The Book and Spa Café

"Hey! Let’s go to the Fish Café this weekend!"

"What?"

"You know, the café where you put your feet in a tank and fish eat the dead skin off your toes."

"Right."



This essentially explains the Fish Café experience.  The fish café in Korea which we visited was called the Book and Spa Café, located in Gangnam, Seoul.

Upon entering the Café, one finds themselves noticing the various autographed pictures on the wall. Celebrities? Perhaps. I wouldn’t know. A kind man meets us at the elevator and walks us to our seats. We get seated at a table for six. On this Friday night, the café is mostly full. There are some couches, cushioned chairs, and little round tables. We then line up at the café counter. Drinks are around 5000 won, and Fish 2000 extra. They had a wide selection of espresso based beverages, tea, and even beer. The basic coffee has unlimited refills, but you are required to serve yourself. At the same stations where you get your coffee refills, there are bowls filled with multicoloured cardboard-like snacks, bread, and butter.

 Once you’ve enjoyed your hot or cold beverage, you let the host know that you’re ready for fish. He informs us that there is only room for three at the one functioning tank. We only had to wait a few minutes for our fifteen minute turn. This seemed strange, as the café had at least 60 people in it. But then again, the only other people visiting the fish tank seemed to be foreigners.

At our turn, we walked up to the tank near the window. We first put our feet in some small sinks inlayed in the floor. A man rinsed off our feet. We then sat on the floor around the long, rectangular tank and on the count of three, submerged our feet. Right away the fish surrounded our feet. And they nibbled. And it felt strange. The fish are between 1 and 2 inches long, silver and black in colour. Immediately we all started giggling uncontrollably. Eventually we got used to having our feet chewed, and the 15 minutes were up. We took our feet out of tanks, went over to the sinks, and were once again rinsed off, and this time sprayed with a clear liquid… hopefully a sanitizer. Afterwards, I’d say that my feet definitely felt soft and smooth. 

The Cat and Coffee Café

My first weekend in Korea, I found myself on the third floor of LaFesta, Ilsan, looking in the window of a Cat Café. Amongst the traditional café tables, chairs and long benches, there were Kitty Condos, scratching posts, and a number of incredibly adorable kittens. 

It seems like a strange concept, and when you go there, the whole thing seems ridiculous. But, it is ridiculous in the most awesome way.  As you enter, there is place where you exchange your shoes for light foam slippers. There are a sign  of rules on the wall, conveniently also written in English: 1. You are not required to pay, however , please buy a drink.  2. No flash on Cameras. 3. No outside food or treats, 4. There is hand sanitizer provided, etc.

Cafés, Culture and Korea.

Cafés, Culture and Korea.




In my Korean language textbook, there is a section entitled You know you live in Korea when… One of the ways that the textbook finishes the sentence is “You don’t care that you pay more for coffee than for dinner.” While not always true, most espresso based beverages here cost at least 4 dollars; and you can easily find a bowl of Ramen or Bimbap with bulgogi for less. However, in Korea, your 4000 won coffee is never just about the coffee. You pay for the presentation, the atmosphere, and the extras that make each café special. In this blog, I will write about a variety of cafes in Korea. I am not a coffee connoisseur, just a Canadian, teaching in South Korea, looking for an interesting place to get a hot drink.

New Blog!