Article 42-2, checked 2026-10-18).
Most cosmetic prices appear as ranges rather than single numbers. The final figure depends on the number of shots or pulses, the area, the amount of product, the brand, and whether you buy one session or a course. The table shows the ranges listed by Delight Dermatology Clinic in Seoul.
| Treatment | Unit | Range (KRW) |
|---|---|---|
| Ultherapy Prime (울쎄라) | Per session, shot count varies | 300,000 – 2,700,000 |
| Thermage FLX (써마지) | Per session, shot count varies | 1,000,000 – 2,600,000 |
| Potenza RF microneedling (포텐자) | Single session or package | 350,000 – 1,300,000 |
| Pico toning (피코토닝) | Per session | 300,000 – 500,000 |
| Rejuran Healer 2cc (리쥬란) | Per session | 300,000 – 500,000 |
| Botulinum toxin for wrinkles (보톡스) | Per area, brand varies | 20,000 – 200,000 |
| Hyaluronic acid filler (필러) | Per 1cc, Korean or imported brand | 100,000 – 500,000 |
Is VAT included in Korean skin clinic prices?
Medical care in Korea is normally exempt from VAT, but the exemption excludes uninsured cosmetic services. The list in the VAT enforcement decree names, among others, treatment of freckles, melasma and other pigment, acne treatment, hair removal, hair-loss treatment, tattoo removal, fat dissolving, skin regeneration, skin whitening, anti-ageing treatment and pore reduction (VAT Enforcement Decree, Article 35, checked 2026-10-18). Those services are taxed at the standard 10% rate (VAT Act, Article 30, checked 2026-10-18).
When you compare quotes, ask whether each one includes VAT. On Korean price lists you may see 부가세 포함 (VAT included) or 부가세 별도 (VAT added at payment). The difference is one tenth of the price, which matters on a lifting treatment.
Can foreign tourists get a VAT refund on cosmetic procedures in 2026?
Not under the current law. The special refund let foreign tourists reclaim VAT on qualifying cosmetic treatment at clinics registered for foreign patients. The clinic issued a medical service supply confirmation, and the tourist claimed through a refund operator within three months. The article only covers treatment supplied by 31 December 2025, and the version in force since 18 September 2026 has no later date (Restriction of Special Taxation Act, Article 107-3, checked 2026-10-18). If you see a clinic advertising a tourist VAT refund for 2026 treatment, ask which legal provision it relies on.
The National Assembly can change this. Check the official text again close to your trip; this page will be updated when the article changes.
How do I pay at a Korean clinic?
Bring a card on a major international network and a backup. Korean law bars card merchants from refusing card payment or treating card users less favourably because they pay by card, and from passing the card fee on to the customer (Specialized Credit Finance Business Act, Article 19, checked 2026-10-18). If a clinic quotes one price for cash and a higher one for card, ask why.
- Prices and receipts are in Korean won. Your card provider sets the exchange rate on the day.
- Ask whether a deposit is needed to hold a slot, and whether it is refundable.
- Pay after the doctor has confirmed the plan, not before the consultation.
What receipts and documents should I keep?
- 영수증 (receipt) and 세부내역서 (itemised statement). Useful for travel insurance claims and for your own records.
- The treatment contract with the estimated cost. Registered clinics must give foreign patients one in the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s form (foreign patient Act, Article 8, checked 2026-10-18).
- A record of what was used. Device name and settings or shot count, product name and amount, and the date. A doctor at home will need it if you have a reaction or want a repeat treatment.
What if I buy a package and leave Korea early?
Prepaid packages have spread across Korean cosmetic clinics, and so have disputes about refunds, according to the Korea Fair Trade Commission. In July 2026 the Commission had 15 clinics correct six types of unfair terms in their prepaid treatment contracts. Under the corrected terms, a patient who cancels part-way for their own reasons, including simply changing their mind, pays for the treatments already done plus a 10% penalty under the Consumer Dispute Resolution Standards, and the balance is refunded. Clauses that banned refunds after a set period, or banned passing the prepaid sessions to someone else, were removed (Fair Trade Commission press release, checked 2026-10-18).
The standards say what the 10% is calculated on. In the dermatology section for cosmetic treatment, a patient who cancels after treatment has started owes the price of the sessions done plus 10% of the total treatment cost; if the clinic is responsible for the cancellation, it refunds the unused balance and pays the patient 10% of the total (Consumer Dispute Resolution Standards, Korea Consumer Agency copy, checked 2026-10-18).
For a short trip, a single session is usually the simpler choice unless you will return to Seoul. If you do buy a course, ask two questions and get the answers in writing: how is a used session valued, at the package rate or the full single-session price, and what total is any cancellation fee calculated on?
Are Korean skin clinic prices negotiable?
Clinics may not charge more than their posted price. Whether they offer less is up to each clinic; compare the same device, shot count and product across written quotes rather than headline prices.
Will my travel insurance cover cosmetic treatment?
That depends entirely on your policy. Read the exclusions before you travel, and keep the itemised statement in case you need to claim for treatment of a complication.
Can I get a tax-free receipt like in shops?
The tax refund on shopping is a separate scheme from the cosmetic treatment refund. The cosmetic treatment refund covered services received by 31 December 2025, so ask the clinic before assuming any refund for 2026 treatment.