Starfield, a shopping and theme park franchise operated by South Korean retail giant Shinsegae Group, has opened the country’s first ‘dog lounges’ for customers and their pets.

The dog lounges offer specially designed sofas for pets as well as their owners, restrooms for pets, and dog hooks where customers can temporarily leave their pets when they have to go to the restroom themselves.

The lounge also provides separate resting areas for customers and pets divided by a glass wall. Resting areas for pets have house-shaped sofas, authentic grass floors and restrooms.

“Starfield was South Korea’s first shopping mall chain to allow pets, but we were always aware of the lack of convenience facilities for customers and pets,” said Choi Jae-kyun, operations manager at Shinsegae Property.

“Now, we can proudly present ourselves as a pet-friendly shopping mall that both customers and pets can enjoy.”

• Ashley Song writes for Korea Bizwire.