[WEEKEND GETAWAY] Release your inner audiophile at these audio spaces

K-campus

Published: 02 Sep. 2023, 10:06 Updated: 07 Sep. 2023, 17:23

[WEEKEND GETAWAY] Release your inner audiophile at these audio spaces

A visitor listens to an LP record at Vinyl Seongsu in Seongdong District, eastern Seoul. [VINYL SEONGSU]

Even the most extroverted people may find it troubling to sit inside a crowded franchise cafe, unable to communicate let alone focus on the music playing on their headphones.

Unwinding in tranquility is something the younger generation is willingly signing up for. On the other side of the social media scene where pictures and the number of likes matter, there is a craving for the opportunities to sit in the calmness and listen to self inner thoughts.

Speaking about chilling in peace, either spent by yourself or with your close ones, music is a great medium to carry out that initiative. Sound cannot be captured in pictures, meaning that you are forced to put the phone down for a while and chime with the tune playing in the background.

If you are into unwinding and want to dive into some quiet yet verified sonic experience, here are the four recommendations by the Korea JoongAng Daily.

Vinyl Seongsu
바이닐 성수

Vinyl Seongsu in Seongdong District, eastern Seoul, has turntables at every seat. [YOO JI-YOEN]

Seongsu-dong in Seongdong District, eastern Seoul, is a trendy neighborhood with picturesque cafes and pop-up stalls. This popular area also has space for those who embrace tranquility. Just a few steps from Exit No.1 of Ttukseom Station, Vinyl Seongsu, an LP record cafe, appears.

Vinyl Seongsu is unique because it accommodates up to 100 people at once yet remains almost silent. Every seat has a turntable and a pair of headphones, allowing all visitors to listen to a vinyl from its collection of 1,000 vinyls across different genres.

The entrance fee includes a drink and a two-hour experience to get fully immersed in music. Vinyl Seongsu welcomes not only individuals but also those coming in groups, allowing them to communicate via music and handwritten messages with pencils and postcards offered at the counter.

Even though it's a fairly new cafe that opened this year, the place gets packed every day. The cafe currently gets about 200 visitors per day during the weekdays and 400 on the weekends. It is common to spot young couples and friend groups participating in "open runs," lining up outside before the cafe opens.

@vinyl_seongsu

15-8 Achasan-ro, Seongdong District, eastern Seoul

(서울 성동구 아차산로 15-8 2층)

Opening hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekends.
Admission Fee: 18,000 won ($13.6)

Phone number: 070-4833-6845

Onground Music Bar
온그라운드 뮤직바

The Onground Music Bar in Jongno District, central Seoul, was originally designed as a private space for architect Cho Byoung-soo. [ONGROUND]

Seochon Hanok Village in Jongno District, central Seoul, is another hot neighborhood among young people. This part of Seoul displays both modern and old facets of the city, with niche cafes, art galleries and well-aged homes. For an afternoon in stylish surroundings and with music, the Onground Music Bar is the place to go.

The Onground Music Bar is located near Gyeongbok Palace and is part of the Onground Gallery, a cafe. Spanning two floors, the cafe is easily noticeable from the outside. However, the bar is hidden underneath the cafe on the building's basement floor, and finding the entrance becomes a part of the fun as it doesn't have a signpost, not to mention you have to enter a narrow alleyway to get there.

The bar was originally a private audio room for architect Cho Byoung-soo, who designed the building. This private space was opened to the public two years ago and now offers a space where visitors can enjoy food and drinks while vibing to music.

Unlike Vinyl Seongsu, the Onground Music Bar isn't about spacing out with music. It's quite the opposite. A gigantic speaker takes up almost an entire wall, and on the other side of the room is a wall filled with vinyl records. The room is saturated with music all the time and free of any other noise. The venue is apt for those seeking a discreet place to mingle with friends and loved ones in an intimate environment filled with music and fashionable lighting. Also coming with the experience is seeing a collection of artworks curated by Cho.

@ongroundmusicbar

23 Jahamun-ro 10-gil, Jongno District, central Seoul

(서울 종로구 자하문로10길 23)

Opening hours:
Wednesday to Friday, 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Saturday to Sunday, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Live DJ sessions are on Thursday to Saturday, 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Admission Fee: 10,000 won ($7.5) per person

ORFEO
오르페오

ORFEO in Yongsan District, central Seoul, is a private cinema that features 34 high-end speakers from Steinway Lyngdorf, a Danish audio brand. [VINYL SEONGSU]

Some moviegoers are drawn to the sound of a film rather than the plot. If you are a fan of private cinemas that screen films with the best music, ORFEO is where you belong.

ORFEO in Yongsan District, central Seoul, is a private cinema that features 34 high-end speakers from Steinway Lyngdorf, a Danish audio brand. It's a single-screen theater with only 30 seats available, and reservations have to be made through Instagram and Kakaotalk in advance. The pieces on screen are either recent releases or curated classics with spectacular sound elements, such as "La Vie en Rose" (2007) and "La La Land" (2016). The theater also screens music performances and operas, offering a wide spectrum of music genres. ORFEO holds special events around holidays that often involve drinks.

ORFEO is run by ODE, an audio company that curates high-end speakers from overseas. The theater is located on the fifth floor of Sounds Hannam, an urban cultural complex with modern brands and lifestyle shops. Many blogger reviews mention the aesthetics of the building in addition to the experience the theater offers, so make sure to look around the building and the neighborhood.

@ode.orfeo

35 Daesagwan-ro, Yongsan District, central Seoul

(서울 용산구 한남동 대사관로 35 5층)

Opening hours: Wednesday to Sunday, noon to 9 p.m.; Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays

Phone number: 02-512-4093

Admission Fee:
Film 25,000 won, Musical and Classic Live 30,000 won, Opera 40,000 won

Glass House
글라스하우스 오디오룸

Glass House in Jeongseon County, Gangwon is a part of the resort Park Roche that offers a healing time through a sonic experience. [PARK ROCHE]

Glass House is a therapeutic audio room inside Park Roche Resort and Wellness in Jeongseon County, Gangwon, with high-quality Meyer Sound speakers, which are often found in prestigious concert halls such as Carnegie Hall in New York. The venue encourages visitors to break away from their everyday lives and enjoy its tranquil atmosphere.

Its interior sets the perfect background for realizing the resort's mission, to allow its guests to take a step back from the hectic urban life and stay away from the ever-present distractions of life. "Sound therapy" becomes a genre here with its four glass walls and natural surroundings that capture the visitors' eyes.

Although Glass House is a part of the resort, it's away from the main resort, granting its guests an opportunity to meditate in peace.

If you are planning a visit to Jeongseon County, consider spending gracious hours at Glass House, enjoying the view of the surrounding white birch trees.

9-12 Jungbong-gil, Bukpyeong-myeon, Jeongseon County, Gangwon

(강원도 정선군 북평면 중봉길 9-12)

Opening hours: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.