Daehak-ro small theater with Row E stepped seating: Suspicious PT Shop

Seeing an adults-only play on Daehak-ro: Nine Theater in Jongno

Nine Theater is a small theater on Daehak-ro8-gagil near Hyehwa Station, and this is where I watched the adults-only play Suspicious PT Shop. It had been a really long time since I'd visited Hyehwa. About 10 years ago when I came here, people were touting for plays as you walked past, which felt like such a unique atmosphere. It's similar now, though the touting has died down a bit — but there are way more people than before.

The play I saw today is billed as the raciest adult play in Korea, called Suspicious PT Shop. Adult plays aren't really common on Daehak-ro, so I was curious what the vibe would be like and decided to check out Nine Theater.

Nine Theater basics and where to book tickets

• Address: 30 Daehak-ro8-gagil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
• Hours: Mon/Thu/Fri 7pm, Sat 3pm & 6pm, Sun 3pm (+biweekly 6pm)
• Parking: Not available
• Booking: available through Naver, Not Ticket, and Coupang

Suspicious PT Shop seat prices

The special seats are right at the front, giving the most direct interaction with the actors!

What the Nine Theater entrance and waiting area are like

The entrance. It's smaller than you'd expect, so keep an eye out for it.

Cast photos! Turns out the lineup isn't fixed — the actors rotate depending on schedule.

Walking through the entrance, you'll spot a few props from the previous show, since this is the sequel to Suspicious Hair Salon. There are cast photos too, and then you reach the ticket pickup area and waiting space.

Fitting the PT shop concept, various exercise equipment is on display, and people were waiting for the show to start. The crowd skewed younger than I expected — there were college students who'd just turned 20, as well as middle-aged couples, so the age range was really varied.

Is Row E at Nine Theater still a good view?

Inside the theater, even though we were in row E, the stepped seating was good enough that the view from up there was still solid.

It's less like a big cinema and more like a cozy mini theater, so the stage feels close and you can see the actors' faces really well — a plus.

Before the show starts, there's an announcement about the rules, and that's where things already start to feel different. Since it's a 19+ play, the wording is noticeably different from other plays. It caught me off guard and made me wonder — just how racy is this going to get?

Pre-show quiz time and audience participation at Suspicious PT Shop

Suspicious PT Shop warms up the crowd with a quiz before the main performance. First, an actor comes out to loosen everyone up with a few bits. There's a quiz round in there too, so raise your hand with confidence and try to snag a prize. It's not easy, of course (I raised my hand and immediately put it back down).

How adult is Suspicious PT Shop, and how long is it?

Suspicious PT Shop runs for about an hour and a half. The play kicks off once that 19+ atmosphere (?) has been suitably built up. First off, this play features real adult performers! It really is 19+. Everything shows... everything. I figured there'd be some level of restraint, but I was wrong — it's genuinely 19+, no holding back!

So I'd strongly recommend watching this with a partner, spouse, or a close same-sex friend. Watching it with someone you're just casually seeing might be a bit much — it's so explicit that it could get awkward or embarrassing.

That said, thanks to the actors' sharp comic timing, the overall story flows really smoothly. At one point, as part of the storyline, cast members come out into the audience and hand something out — a surprise little gift moment where younger viewers get shy while older folks are totally unfazed. The balance is well done too — never purely raunchy, never purely goofy.

The story itself covers a topic most people have imagined at some point, and it was fun seeing that imagination brought vividly to life right in front of you. The immediacy of watching it unfold live made it even more engaging.

Who to see Suspicious PT Shop with

Suspicious PT Shop is a 19+ adult play with the raciest content you'll find on Daehak-ro these days, but it stays fun and lighthearted rather than just shocking. It's a subject that could easily feel awkward, but thanks to the cast's acting and the oddly well-balanced story, the whole runtime goes down easy.

If you're a couple or a married pair tired of the same old date routine and craving something a little more daring, come check out Suspicious PT Shop for a bold, out-of-the-ordinary date night.