Shurink vs Ultherapy in Korea: what does each cost?

Both devices deliver high-intensity focused ultrasound to the same depths under the skin, so the shot-count arithmetic is genuinely comparable — and the 300-shot comparison is stark: the Shurink ceiling of ₩300,000 does not reach a fifth of the Ultherapy Prime ceiling of ₩1,600,000. Nothing in the energy source explains that on its own; the explanation is economics.

Ultherapy is the imported American original, and a clinic running it pays for the branded machine and its proprietary single-use transducer cartridges — a hard cost built into every session a patient buys. Shurink Universe is built in Korea, its consumables cost clinics far less, and intense domestic competition among the many clinics operating it keeps the listed session price compressed. Korean patients treat Shurink as a repeatable maintenance session and Ultherapy as a bigger-ticket, less frequent commitment, and the two rate cards reflect exactly those buying patterns.

The middle row is a third way to buy the imported device: clinics quote Ulthera in 100-shot blocks at ₩418,000–660,000, which lets a patient put the branded treatment on a single zone — jawline, brow, or lower face — without paying the full-face figure.

Neither device wins on a price table alone, so weigh the decision the way Korean patients do. Budget rhythm first: if you expect to maintain results with regular sessions, the Shurink range keeps each round in impulse territory, while Ultherapy at ₩800,000–1,600,000 is usually planned as an occasional, deliberate purchase. Brand weight second: some patients specifically want the original device with its long international track record and are comfortable paying the premium for it. Zone third: for a single problem area, the 100-shot Ulthera block at ₩418,000–660,000 narrows the gap considerably against a full-face plan of either kind.

Availability settles the rest — not every clinic runs both machines, and a practice will naturally recommend what sits in its treatment room. A free consultation with a KHIDI-registered clinic that states which device, how many shots, and at what written price gives you the only comparison that matters: your face, both columns, itemized. We pass those written figures through without markup.

Every price above is VAT-inclusive: Korea's 10% value-added tax is already built into the standard self-pay rate.

The foreign-patient VAT refund on cosmetic and aesthetic procedures (Special Tax Treatment Control Act, Articles 107-3 and 107-4) expired on 31 December 2025 and was not extended for 2026. As of 2026 there is nothing to reclaim afterward on a procedure like this — the price you see is your effective, out-of-pocket cost. Be cautious of older listings that still promise a clinic VAT refund for cosmetic treatment.