During international trips, one won't have the luxury to sit around unless you prefer staying in cafes rather than exploring the city. But when we went to Seoul this June - during the height of MERS-CoV in the country - we had the luxury to sit around because of scare of transmitting the virus in major tourist spots.


And so on our third day in the city, we decided to relax at BAU House, a dog cafe located at Mapo-gu, near Hongdae. Going to the dog cafe is easy - alight at Hapjeong station, go out at exit #3, walk a bit on the main road, and turn on an alley. The signage to the dog cafe is prominent, so you would have no problem locating it. Here's a screenshot from Google Maps:


My sister's expectation was that the place would be stinky with the number of dogs in the enclosed area. But when we got in, the smell was not overpowering, plus the dogs were clean and looked well-taken care of.

The dog cafe has two areas: One area for the small dogs and another area for the medium to large dogs. There's no entrance fee but you just have to buy a drink or a snack naturally priced high so they can pay for maintenance and the staff in the cafe.


The place is heaven! At first we were told to take the seats in the small dog area. Immediately, several dogs flocked on my lap, including a cute Schnauzer.

Aside from the menu, the staff will also give you a paper-sized card containing the photos, names, and breeds of the dogs in the cafe. You can also buy dog treats - small-sized treats and sticks. Best to buy the small-sized treats for better management of the dogs - they tend to flock to you when they smell the treats.



For dog lovers, the place is heaven - you can relax by just watching the dogs, enjoy their company as they snuggle near your seat, or relax while petting them. The dogs are well trained -  they know how to sit, shake, and high five in exchange for treats. The dog cafe sells dog treats but only for the medium to big dogs. Even the Alaskan malamute was game to show off his dog tricks in exchange for the treats:

We had so much fun during our first time there that we decided to go again during our last day in Seoul. We arrived at the cafe during the opening so the place smelled strongly of cleaning agent. The fun part was that as soon as we took our seat, almost all the dogs flocked to us, climbed on our seats and table, and sniffed us. Heaven!


A poor and old cocker spaniel which wore a shirt snuggled near me as it shivered from the cold. Cuuute! But poor baby. Even the huge Alaskan Malamute went under our table and settled there to rest.


We also had a date with this cute and friendly Golden Retriever using the dog treats as reward. He sat beside us and even slung his hand on my sister's arm, begging for more treats. Cute!


My favorite dog was this Cavalier King Charles Spaniel with the huge floppy ears. At first it was just sleeping but eventually went to sit on our table. It was my first time to encounter this breed. So cute!

The only dog that we were scared of was the Tervuren named Ho Su. Aside from it being part of the Belgian Shepherd family, he/she seemed to not be gentle in terms of taking the treats. We also noticed that Ho Su was always called at by the staff. There was also a time when my sister offered the treat and Ho Su's fangs seemed to graze on her hand. Scary.


There was a young and playful black labrador that love to play with the golden retrievers.


Beware though when the dogs decide to poop or pee - they sometimes do it randomly on the floor. The Tervuren named Ho Su dumped a large amount of poop during our first visit but it was immediately cleaned by the staff.

All in all, visiting the dog cafe is relaxing. During our second visit there, we stayed for two hours and we don't want to leave yet. That's how enjoyable the experience was.

More photos:








How to get to BAU House:
Naver map: http://me2.do/x2JkUss6
Google map: https://goo.gl/maps/Fnf25