In a city always on the move, quiet corners of Seoul invite you to slow down and explore something more personal this weekend — whether it's crafting a signature perfume, sifting through cinematic treasures in a film lover’s basement or rediscovering biblical figures through contemporary art.

Craft your signature scent at perfume studio

Rettre, a perfume studio, offers an experience that blends creativity, introspection and fragrance. With its one-day perfume-making class, Rettre invites visitors to explore scent as a personal story — one that reflects the past, embraces the present or imagines the future.

The studio, which operates on a reservation-only basis, provides a fully guided, 70-minute workshop where guests can craft their own signature fragrance. Upon arrival, participants choose a sleek glass bottle, either 50 mL or 100 mL, along with personalized stickers to complete the design. The class costs 33,000 won for the 50 ml version and 43,000 won for 100 mL. Rettre structures the experience around three time-themed categories. Participants can create a perfume rooted in memories from the past, one that expresses their current identity, or a scent that represents who they aspire to be in the future. A short written survey helps guide the process, prompting guests to reflect on their personality, preferences and aesthetic goals.

With 33 fragrance ingredients to choose from, including classic notes like sandalwood, musk, vanilla and basil, attendees work alongside a professional perfumer to mix and test six blends. From these, they develop three fragrance types and select their favorite. The final blend includes carefully layered top, middle and base notes.

To prevent olfactory fatigue, coffee beans are available to reset the senses during the process. Once a final scent is chosen, the perfumer provides a precise formula so participants can measure and mix their custom fragrance accurately.

The experience concludes with a thoughtful personal touch. Each guest writes a letter to their future self, which Rettre stores and mails out one year later, offering a fragrant reminder of who they were and who they hoped to become.

22-8, Sinchon-ro 4-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul

Seoul's film merch haven

A short walk from Hapjeong Station, where the neighborhood's boutique charm offers a quieter alternative to bustling Hongdae, a green door leads to something unexpected. Descend the stairs and you'll find My Favorite Cinema Store, a basement hideaway where movie obsessives come to hunt for treasures.

You'll notice right away that this isn't your typical memorabilia shop. The entire space unfolds like an art gallery, with three distinct zones showcasing cinema's treasured artifacts. The layout keeps things simple — visitors can dive into vintage vinyl records, film posters or books without being overwhelmed.

The record section draws the biggest crowds. Over 2,000 movie soundtrack LPs line the walls while albums hang like artwork, inviting visitors to browse gallery-style before pulling records down for a closer look.

The poster section buzzes with camera clicks as visitors pose against original theater-sized movie posters — the large format that actually graces cinema marquees. Here you'll find rare B-side versions that only true cinephiles know exist, displayed alongside mainstream favorites.

Throughout the store, handwritten notes from the staff attached to albums and merchandise offer recommendations and tidbits about film history, turning a shopping trip into something more personal and immersive.

Dedicated sections cater to specific fandoms. Studio Ghibli gets its own corner, while "Star Wars" and "Harry Potter" merchandise cluster in smaller displays.

The shop is open Wednesday to Friday from 3 to 7 p.m., and weekends from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

My Favorite Cinema Store

18 Yanghwa-ro 11-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul

Bible visually told at Geumho Alver

The exhibition “Yeshua” at Geumho Alver in Seoul portrays female figures from the Christian Bible that have been less recognized. Korean actress and singer Yun Eun-hye appears in the photographs turning into those figures — the word "yeshua" is the Hebrew name that refers to Jesus.

The photographs were taken by five photographers or artists about 10 years ago, but were left unveiled for a long time without a chance to be shown to the public. Yun becomes Eve, Rahab, Deborah, Esther and Ruth.

Proceeds from the photographic book go to Compassion International, an American child sponsorship and Christian humanitarian aid organization.

"The exhibition aims to lead audiences to reflect on themselves through the biblical figures shown here," said director Yuda. An autograph event will be held on Saturday at the Geumho Alver. The exhibition runs through Sunday.

Geumho Alver

Geumho-dong 4(sa)-ga, Seongdong-gu,173-9, Seoul

(yoohong@heraldcorp.com) (moonkihoon@heraldcorp.com)(yunapark@heraldcorp.com)