Petal-strewn pools, laser tripwires and Engelbert Humperdinck: Seoul's bars serve up a strange mix for kicking back, dancing your heart out or even hitting the city's very own "beach."
Here, for your enjoyment, we've picked out the 14 weirdest bars in town.
Rainbow
In a district of overpriced cocktail bars and the sticky floors of "hofs" (bars that serve beer alongside food), Rainbow, right by Gangnam Station, comes as a breath of fresh air. Or rather, as a cloud of pungent, sweet-smelling shisha smoke.
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Step into Rainbow and you'll find a dimly lit jumble of fountains, Thai art, peace signs strung from fairy lights and a barefoot crowd sprawled across the floor.
Add generous, mid-priced cocktails and a playlist that blends Bob Marley with Engelbert Humperdinck, and the result is a virtual student commune right in the heart of Seoul at its brightest and boldest.
How to get there: From Gangnam Station, take exit 6, walk 250 metres, turn left at Giordano, turn right at Dunkin Donuts, and Rainbow will be on your right.
Vinyl
In Korea, drinks served in resealable pouches have become as much a part of rock-festival culture as camping, unpredictable weather and dubious toilets. And if you believe Vinyl's owner, Moon Hyun-jung, it all started at her tiny cocktail bar in the Hongdae district.
"I got the idea after I saw people in Taiwan drinking iced coffee out of pouches," she says. "Plenty of places do it now, but I was the first!" Today, Vinyl remains a key warm-up spot for a night of fun in one of Seoul's most happening neighbourhoods.
And if the cramped interior fills up (10 people is usually the limit), Moon is on hand to sell her fruit cocktails to go from a window facing out onto the street.
How to get there: From the front of Hongik University, cross the road and turn left. Keep going for about 200 metres, and Vinyl will be on your right.
Oi
It's hard to say exactly what Oi's owners had in mind. In its concrete, cave-like interior, polystyrene rope dangles from the ceiling, dusty chandeliers give off an eerie glow, and luminous string is strung between the walls like laser tripwires.
Another shisha bar with a no-shoes policy, Oi's cheap new-age ethos ("A story of beautiful nature...") is more than made up for by excellent cocktails, a young and lively crowd, and very loud dance music.
How to get there: From the front of Hongik University, cross the street and follow the road that runs along the back of the playground. Keep going for 5 or 10 minutes until you find an Adidas shop on your right. Oi is roughly opposite, on the third floor.
Nabi
The lighting is low, mellow French jazz drifts in the background, and water trickles from a fountain into a pool scattered with petals and dotted with Indian figurines. With a few early-evening guests lounging on floor cushions, a tattooed woman with what look like heavily kohl-lined eyes serves drinks from behind a small opening framed with palm-frond leaves.
Inspired by India but carrying the distinctly bohemian vibe of Hongdae, Nabi is about as mellow a bar as you could hope to find.
How to get there: Facing Vinyl, turn left and take the first turn on the right next to the 7-Eleven. Go straight, turn left at the Gr8 shisha bar and keep going until you spot the Sexy Pig restaurant. The stairs leading down to Nabi are marked with a small white sign right beside it.
Gopchang Jeongol
These days, K-pop usually means baby-faced boys or waifish women singing and dancing to instantly forgettable electro-fluff. But it wasn't always that way, and the gloriously retro Gopchang Jeongol has the proof.
Amid photos of big-haired Korean rockers and walls crammed with decades-old clocks, radios, speakers and records, Gopchang Jeongol pumps out a steady stream of classic Korean rock, reliably drawing broad smiles and passionate sing-alongs from its loyal regulars.
How to get there: Leave Hongik Station via exit 4, turn right and keep going to the end of the road. Turn left and walk until you reach a roundabout, take the first turn on the right and keep going until you almost reach the end of that road. Gopchang Jeongol is on your left.
Sir Raymond
It has London Pride on tap, bangers and mash on the menu, and Travis and The Beatles playing on the sound system. But anyone who assumes that Kim Hong-gu, the owner of Sir Raymond in Garosugil, was a longtime UK resident (or even a serious anglophile) is in for a surprise.
"I just picked this theme because it has a backyard, like most British houses," he says. And while Kim's Korean take on the English pub could never quite pass for the real thing, the promise of single malt whisky by the glass and Premier League football on the big screen is temptation enough.
How to get there: From Apgujeong Station, take exit 5, walk straight for 15 minutes, turn left at Kraze Burger, and turn left again at the alley across from Starbucks. Sir Raymond is on your right.
Jeongdeunjib
Although a certain ambivalence remains in South Korea toward its giant eastern neighbour, those feelings certainly don't extend to Japanese food and drink. Especially popular among the culinary imports are sake and odeng, a kind of fish sausage known in Japan as kamaboko, which is sold all over the capital from its ubiquitous orange food tents.
