Jeonju

Girin Towol, Where a Hot Bath Became a Café

About a 10-minute walk from Jeonju Hanok Village, Girin Towol is a cultural complex renovated from the former Hosuok Sauna and Namno Bathhouse. This guide covers how to explore the first floor, where the women’s bath has become a café, and the upper floors featuring a gallery and bookstore in the former men’s bath, along with practical details such as the stairs, parking, and opening hours.

By the KOTourLive Editorial Team Updated: Sep 2, 2026 20 min 166

I’ve been here?

Your check-in helps the next traveler.

25 people viewed this week Be the first

One tap — no writing needed

Jeonju’s No. 1 Scenic View, Meaning the Moon Above Girinbong

Girin Towŏl is a cultural complex introduced as the first of Jeonju’s Ten Scenic Views. “Girin Towŏl” refers to the sight of the moon rising above Girinbong, and its name originates from the eight scenic views that Jeonju residents have admired since olden times. The shape of Girinbong is said to resemble a giraffe spitting out the moon.

Girinbong, which forms the background of this name, is described as the highest mountain in Jeonju, standing at 271 m. Jeonju’s tourism information describes Girinbong as the mountain corresponding to Jeonju’s “right white tiger” and as the eastern backdrop that creates Girin Towŏl’s moonlit scenery. Thus, the café’s name refers not merely to a business name but jointly to the topography of the Namnosong-dong residential area and Girinbong.

How a 40-Year-Old Bathhouse Became a Cultural Complex in 2020

The Girin Towŏl building was formerly a bathhouse called “Hosuo Sauna” and “Namno Bathhouse.” After operating for nearly 40 years, the bathhouse closed. Cultural planner and director Kim Ji-hoon purchased it and converted it into a café and cultural space, officially opening it in June 2020.

The operator is the Cultural Correspondence Cooperative. According to reports from 2020, the space consisted of a café on the first floor, a gallery and the Cultural Correspondence Cooperative office on the second floor, and “Toro Bookdeokbang” on the third floor. The yellow exterior was painted to express the concept of a “lukewarm cultural space” that anyone, including local residents, could enter.

How to Walk from the Hanok Village to 75 Madangjae 2-gil

For travelers visiting Jeonju for the first time, using Jeonju Hanok Village as the starting point is the easiest approach to understand. Girin Towŏl is described as about a 10-minute walk from the Hanok Village, and its address is 1F, 75 Madangjae 2-gil, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeonbuk State, Girin Towŏl. The three-story building is located in a quiet residential area of Namno-song-dong, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si.

This is not a spacious site like the entrance to a large tourist attraction. Public route descriptions include uphill streets and stairs in the urban residential area. After passing through the door, visitors immediately encounter stairs leading to the second floor, with the café on the right side of the stairs. Since the latest bus routes, stops, and walking distance after getting off have not been confirmed in public materials, it is simpler for foreign visitors to enter the address into a map app and walk from the Hanok Village rather than take a bus.

What Source Is the Stated 10:00–20:00 Operating Schedule Based On?

According to public materials, the operating hours are 10:00–20:00 on weekdays and 10:00–21:00 on weekends, with Mondays listed as closed every week. Another visitor review from 2022 records hours of 10:00–19:00 and Mondays closed, so the operating-hour information differs. Therefore, while you can use the common opening time of 10:00, it is safer not to plan a late arrival on the assumption that you can stay until 20:00 or 21:00.

Girin Towŏl’s inquiry telephone number is 0507-0465-8074. An official website itself has not been confirmed, and the Girin Towŏl introduction page in Jeonju’s webzine is https://daum.jeonju.go.kr/main/menu?gc=WEBZINE7&page=15&swcate=7. On days when the latest operating hours and Monday closure status are important, it is advisable to note this telephone number together with your itinerary.

A Place to Consider Café Orders and Menus Before Admission Fees

Girin Towŏl is introduced not as a venue with a separately listed admission fee like an exhibition hall, but as a combination of café, gallery, bookshop, and photography space. Since the latest official guidance does not confirm whether a drink or menu order is required to use the café, visitors should ask on-site about café use and exhibition viewing separately rather than assume that purchasing an admission ticket grants access to every floor.

At the time of a report on August 10, 2024, a menu board listed Seoritae soybean noodle soup at 6,500 won, with a basic daily sales quantity of 10 bowls. Soybean noodle soup was offered as a seasonal menu, while anchovy noodle soup was planned for winter. Kimchi or cucumber salad brought by neighbors was sometimes served as an accompaniment. Cold coffee recreating a former bathhouse menu cost 1,000 won, but was introduced as a menu available only to local residents aged 65 or older.

Viewing the Women’s Bath’s Hot Pool and the Men’s Bath Gallery by Floor

The first floor was formerly the ticket counter and women’s bath area and has been renovated into a café. Traces of the hot pool, which once held hot water, and the sauna, once filled with heat, remain. Unlike an ordinary café, visitors can directly compare how the bathhouse’s functional structure was transformed into seating and conversation areas. Based on reviews, the tables on the first floor were arranged to accommodate approximately 22–25 people.

The second floor is a gallery using the former men’s bath. On one side of the stairs is a “Handspan Art Museum” where the sky can be seen, and one introduction states that works representing Girin Towŏl are displayed in rice bowls on the first floor. The rooftop was reportedly planned as a performance and relaxation space overlooking Girinbong and the moon, but its current availability has not been confirmed, so visitors should not expect that they will necessarily be able to access the rooftop.

