Last month, an international student showed me a photo. It was a shop with a big laser discount ad plastered on it. "Teacher, this is a dermatology clinic too, right?" That's what they asked. The moment I saw the sign, I answered, "No, this is a skincare salon." But when they asked, "How do you know?", I couldn't answer right away. ## I thought it was just a feeling Koreans can tell the two apart just by looking at the signboard. So I had never thought about the reason. When I looked it up, it turned out it wasn't a feeling but a standard set by law. A dermatology clinic is a hospital where doctors see patients. So they can provide consultations, injections, and prescription medication. A skin care salon (esthetic salon) is a beauty business. It's a place where they cleanse your face, give you a massage, and apply a face mask. Unless you're a doctor, you can't perform medical procedures like injections or lasers. ## The Signboard Wording Is Different Hospitals and clinics usually have "의원" or "병원" at the end of their names. The doctor's specialty is also written on the signboard. Skin care shops use words like "skincare," "esthetic," and "treatment." So Korean people read these words and can tell the difference right away. ## A quick way to check that you can use right away Before getting a procedure, just do two things. - Check whether the sign or website has the name "clinic" (의원) or "hospital" (병원) and information about the doctor. - Search for the hospital's name on the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA) website or app. If it's a registered hospital, it will show up. When I told a student this, they said, "Then there must be a reason the prices are different." That's right. Because they do different work. That day, I properly learned for the first time something I had always taken for granted.