(Photo by Denisse Rauda)
Seoul is home to many cafés, and in particular, pet cafés. You may have visited a cat, owl or reptile café as you’ve explored the large city.
Tucked away in Hongdae, a hot spot for the hip, young crowd, you’ll find Winter Village, a café for Samoyed dogs. Animal cafés aren’t really my thing, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to play with giant fluff balls.
The two-story café houses over 15 of these big white, fluffy, adorable doggos who are treated like celebrities. Visitors can even purchase trading cards and merch of their favorite resident.
During my visit on a weekday, I was surprised to find more than 20 people scattered around the two floors with dozens of dogs either chasing each other or lounging about.
(Photo by Denisse Rauda)
According to the American Kennel Club, Samoyed were originally bred for hunting and herding in Russia and Siberia. These friendly dogs can weigh up to 50 pounds for females and 65 pounds for males. They have a double coat, so expect to leave covered in white fur.
Before entering the play area, we put our belongings away in lockers and were given a safety briefing. This briefing in English and Korean included instructions on how to enter and exit, the correct way to pet the dogs and the correct way to present them treats.
Both floors had about 10-15 visitors eager to meet the big puffy pups, who were chasing each other or lounging about looking cute.
We settled in the seats surrounding the play area on the second floor and the dogs approached us because they already knew that new guests bring fresh treats provided by the staff.
(Photo by Denisse Rauda)
(Photo by Denisse Rauda)
(Photo by Denisse Rauda)
(Photo by Denisse Rauda)
(Photo by Denisse Rauda)
The Samoyed are larger than I imagined, especially when they’re climbing around you trying to find the treats. They were gentle and I couldn’t say no to their cute faces. Some of the gentle giants had pastel pink or purple tails, which the staff said indicated they were female.
After I was out of treats, the attention and love I was getting came to a brief halt. But then the staff gathered all the dogs for a photo op. The dogs were well trained for the flashing lights and cameras, for the most part, and got into their positions while each visitor lined up to sit for photos.
After I got some pics of the second-floor residents, we made our way down to play with the first-floor dogs.
(Photo by Denisse Rauda)
The play area was smaller, so there were less dogs, but at this point, there were less people, too. Here, amongst all the white fluffy dogs, was a brown-coated Samoyed. The coloring of this dog made it look like a cartoon bear character or team mascot. This pup was a standout, not only because of his coat, but also because of his friendliness. He sat and posed for selfies with every visitor and was in it for the cuddles.
After many, many photos and lots of sticker sheets off the lint roller later, we left Winter Village fluffed out. If you want a nice break to pet some adorable friendly giants, this is the spot to visit.
Admission is 14,000 won (about $10) per person, and includes all-you-can-drink from a soda fountain near the entrance. No drinks are allowed in the play area.
Things to know
Address: 19-5 겨울이 머무는 집17-gil Wausan-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul
Hours: 1 p.m.- 9 p.m. daily; Entry closes a few times a day while dogs get potty breaks.
