A public wellness learning space that aims to reawaken dulled senses through meditation, yoga, tea, fragrance and music is opening in Seoul. The Seoul Lifelong Education Institute will open Dagam, a wellness learning lounge, on the first floor of the annex at Seoul Citizens University’s Dasi Ganeun Campus in Gwanak-gu on 9 November, and run it on a trial basis for four weeks, until 5 December. It will offer 16 programmes across 106 sessions, all free of charge.
All three meditation yoga sessions, limited to eight people each, are already full
Among Dagam’s immersive programmes, meditation yoga uses yoga and meditation to focus attention on bodily movement and breathing, while taking time to observe one’s state of mind. The sessions are led by Hong Seong-sin, a counsellor and yoga instructor, and run for between one and a half and two hours by the window in front of Dagam’s indoor café. They are scheduled for 10.30am on 14 November (Saturday), 4pm on 23 November (Monday) and 4pm on 27 November (Friday), with places for eight people per session.
Bookings opened on a first-come, first-served basis at 9.30am on 28 October, but as of 3 November all trial programmes, including meditation yoga, were fully booked. The four distinguished-speaker seminars have also proved popular, with all places taken. Han So-won, a professor of psychology at Seoul National University (26 November); Kim Dong-joo, a professor of brain engineering at Korea University (1 December); Lee In-ah, a professor of brain and cognitive sciences at Seoul National University (2 December); and Park Geon-woo, a professor of neurology at Korea University (3 December) will speak on the mind and sleep, the senses, and caring for the body and mind.
The fact that the places were filled in less than a week suggests strong demand, even within public lifelong learning, for hands-on experience of meditation and yoga. For people who find it difficult to meditate sitting alone, meditation yoga offers a more accessible way in by combining breathing with movement.
Sleep wearables and a virtual immersive wellness room are available to book now
The ongoing programmes that have not filled up can still be booked. They include Dagam Walk (a tour of the space) and Dagam Explore, a 40-minute experience in which participants choose one sense that appeals to them.
Among the Explore programmes, the virtual immersive wellness room offers a solo experience focused on one of three areas: relaxation, sleep or concentration. One person can enter at a time. During the Well Sleep experience, participants wear an AI sleep wearable to learn how sleep can be managed using biometric signals, and review their own sleep habits. Each session has two places. There is also a listening experience featuring music played on vinyl.
Meditation does not have to begin on a cushion. Listening closely to sounds, looking at sleep patterns and exploring what kind of rest suits you can also help you become more aware of your body and mind.
Eight multi-sensory spaces for people in their 40s and 50s; four-week trial ahead of full operation in 2027
Dagam comprises eight specialised spaces designed to stimulate the senses, including hearing, touch and sight: a welcome zone, experience stage, café space, listening space, salon space, wellness seminar space, garden space and library. Its main target audience is people in midlife, particularly those in their 40s and 50s. The aim is to develop a lifelong learning model that supports emotional recovery and physical health management later in life, and helps prevent social isolation.
The programme is structured in four stages: sensory walk, sensory exploration, sensory immersion and sensory practice. Participants explore the space and experience the senses in a light-touch way, choose one sense to explore, then spend time delving into a single topic with an expert. The immersive programmes include meditation yoga, opera and literature, a seasonal tea class, a Korean tea class, The Table Between Us, Awakening the Senses Through Fragrance, desktop gardening and Dagam book talks. The sensory practice programme, which aims to incorporate the senses into everyday habits, will be offered at a later date.
The institute calls the ability to recognise one’s own physical and mental state and manage it consistently “wellness literacy”. It plans to assess the results of the trial and use them to shape the full programme in 2027.
Event details
Event: Trial operation of Dagam, the wellness learning lounge
Dates: 9 November 2026 (Monday) to 5 December (Saturday); closed on Sundays
Opening hours: Monday 14:00–18:00; Tuesday 10:00–18:00; Wednesday to Friday 10:00–21:00; Saturday 10:00–14:00
Location: First floor, annex, Seoul Citizens University Dasi Ganeun Campus, 70 Nakseong-daero, Gwanak-gu, Seoul (about a 10-minute walk from Exit 4 of Nakseongdae Station)
Organiser: Seoul Lifelong Education Institute
Admission: All programmes are free
Bookings: Reserve in advance through the Dagam website (dagam.seoul.kr); trial programmes, including meditation yoga and the distinguished-speaker seminars, are fully booked, while the ongoing Dagam Walk and Dagam Explore programmes are available to book (as of 3 November)
Enquiries: 02-889-6430
Press enquiries: fare3041@naver.com