Forty Minutes Covers the Highlights, but the Stairs Can Affect Your Schedule

One review mentions an estimated visit time of about 40 minutes for Girin Towŏl, the renovated former bathhouse. This is an appropriate guideline for a short visit that includes seeing the hot pool and sauna traces inside the first-floor café and looking around the second-floor gallery and Handspan Art Museum. The visit may take longer if you have a drink or browse the bookshop and exhibitions slowly.

Accessibility should be assessed based on the stairs. Stairs leading to the second floor appear immediately after the entrance, and the spaces extend up to the third floor, but no public guidance confirms whether wheelchair or stroller users can access every floor. There is also no reliable, up-to-date official information about a dedicated parking lot or parking fees; a 2022 review mentioned roadside parking above the building’s three-way intersection. Since the building is in a residential area, visiting on foot is more practical than coming by car.

Match Your Dates for Exhibitions and Local Resident Programs

Girin Towŏl has been used as a platform that brings together local activists and neighborhood residents, and it entered into a space-use agreement with 20 young artists. It was also introduced as serving the purpose of supporting young artists’ activities in response to shortages of performance, exhibition, and rehearsal spaces. Therefore, it is a place whose character changes when programs are being held, rather than simply a venue with permanent exhibitions.

However, the exhibition “Drawn by a Right-Handed Person with the Left Hand” was a past exhibition held until August 31, 2020, featuring poetic reflections by Professor Kim Jeong-bae and left-hand drawings. The bathhouse-themed play <The Thief Who Stole a Son> and the resident-participation puppet show <That’s How It Was in My Day> were also introduced as programs as of 2022, but the latest exhibition and performance schedules have not been confirmed in public materials. Do not assume that an event is taking place on the day of your visit; inquire by phone about the schedule and the extent to which photography is allowed.

Key Numbers to Check at a Glance Before Visiting Girin Towŏl

According to public materials, the key information for Girin Towŏl is weekdays 10:00–20:00, weekends 10:00–21:00, closed every Monday, telephone 0507-0465-8074, about a 10-minute walk from the Hanok Village, and a recommended viewing time of about 40 minutes. The first floor is described as having seating for approximately 22–25 people, while the three-story building contains café, gallery, and bookshop spaces.

The address is 1F, 75 Madangjae 2-gil, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeonbuk State, Girin Towŏl. A separate admission fee, complete latest menu, parking fee, bus route, English guidance, audio guide, and whether payment is cash-only have not been confirmed in public materials. Since this is a place where visitors move up and down stairs to see traces of the bathhouse, it suits travelers who can add 40 minutes to a Hanok Village walk. Travelers who have difficulty moving between floors may prefer an itinerary focused only on the first-floor café.

노란색 외벽을 가진 기린토월 건물의 모습입니다. — The Girin Towŏl building with its yellow exterior. — Photo source: jeonju.go.kr

기린토월 내부에 전시된 작품을 보여 주는 장면입니다. — A scene showing a work exhibited inside Girin Towŏl. — Photo source: artmore.kr

옛 목욕탕 구조를 활용한 기린토월의 공간 모습입니다. — The interior of Girin Towŏl, making use of the former bathhouse structure. — Photo source: domin.co.kr

서리태 콩국수 6500원 메뉴판이 놓인 기린토월의 모습입니다. — Girin Towŏl with a menu board listing Seoritae soybean noodle soup at 6,500 won. — Photo source: daumcdn.net

Before You Go

Address: 1F, 75 Madangjae 2-gil, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeonbuk State, Girin Towŏl
Hours: According to public materials: weekdays 10:00–20:00, weekends 10:00–21:00. The latest official operating hours have not been confirmed.
Closed: According to public materials: closed every Monday. The latest official closing day has not been confirmed.
Admission: Confirmation of whether a drink or menu order is required when using the café is needed from the latest official guidance.
Phone: 0507-0465-8074
Official site: https://daum.jeonju.go.kr/main/menu?gc=WEBZINE7&page=15&swcate=7
Transport: Introduced as about a 10-minute walk from Jeonju Hanok Village. The latest bus route and stop information could not be confirmed.
Time needed: Some reviews mention approximately 40 minutes, but the original source basis is insufficient.
Accessibility: Stairs leading from the building entrance to the second floor are present, and movement between floors includes stairs.

The information above is current as of the time of writing. Check the official guidance again before visiting.

Girin Towol Jeonju cultural complex bathhouse café Jeonju travel gallery Girinbong Peak

Be the first to plan a visit

Places

This Place

기린토월

전북특별자치도 전주시 완산구 마당재2길 75 1층, 기린토월

Google

Nearby Attractions 3

1

Jeonju Hanok Village

A place to stroll through the alleys while enjoying traditional hanok houses and cultural experiences.

Google
2

Gyeonggijeon Shrine

A historic site where you can explore the shrine housing the portrait of King Taejo, founder of the Joseon Dynasty.

Google
3

Omokdae

A hill offering a view of history related to Yi Seong-gye and the Hanok Village.

Google

Food & Dining 3

4

Beterang Kalguksu

A casual Korean eatery serving perilla-scented knife-cut noodle soup, dumplings, and jjolmyeon.

Google
5

Hangukjip

A place to enjoy Jeonju bibimbap and yukhoe bibimbap served in brass bowls.

Google
6

Jo Jeom-rye Nammun Blood Sausage

A small restaurant in the alleyways of Nambu Market serving blood sausage and sundae-guk soup.

Google