Woman who travels abroad for healthcare and hair treatments has 'saved thousands'

Samantha Bartlett & Samantha Bartlett
·5-min read
Bryn Elise poses for a photo
-Credit: (Image: Bryn Elise/Cover Images)


A beauty influencer has shared her secret to saving a small fortune on expensive cosmetic treatments – travelling abroad.

Bryn Elise from Colorado, US, has been flying to places like Thailand for dental work and Turkey for hair services, securing top-quality treatments at a fraction of the cost.

"I've been to Turkey to get my hair done three times now, and the price always differs a little due to fluctuations with the Turkish Lira," the 29 year old explained. "Ironically, it has become less expensive each time I go."

Bryn's quest for affordable yet high-standard cosmetic services started early last year. "I received an email from my US salon informing me that they were raising the prices of the hair extensions I get to a staggering £3,438 ($4,400)," she recounted. "While I loved my hair stylist, I just couldn't justify paying that price."

Determined to find a more economical option, Bryn turned to Instagram in search of hair inspiration and came across a Turkish stylist named Bilal Karatay, who boasted numerous positive reviews. "I slid into his DMs to get a quote, and to my amazement, he offered to create my dream hair for just £390 ($500)," said Bryn excitedly.

Seeing the incredible offer, she didn't hesitate to book an appointment at the Ferdi Karatay salon and a flight halfway around the world.

Naturally, travelling 6,217 miles for a hair appointment isn't without its complications. "The first time I travelled to Turkey, I was a little panicked thinking about all the things that could go wrong and how I would manage the trip's logistics. I calmed myself down by sitting in front of the mirror and telling myself that I just had to trust the process," Bryn revealed.

"After my first trip - and seeing how smoothly everything went - I felt more relaxed. Now travelling isn't so stressful anymore."

Bryn Elise poses for a photo
Bryn Elise poses for a photo

Bryn also shared her tips on cutting travel costs. "I've found that if you're flexible with your dates, you can get tickets from the US to Istanbul for around £546 ($700). And if you're even more of a boss, you can use points and miles, and then the flights would be free," she disclosed.

"Once in Turkey, the costs are surprisingly reasonable. An Airbnb in Turkey for a week is typically £350 a week ($450), and food costs maybe £200 ($250) a week, and the restaurants are nice."

While many of Bryn's TikTok followers have applauded her for finding a cost-effective way to maintain her hair, some have questioned whether she's considered the regular upkeep costs associated with hair extensions.

Hair extensions generally need to be removed or replaced every three to four months due to hair growth, necessitating frequent salon visits. This means Bryn found herself travelling to Turkey three times a year, pushing up the annual cost to around £4,095 ($5,250).

Bryn found a cost-effective beauty hack by flying overseas for her salon services, saving substantially compared to US prices. She remarked: "I've never been disappointed with the end results. My hair always looks great after I have it done in Turkey. I usually have 300 pieces of 22-inch keratin bond extensions with bleaching, toning and styling for a quarter of the price."

She didn't stop there; Bryn is also a fan of combining holidays with healthcare. Delving into her experiences, she shared: "I flew to Thailand to get two fillings and X-rays for only £72 ($92). Dental procedures cost tens of thousands of dollars in the United States, but you can get the same work done in Thailand for a few grand."

But it's not just her hair and dental work that have seen the benefits of 'beauty tourism'; Bryn's passion for travel and self-care merged perfectly when she decided to get body art abroad. Recounting one particular adventure, she confessed: "In 2020, long before I started flying to Turkey and Thailand, I fell in love with beauty tourism in Colombia and spent time touring the country with three friends. We had said that we'd all get matching tattoos together if we survived the £15 ($20) per person highest bungee jump in South America."

The experience led to a lasting memento from their travels. She said: "So, after our three months in Colombia were almost up - and having survived the jump - we decided to take home some 'souvenirs' we'd actually care about."

Concluding her tale, Bryn talked about creating meaningful memories with ink: They each got wrist tattoos, which was quite the bargain at only £20 ($25) for all four.

Bryn highlighted the allure of combining travel with ink, stating: "The cool thing about tattoo tourism is there are incredible artists all over the world, and if you travel to places where the cost of living is lower, you can get a piece from a top-tier artist for a fraction of what you would pay in the US."

Her Colombian adventures included not only cultural excursions but also expanding her body art. "One of my most memorable trips to Columbia was spending a month in the jungle," she reminisced.

"Back when the Titanoboa was king of the rainforest, I was inspired to get a boa tattoo to commemorate the experience."

Recounting the experiences she shared with a friend, Bryn mentioned: "My friend Cody decided to start his tropical-themed sleeve with a beautiful design of palm leaves. Each tattoo session lasted about five to six hours, costing us around £117 ($150) each."

She expressed how her journey has influenced others, explaining that due to such high interest, "Since I have gotten hundreds of requests, I'm considering putting together group beauty tourism trips. It's not just about saving money; it's about the entire experience - the adventure, the culture, the new friendships."

Bryn passionately summed up her vision for beauty-infused travel. "We can explore beautiful places, get pampered, and still come out ahead financially," she shared excitedly.

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