Introducing a Korean wellness space curated around food culture—resembling Erewhon at first glance, but with its own distinct highlights.

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안녕 (HI)

Today, I visited ‘TWELVE,’ located inside House of Shinsegae, a wellness haven in Gangnam, Seoul. TWELVE is a wellness space curated around food culture, created by Shinsegae, one of Korea’s leading retail corporations. It’s situated on the B1 level of House of Shinsegae.

With wellness trending globally these days, TWELVE really feels like the ultimate hub for dietary wellness. It felt like a space designed for relaxation rather than pure shopping—a place where you can pick up groceries, enjoy brunch, or refuel through food. As wellness takes on so many different forms these days, I’d like to walk you through what Korean-style wellness looks like, and what kind of thoughtful choices you can make here.

TWELVE = 12 = WELLNESS

Shinsegae explains that the number 12 represents completeness and balance. Think of the 12 months, 12 hours, 12 musical notes, or the 12 Olympians—throughout history, 12 has often symbolized order, harmony, and perfection, and Shinsegae adopted this meaning as their core brand philosophy. Their brand slogan is also LOVE WELL. GIVE WELL. LIVE WELL. The name TWELVE, its core purpose, this slogan, and its 12 defining criteria all seem to capture what the brand stands for so well. (Honestly, whoever handled this branding did a brilliant job!)

At TWELVE, they believe that caring for oneself naturally extends to caring for the world. That’s why their vision centers on making choices today that protect both your future self and the planet. With this wellness concept, they demonstrate sustainability through organic ingredients, thoughtful choices for your health, and practices like recycling.
It’s truly a stay-and-savor kind of space, where you can enjoy healthy food for yourself and a moment of relaxation all at once.

TWELVE PANTRY

This is the ‘Pantry,’ featuring a curated selection of wellness groceries picked by TWELVE. They offer products carefully tailored to meet their 12 criteria. There were many brands that fit the wellness lifestyle TWELVE pursues. You’ll spot international names like the British snack brand Mister Freed and cereal brand HOLLY, alongside a fresh lineup of Korean brands I hadn’t seen before. Looking closely, many of them focus on eco-friendliness or local ingredients. (We definitely need to see more of these and support them more!)This setup really underscores what TWELVE is trying to achieve.

The Fresh Food section showcases regional specialties from key regions across Korea. Meat, seafood, and produce are all sourced from traditional local farming methods. On top of that, they offer dry-aged Hanwoo beef and premium seafood, and Korean side dishes (banchan) are thoughtfully designed to be high-protein and low-GI for optimal nutritional balance. Moving beyond mere freshness and local sourcing, their approach to personalization, luxury, and differentiation is where I truly felt what TWELVE is all about. I think this is the core reason to visit TWELVE. You can feel the health-conscious detail in every ingredient and service—and the community that gathers here to enjoy it is what ultimately shapes TWELVE.

TWELVE had a wide range of house-brand (PB) products developed in-house—from organic milk and yogurt to butter, offering plenty of curated choices for those pursuing a healthy lifestyle. There were also many fresh and unique items like vitamin waters and handcrafted flavored milks (watermelon milk, peach oolong milk tea… okay, those sound insanely good!). Their produce section was filled with fresh goods like vegetables grown using traditional methods from various regions and grade 1 or 2 eggs, making it super easy and convenient to just grab items without overthinking, plus it was really fun to browse.

I tried my best to fill my basket mostly with TWELVE’s own products. Since peaches are currently in season here in Korea, I picked up some peaches with an incredible aroma. (Personally, I’m a fan of crunchy peaches!) What really stood out to me was when I was about to buy the peaches, a staff member came over and carefully checked all four peaches inside the package for me.

They were exceptionally kind, and I felt that this kind of detail really showed TWELVE’s positive point of differentiation. TWELVE felt like it offered a much broader spectrum of ingredients than what you’d typically find in a standard supermarket. It didn’t feel limited to Korea, stocking plenty of ingredients that are widely used overseas as well. To be honest, the prices were on the higher side—naturally, since they only carry top-quality goods. However, knowing that every item was of great quality made it feel like the optimal place where you can choose things for yourself without any second-guessing, which felt really good.

There’s a specific section here that deserves a closer look. It’s the ready-to-eat section. In standard Korean supermarkets, prepared foods are usually simple items like fried chicken or fried shrimp. TWELVE, however, had a rich variety of authentic Korean prepared foods. From jeon (savory Korean pancakes) to sweet pumpkin porridge, soybean paste wraps, and mul-kimchi (water kimchi, which feels a bit like pickles), there were so many diverse types of Korean food that are usually hard for foreigners to come across. There were many complex, high-level Korean dishes, and the quality was incredibly high as well. It was more than enough of a spot to truly experience Korean food.

Plus, there’s a space inside where you can eat the food you buy here, and if you ask the staff, they’ll warm it up for you. There are so many options here, so I hope you take a look around everywhere—including this spot—before making your final decision.

TWELVE WONDER BAR

There’s also a place here selling healthy wellness smoothies—the ultimate wellness staple. (Definitely gives off Erewhon vibes!) When it’s a bit awkward for a full meal, grabbing a cup of smoothie seems like a great option. (Though, to be fair, they are pretty pricey!) TWELVE believes that loving yourself leads to a better world, right? Well, I guess I’m not quite there yet… so I just enjoyed browsing.

Their smoothies are said to be a balanced blend of fresh fruits and vegetables. Broadly speaking, the smoothie categories were RECHARGE, GLOW, and BALANCE, alongside coffee, tea, and REVITALIZING JUICES. Beyond beverages, they also offered a variety of bakery items like cookies and muffins made with organic flour and superfoods.