At Jeongdeunjib in Garosugil, however, patrons can help themselves to odeng with a fork from pots in the middle of each table (hence the noticeable fishy aroma) and wash it all down with one of the many hot and cold sakes on offer. In sharp contrast to much of the rest of Garosugil, Jeongdeunjib has won plenty of fans thanks to its deliberately shabby setting.
How to get there: From Sinsa Station, take exit 8, walk a couple of blocks, turn left onto Garosugil, and Jeongdeunjib (a Korean sign on a plain wood-and-brick facade) is about 20 metres along the right-hand side of the street.
Au Gout Des Autres
This is a South Korean wine bar named after a French film, owned by a former club promoter and set in a 1950s Japanese-style house. Even so, of all the bars on this list, Au Gout Des Autres arguably has the simplest, most unaffected charm.
Tucked away in a sleepy district across from the Sungkok Art Museum, Au Gout Des Autres boasts an exceptional selection of wines, good European cuisine and mellow jazz (live on some Wednesdays) in a setting that offers a glimpse of what life in old South Korea might have been like.
How to get there: Leave Gwanghwamun Station via exit 7, walk straight and turn right into the alley next to the Salvation Army Hall. Then follow the road to the Sungkok Museum, and Au Gout Des Autres is opposite.
Moon Jar
In a country increasingly caught up in the "wellness" craze, the supposed healing properties of makgeolli have helped push this most traditional of Korean drinks back into the spotlight.
Today, bars devoted to this tangy, milky rice wine are popping up all over Seoul, and few are as charming as Moon Jar. Skipping traditional Koreana in favour of an interior that leans toward a French cottage, Moon Jar sells a selection of "President" and "Deluxe" grade makgeolli, along with makgeolli cocktails and excellent snacks.
How to get there: Facing Dosan Park in Sinsa-dong, turn right and continue to the end of the park. Turn left, walk straight to the end of the park, cross the road, keep going, and Moon Jar is on your right.
La Cle
With a basement setting just off the main street of Samcheong-dong, this charming little spot of vintage wood panelling, creaky furniture and sepia-toned photographs was once a photo studio that also served as a meeting place for intellectuals during South Korea's era of military rule.
Now one of the few casual bars in this part of Seoul, La Cle's beer, wine and simple food come with mellow local jazz bands playing every night from 8:30.
How to get there: Walk straight along the main street of Samcheong-dong until you reach the Italian restaurant Felice Gatto. From there, cross the road and turn into the alley on the left. La Cle is about 50 metres along on the left.
Cave
Also in Samcheong-dong is this relative veteran, a cosy little wine bar with a solid selection of Italian food and a fine choice of wines, available by the bottle only.
Any curiosity about the origin of the place's name is quickly answered on arrival, thanks to the presence of a huge rock jutting out of much of the back wall.
How to get there: Walk straight along the main street of Samcheong-dong until you reach the Nescafe cafe. Cave is in the basement.
Harue Pocha
It may have art nouveau styling, be owned by a former shoe salesman and mix Thai food with Korean drinks, but what really sets Harue Pocha apart is its status as a low-priced bar and eatery in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul's gilded home of Bentley showrooms and Chanel boutiques.
Serving up an array of curries, noodles and shellfish, Harue Pocha manages to be both classy and thoroughly welcoming, a trick that reportedly draws a regular cohort of South Korean celebrities.
How to get there: Take a taxi to the old Mnet Media building, turn into the alley between that building and Tom N Toms Coffee, head up to the crossroads, take the first turn on the right, then the first on the left, and Harue Pocha is on your right.
Off
Of all the bars on this list, the recently opened Off may feel like the odd one out. Set in an unremarkable part of the city, its muted interior and leather armchairs suggest a private members' club more than a groundbreaking bar.
Even so, as Seoul's first purpose-built single malt whisky bar, that's exactly what Off is. In a country where whisky means Ballantine's, Off's captivating collection includes Glenfiddich, Laphroaig and even Auchentoshan.
How to get there: From Gangnam-gu Office subway station, take exit 1, turn into the alley next to the KFC, walk straight until you reach the Brownstone building, turn right, and Off is on your left.
Bungalow
For all its many drinking spots, few places in Itaewon stray too far from the standard pub / wine-bar template. Bungalow, however, is without doubt one of the most quirky offerings.
Set in a lively alley behind the Hamilton Hotel, Bungalow's "Tropical Lounge" sprawls across three floors, with courtyards, private rooms and, most popular of all, a rooftop "beach" complete with sand and sun loungers.
How to get there: From Itaewon subway station, take exit 2, turn left, turn right, walk straight, and Bungalow is on your left.
London-born and Edinburgh-raised, Niels Footman has lived and worked in the South Korean capital, Seoul, for eight years.