The moment I saw TWELVE’s smoothies, both visually and in terms of being healthy smoothies, Erewhon immediately came to mind. (Since it’s so famous!)
So I initially wondered if they had simply copied Erewhon’s smoothies, but looking closely, I noticed a clear point of differentiation.

While the base made with superfoods and beauty-focused ingredients is similar, TWELVE adds a touch of traditional Korean wellness food culture. By incorporating iconic healthy Korean ingredients like ginseng and black sesame, they gave it a unique twist. (Without this, it might’ve been a bit of a letdown!) I think these Korean elements will really help when deciding which smoothie to choose.

THE GROCER OF KOREAN DELICACIES

This was a place where you could find Korean fermented foods, grain-based snacks, traditional liquor, and enjoy a full set meal.
Korean fermented foods are incredibly diverse—even the most famous, kimchi, is a fermented food. Other types range from fermented pastes like gochujang and doenjang to jangajji (pickled vegetables that act like Western pickles), jeotgal (salted fermented seafood—a total rice thief!), and traditional liquor can also be considered a fermented food. In the past, Korea needed ways to store ingredients during winter when there were no refrigerators, so long-term preservation through fermentation naturally developed. Also, Korean cuisine heavily uses fermented pastes like soy sauce or gochujang for seasoning, making fermented foods the very foundation of Korean food. You can see everything about fermented foods right here. If you’re curious about the roots of Korean cuisine, definitely take a look around. If it’s your first time… I’d recommend traditional liquor, traditional liquor, and traditional liquor! (lol)

And the food here at Balhyo Gokgan was insane—in the best way. They said this place modernizes Korean deli cuisine using seasonal local ingredients. They were selling all Korean food, but honestly, seeing it was pretty shocking. When I looked at them, I could totally say, “Now this is real Korean food.”
There were my ultimate comfort foods, as well as dishes I used to pick out as a kid, making it the very Korean food I, as a native Korean, have actually grown up eating.

On the menu, there was soup, a main dish, and side dishes—and this kind of setup itself is already classic. I felt that if you eat a meal here, you can truly experience genuine Korean food. Popular dishes everyone knows like bibimbap, tteokbokki, and samgyeopsal are delicious too, but this is where you can have a true Korean food experience. First of all, you get to eat a neat, complete meal with soup, rice, and sides served together. (Now that’s the real Korean meal vibe!)

If you want to try a set-style Korean meal among Korean food, I really recommend this spot too. It gives you high freedom to choose according to your taste, allergies, or preferences, so this kind of system might actually work better for you. (If you’re indecisive, stay tuned—I’ll cover a spot where you can just eat what’s served next time!)

TWELVE KITCHEN

TWELVE KITCHEN sensitively reinterprets popular global dishes, featuring a wide variety of menu items such as salads, grilled dishes, and rice bowls. The signature feature of TWELVE KITCHEN is that you can mix and match dishes to create your own plate out of around 900 different combinations. You can think of this place as a food court, but the menu list here was genuinely impressive as well. Food courts in major Korean shopping malls or department stores serve dishes from various countries—there’s Korean, Japanese, burgers, and more—so it’s fun to pick and choose. But there’s a slight downside where you can usually only commit to one type of food, right? (Well, it’s not really that much of a drawback, though!)

When I saw TWELVE KITCHEN, I thought, “There are so many options here too,” but here, you can actually pack multiple items you want to eat into a bento-style box. (Pretty much like Panda Express) I thought it was a huge plus because it allows you to experience a variety of options, and all the food felt super fresh. Looking closely at each menu item, rather than feeling ordinary, every dish was so charming that picking just a few felt like an agonizingly tough choice.

And there’s a hidden gem on TWELVE KITCHEN’s menu: pizza. Why is it hidden? Because there’s an actual wood-fired oven tucked away in the corner of the kitchen! They had a wide variety of pizzas, and among them, the bulgogi oven-baked sandwich made with dough freshly baked in the wood-fired oven looked absolutely delicious. No matter what you pick here, you won’t go wrong. (You’ll see once you try!)

Spending time here at House of Shinsegae Cheongdam, I felt that this entire space was designed with every detail in mind. (When it comes to wellness, that is!) Even while shopping, every single staff member helps you have a great experience. As for dining options, rather than junk food, it’s all healthy food, giving you a wide variety of choices on how you’d like to eat. Also, the relaxation areas where you can take a breather felt intentionally designed to help you focus purely on resting. The high ceilings created an open, spacious atmosphere, and by slightly separating the lounge areas from the dining spaces, the places to relax or chat felt noticeably quieter and more private than other spots.

When we talk about wellness, it’s all about making an effort to build a process toward a healthy life. And because it’s a process, I believe the elements that make up wellness are incredibly diverse. I used to think that physical health was the sole objective, but with wellness trending recently, I’ve come to realize that living a healthy life involves so much more than just the physical side—it spans mental, emotional, social, and environmental factors as well. Visiting TWELVE really convinced me that this place is purely dedicated to wellness. From thoughtfully curated groceries meeting 12 strict criteria to healthy smoothies, wholesome meal options, spaces designed for quiet focus or rest, and the community of like-minded people gathering here—I felt that all of these elements coming together is what true wellness is all about.

What made it even better was that seasonal Korean ingredients, local food, top-tier quality, and exceptional service provided clear reasons to visit, making it a wonderful space to experience. Feeling almost like a lifestyle concept store, if you want to experience wellness infused with Korean elements, I highly recommend this spot.

See you in the next episode. 👋

안녕 (BYE) !